This story has been percolating since early June and has now become a very interesting incident generating national headlines, and with potential implications for future gravure events. Swimwear photo shoot events in public pools in Saitama have ignited an intense debate. During the events, idols and models gather at the pool for fans to take photographs of them in their swimsuits. Admission to such events is expensive, costing from ¥10,000 to ¥36,000. Various locals voiced concern to the public parks association in late May about the sexy nature of the gravure-style poses. Local ...

     Read More     

Akane Takiyama (瀧山あかね) is the latest Japanese TV announcer trying to forge a concurrent career in gravure. She works as an announcer for shows on ABEMA (she joined the streamer in 2018) and is a former NMB48 "research student" (in 2011 and 2012, while in high school). The 29-year-old has now branched out into gravure with a cover shoot for Weekly Playboy that is making waves and rapidly expanding her fandom. In the summery swimwear shoot for a June issue of Weekly Playboy, she is channeling some Kyoko Fukada vibes with a sporty beach body and radiant, smiling ...

     Read More     

The popular Korean YouTuber Pyo Eunji has built up a huge following on social media and is hoping to capitalize on her popularity by releasing her first print photo book for the Japanese market. The book, Rondo, comes out from Kadokawa on August 10 and has a suitably summery vibe, featuring the Korean hottie naked in a bath among other enticing scenarios. Forgive the clickbaity title we gave this article: the shoot was nude but the bath prevents us from getting a clear view on her body under the water. The previews are already doing the rounds online and generating interest for reasons ...

     Read More     

Back in 2011, AKB48 briefly seemed to be on the cusp of some sort of technological tipping point when it played with a fully digital member of the group. Sadly, or not, Aimi Eguchi was created just for an ad campaign and this "digital idol" trend didn't continue. Instead, we got dribs and drabs of sensational digitally created idols like Saya, the ultra-realistic schoolgirl who wasn't real, and were teased with an all-digital supergroup. The VR boom in the 2010s also seemed to be a major new chapter in the relationship between sex and technology (not least, its implications for watching ...

     Read More     

Former AKB48 idol Nana Owada is already celebrating her tenth anniversary in the entertainment world, even though she's still just 23 years old. Her new photo book marking her decade-long career, encounter, comes out June 15 and the previews are setting the internet on fire. One image features a curvy Nana Owada standing naked in a bath with her arms covering her breasts. In other shots, she shows off her naked back, including a great pic where she's lying nude on a bed, though sadly only the top of her butt is actually visible. In another photo, she's sitting nude on a bed with ...

     Read More     

The beautiful gravure idol and actor Miyu Kitamuki recently released her third photo book. Shedding (Dappi) is another nude book for the star, who also appears in TV shows and movies. The photo book came out in Japan on May 25, published by Wani Books, and Kitamuki held a splashy promotional event in Shinjuku over the weekend. In the photo book, at least based on the previews we have seen (included here, originally from the May 23 edition of weekly magazine Flash), we get to see the stunning 23-year-old's naked body -- with her butt fully on show (especially in the picture where she's ...

     Read More     

Popular gravure idol Rio Teramoto has (almost) given her legions of fans a glimpse of what they most want to see: her G-cup breasts. In the new Japanese Netflix drama Sanctuary, Teramoto plays a supporting role as a hostess, which makes much of her busty assets (perhaps more than her genuine acting chops). In the streamer's recently released show, the protagonist comes in to find Teramoto postcoital, lying in bed in the arms of another, very lucky man. She and the guy are meant to be naked, though the sheets cover their modesty. Rumbled by the other man, her lover quickly covers Rio ...

     Read More     

Just a few days ago, we were celebrating the return to gravure of Rika Adachi and ex-AKB idol Haruna Kojima, and now comes news of another gravure homecoming (of sorts). Clearly 'tis the season for it. The weather is certainly hot enough, at least in Tokyo. Another AKB48 alumna who has moved on to acting and fashion modeling in subsequent years, Mariya Nagao, is dipping her very delightful toe back into gravure. Though she has continued to do lingerie shoots, she doesn't do full-blown gravure as much as she used to do (though she did do a shoot for Friday in February and for Spa in ...

     Read More     

In the fast and furious world of gravure, it feels like every month, if not every week, brings a newcomer. Many debut, then quickly disappear. A lucky few endure and build careers. But every month also seems to bring a gravure comeback of sorts. In mid-April, for instance, we celebrated the return of former AKB48 Haruna Kojima to gravure after years of focusing on fashion retail. And so we are very pleased to welcome back Rika Adachi, who has recently done a stunning cover shoot for an issue of Weekly Playboy (April 24) with a sunny bikini theme that has us yearning for the summer to kick ...

     Read More     

Gravure idol, YouTuber, and keen plastic model maker Umi Shinonome delighted us with her naked butt in her debut photo book released last year. Give the people what they want. It's an old adage but always a winner. It seems that Shinonome is listening because she's generously giving us more of the same (and some nice side boob) with her follow-up photo book, You Love the Sea (Umi), which is released this week in Japan. The book already entered a second print run prior to release. Her 2022 debut also went through several printings. Here are a few other highlights from the new photo ...

     Read More