Interview with retired porn star Miku Ikuta

Miku Ikuta debuted in the adult industry in 2017 and gained a following until she retired in February 2023. She then announced her marriage in April 2024.

The 28-year-old ex-performer recently sat down for an interview with Spa! about her post-porn life. We have translated some extracts.

Q. You debuted in June 2017. How did you end up on the path to becoming a JAV performer?

Originally, I was a huge fan of Ebisu Muscats (an idol group featuring porn stars). But when I was watching their show, I didn’t know they were sexy actresses. I just saw them as pretty girls. I wondered who they were and looked into it, and found out they were in that profession. Kana Momonogi was my favorite member! I really loved her, and I went to her live shows and autograph sessions, and interacted with her fans on social media.

Q. You ended up joining the same agency at Momonogi. Was that a coincidence?

No, it was inevitable. I had always admired the work of a sexy actress, but I thought it was absolutely impossible for me. My parents were very strict. But in my fan letters to Momonogi, I often wrote that I want to try it too, but I don’t have the courage. I guess that caught the eye of the staff.

Q. Did you tell your parents beforehand?

At first, I hid it. But I thought it would be better to tell them beforehand rather than have them find out later. My mother was strongly against it. She was constantly calling and texting me. My relationship with my mother might be what you’d call toxic.

However, my father was supportive. We were estranged because my parents were separated, but he had a past where he couldn’t pursue his own path because he was the eldest son. His stance was: If you want to do it, go for it. My father even came with me to the agency, brought a box of sweets, and introduced himself. The agency president was surprised, saying it was first time that had happened.

I continued to clash with my mother for a long time. About two years after my debut, it became mentally difficult, and I decided to distance myself. Actually, I still don’t have contact her. It’s been seven years since we lost contact. Maybe we could reconcile now.

Q. How was life after your debut?

At first, I thought it was a really fun and rewarding job. I had an exclusive contract with the production company but I later became a “project actress” (meaning a performer who works on a for-hire basis for different productions). It was a real mental turning point. I felt like my brands had disappeared. The number of actresses has increased dramatically. I was a “Lolita type,” but competition incredibly fierce. The production companies I wanted to work with kept disappearing, and offers for me were steadily declining. It was as if the industry had stopped paying attention to me.

Q. What was your first sexual experience like?

My first time was with an older man I met on social media. I didn’t want to debut as a virgin, so I did it, and that was the only time I had sex before my debut.

Q. Wouldn’t it have been more sensational to debut as a virgin?

Maybe. After becoming an actress, I did have some fun with guys. But after the pandemic started, I stopped interacting with other people, and those desires also suddenly dried up.

Q. You retired in February 2023. You have mentioned that you aren’t a competitive person and the industry was very cutthroat. Was that the reason?

I’d just had enough. It didn’t seem like my workload would increase dramatically if I continued, and my genre is quite difficult to adapt to the times. Also, a major factor was that I no longer felt any meaning in having sex for the enjoyment of viewers. However, I did enjoy acting, so I decided to continue doing V-cinema and softcore film roles under my name.

Q. About a year after your retirement, in April 2024, you announced your marriage to film director Keita Donomoto. How did you meet?

I think we met around August 2020. He was a college student at the time, and I appeared in his pink (sexploitation) film Underwater Elegy, which he directed while still a student. Out of several casting candidates, he apparently liked my looks. I also heard that he had been watching my work since my debut.

Q. And then your professional relationship blossomed into romance?

I was the one who really made their feelings known. He’s a bit younger than me, but intelligent and calm, and I was really drawn to that. We started dating in April 2021. It was the very day that Undersea Elegy was showing at Ueno Okura Theater. He lived in Kansai, so we had a long-distance relationship for three years. I would take the Shinkansen to see him almost every month. He was my first ever boyfriend!

Q. Did your husband ever say anything about your work?

Not really. He’s a director of pink films, after all. He’s never asked me to quit my work as a porn star. And his family all know about me. They’re all such nice people! I feel incredibly fortunate to be in such a supportive environment.

Q. What’s your life like now?

I’m just an ordinary person. I occasionally work as an extra on films or appear in direct-to-video releases. I lead a relaxed life surrounded by four rescue cats. All my cats are male and mama’s boys, so I’m plotting to get a female cat who’ll be attached to my husband. Lately, I’ve also been volunteering at a rescue cat cafe.

The three years since I retired have really flown by. I did briefly consider making a comeback as a married performer, but I think the more settled lifestyle suits me best right now.