Interview with porn star An Sasakura and her mother

The Japanese adult video performer An Sasakura recently sat down for an interview with Nikkan Spa!, joined by her none other than her mother.

Sasakura is a 39-year-old industry veteran who debuted in February 2016 and has since appeared in over 500 releases. She left her agency last year and is currently working as a freelancer.

She has openly talked of her strict upbringing with a father who is an executive at a major corporation, and her business owner grandfather.

The interview with Sasakura and her mother was proposed by the actress herself, and her mother agreed.

We have translated some edited highlights below.

Sasakura: The past interview about my family were well received, so I thought I’d ask my mother to speak. I also got permission from my father.

Q. What kind of child was An Sasakura

Mother: She was a rather introverted child. She preferred being alone rather than with friends. She was more of the type to play quietly at home. This was partly due to her father’s job transfer, which meant she grew up in an environment without many children her age. From around the age of one, I enrolled her in preschool classes and baby swimming lessons. The area we lived in had hardly any children to play with at the park, so I started lessons to increase her opportunities to interact with others.

Sasakura: Well, I didn’t really interact much, though.

Mother: Even if she became friends with others in preschool, they lived in different areas, so it was difficult. And even after we moved and she started kindergarten, her innate personality didn’t change. I think she wasn’t very outgoing.

Sasakura: That’s why I was the only one who went to a private elementary school. My other siblings went to public schools.

Q. You had extracurricular activities seven days a week, including lots of music lessons.

Mother: She also did rhythmic gymnastics.

Q. From a mother’s perspective, was she a rather high-maintenance child?

Mother: In terms of childcare, not at all. Rather, I was more worried about her relationships with others.

Sasakura: I think I was the kind of child where it is hard to understand what they are thinking.

Mother: You were a child who never said anything, so I was always worried.

Sasakura: I thought you were overprotective.

Q. What happened when you went to college?

Mother: I certainly thought she should go to university at the time. Even if she wanted to get a job, I couldn’t see what she wanted to do, and I wanted her to discover that there were many different paths for her future by going to university.

Sasakura: And before I knew it, I went in a very different direction.

Mother: Now I wonder if I should have made her work instead of letting her go to college.

Q. When did you find out that your daughter was working as a pornographic actress?

Mother: My memory is a bit hazy. I do remember feeling something was off when I visited her home. There were business cards and various message cards lying around that you wouldn’t normally get if she was just working a regular part-time job. But since she didn’t say anything, I couldn’t bring myself to ask her.

Q. Did you always feeling uneasy?

Mother: Yes. I had doubts, but kept them bottled up inside. That’s probably why my memory of it faded. The decisive factor was the photo shoot in the weekly magazine. The male actor wasn’t handsome or dapper, he was just a really ordinary middle-aged man. I remember thinking, “Is it really okay to be with someone like that!?”

Q. Did you tell her father yourself?

Mother: I think I told him. I’m not entirely sure, though.

Sasakura: Normally, you’d remember something like that clearly, wouldn’t you?

Mother: Well, it was about 10 years ago. Besides, at that time I was busy taking care of my parents and starting a different job…

Q. Did you ever want her to quit being a porn actress?

Mother: Above all, I wanted her to do something where at least she is not causing trouble for others and not getting into trouble with the police. As long as her porn actress job met those two criteria, I had nothing to say.

Sasakura: But you didn’t like it, right?

Mother: Of course, working a normal job and marrying the person you love might be the general ideal, but that doesn’t apply to everyone. You have to decide and live your own life. To be honest, I was shocked when I found out she became a porn actress. But it didn’t seem like she was doing it just for the money. I don’t want her to just do what her parents told her if that’s not fun.

Q. Have you ever asked your father about his feelings?

Sasakura: He once told me, “It’s not a matter of forgiving or not forgiving, but I just don’t like it.” But when I released my photo book, he praised me. He said, “It’s amazing that you’re releasing a photobook in this day and age where print media is becoming obsolete.” Fundamentally, my father is very lenient with me and my mother. I think my father is happy when we’re happy and lively.

Mother: More than that, he doesn’t want to see us sad. If his daughter was crying because she was unemployed and miserable, I think he would have told her to come home. But she seemed happy. Besides, even if he forced her to quit her job and dragged her back home, it’s certain that we’ll pass away before her.

Sasakura: That’s why I feel I have to achieve results.

Q. Sasakura left her agency last year and became a freelance actress. Has this affected things?

Mother: Since she went freelance, we’ve been talking more. Before, she didn’t know much about the details of my work, but now she tells me quite a lot of the little things.

Sasakura: Of course, I don’t tell her things like, “I’m going to have sex in front of the camera today.” But my mother has started to promote herself through her work and has started to try her hand at design, so we consult each other and praising each other’s work.

Mother: Seeing my daughter working so hard on her own, I honestly think it’s amazing. I understand because I’m also studying hard while working. Our relationship has become closer.

Q. What about her siblings?

Mother: I haven’t told my eldest son anything. He’s a very serious man.

Sasakura: I’ve always said, “It’s an OK job because I file tax returns.” But it’s getting harder to fool him. My mom somehow told my sister without me knowing.

Mother: I thought it might be a shock, but since we’re both women, I thought she’d accept it.

Q. What was your sister’s reaction at the time?

Mother: I don’t remember, but it was something like mild surprise.

Sasakura: I apologized for being such a bad older sister. But she said, “No matter what you do, you’re still my older sister. I know you’re working hard, so I’m rooting for you.” She said the best thing in the family.

Q. Is there anything you’d like to say to your daughter in closing?

Mother: I just want you to be happy. However, I’m a little worried about your age. If you start your own company or create a system where you can support those around you, it will give me peace of mind as a parent, and I’m sure it will change how much trust people have in you. But I truly think my daughter is amazing. It’s truly amazing that you’ve been posting “Good morning” on social media every day for seven years. I only realized how difficult it is after I started learning about social media myself.

Sasakura: I feel like I’m finally getting recognition for what I’ve been doing. It took so long to get praised! But this is one of the things that motivates me. In a way, my biggest enemy might be my family!

Mother: I think there will be all sorts of reactions to this article. Some people will say good things, and some will say bad things. But I believe there’s meaning in being born. Life is fleeting, so live yours to the fullest!

Since “that’s someone’s daughter” is such a common reaction, many media outlets want to interview porn star’s parents. Kirara Asuka’s mom and dad also once shared their thoughts on her porn career.