Nozomi Sasaki returns with 20th anniversary anniversary calendar

Nozomi Sasaki is celebrating 20 years in the industry with a new calendar out on June 9.

The Akita native was a favorite of the late 2000s. She made her debut in 2006 and established herself in gravure as well as acting roles. With her pure-looking face and waif-like body, she was one of the most eligible women in entertainment, and ultimately married comedian Ken Watabe in 2017. They have two kids together, though their marriage was rocked by scandal when Watabe’s affair hit the headlines with lots of salacious detail about toilet sex in Roppongi. The scandal even inspired its own adult toy.

Now aged 38, Sasaki looks as beautiful as ever and not at all like a jukujo. The mother-of-two barely looks a day over 25, though we assume that makeup and Photoshop are doing a fair bit of heavy lifting here.

The 34-page calendar, promising “365 days of eye contact” with the model, is not just an anniversary release but the first such gravure-style release by Sasaki in a while. Her last photo books and calendars all predate her marriage, so this is effectively a gravure comeback in all but name.

Being her first such shoot in about 10 years has generated some tabloid attention, but so has the choice of outfit in some of the pics — featuring a heart-shaped “cleavage hole.”

We’re not sure why a calendar is coming out in June, but we hope it’s the first of many new releases from one of our favorite Japanese babes from the late 2000s and early 2010s.