We are late to write about this but Japanese media reported in August that retired porn star Nao Oikawa (及川奈央) had divorced her husband of five years.
She married the man, who is six years her senior, in December 2016 but announced in early August that she had divorced in the spring.
Oikawa was a top adult video performer from 2000 to 2004. Since leaving JAV and now aged 40, she has carved out a modest second career as a "regular" actor, appearing in a major NHK period drama, among various other credits.
Fans have called for her return to the industry, especially now that she is ...
It is the height of the Japanese summer, a season typically spent at firework displays, local festivals, and at sport venues. This year, of course, is a bit different and many things are canceled or scaled down (again!) due to the ongoing pandemic.
And so we are thinking back to happier times when we would roam baseball stadiums, admiring both the games and the lovely "beer girls" (uriko) who sell the drinks.
Like booth companions ubiquitous at conventions, these girls have attracted their own fandom. After all, what better way to sell drinks than getting hot young women to walk around ...
There are several ways to tell that you have "made it" as a porn star in Japan.
Probably the first and most obvious is when you are cast as a tantai joyu (単体女優) -- an actor who carries a whole release by herself and is given a lead credit (as opposed to the thousands of performers who are uncredited). Only this kind of role ultimately pays enough to make porn a full-time career.
Another is perhaps when you release a photo book or get offers to do various fan events.
But a really big sign is when you get your first spin-off adult toy.
Sendai native Ichika Matsumoto debuted in 2019 ...
The former porn star and now manga artist Nayuka Mine has interviewed Nanami Kawakami, the actor who this year set up her own agency and announced her upcoming retirement from adult video.
In the article published in Spa!, the two share stories about how they got into porn, both coming from rural parts of Japan and going to not especially reputable high schools before they were scouted. Inevitably, as provincials, they were awed by the idea of moving to be the big city and earning big bucks as porn stars.
In Kawakami's case, it was in Fukui Prefecture. Though she says her first release ...
While the Tokyo Olympics enters its second week, the athletes are apparently not having sex in the Olympics Village.
But that is certainly not the case for Japanese porn stars, who are kept busy in a prodigious industry that pumps out thousands of new releases each year.
In a recent photo shoot, five top Japanese adult video stars posed nude for a "naked Olympics" in which they showed off their athletic prowess (as well as their lovely bodies).
Here is Ayaka Mochizuki doing karate.
The flexible Rui Minagawa displays her gymnastics abilities.
This is Emily (Hikari Sakuraba, Ellen ...
Retired adult video star Kirara Asuka is hoping to build a second career for herself (beyond her successful YouTube channel and apparel line, CPITO) with a new venture.
She is "producing" a hostess club, which is set to open on August 2 in Ginza, the district of central Tokyo known for its luxury boutiques, restaurants, and, yes, hostess bars.
The club, J-Vogue, is now recruiting its "cast" of hostesses, offering hourly (yes, hourly!) wages of up to ¥30,000.
Asuka, who retired from the JAV industry in 2020, made the announcement on her official social media accounts on Monday, and it was ...
Minamo is moving fast to capitalize on the big splash she made with her recent porn debut.
After switching from gravure, where she was known as Shizuku Taiyo, the angel-faced beauty has rapidly attracted a following with her well-publicized first release for Soft on Demand.
As often the case, another video was quickly shot -- she was probably contracted from the start to make at least a couple of productions -- and put on the release slate.
While no full preview images are available yet, the aptly titled "Ecstasy" (1stars386) comes out from SOD Create on July 8 and the cover alone is ...
Another week, another adult video debut. Another month, another gravure or music idol quietly switches to porn.
Recently we had Rin Arai (Rin Asahi), Shizuku Taiyo (Minamo), and Ruu Yumemi.
Here's the latest. The 25-year-old, angel-faced Moko Nakagawa (那珂川もこ) launched her career as a gradol in 2018 but the G-cup minor star seemed to vanish in April.
Then came the reason: she had joined the T-Powers agency and was relaunching her career as a porn star, now called Kanan Amamiya (天宮花南).
She celebrated with a nine-page hair nude (full-frontal) spread for the weekly magazine ...
In 2017, the so-called Virgin Killer Sweater clothing item -- a curious combo of cuddly knitwear and a backless design -- exploded on the internet in Japan. Its viral success was thanks in no small part to gravure idol Jun Amaki, who modeled the outfit with amazing results.
The item became available in various versions and more people began to buy it. For a while, it was harder to get but we are pleased that our friends at Kanojo Toys have recently stocked several new types, including a white one, an "open-front" version, and a set with knee-high socks.
As such, we also thought it a good ...
Things don't happen in a vacuum: even if the new porn star isn't already famous and making a switch from gravure modeling or another career to JAV (e.g., Ruu Yumemi or Shizuku Taiyo), the chances are she was doing something beforehand.
And being an underground (chika) idol is one. These young women inhabit the groups that etch out a precarious living doing small gigs and events, attended by a modest but devoted following of fans.
The chika idol group Miramajo (みらまじょ) made a sudden decision to disband in January of this year, giving no formal reason -- meaning it was probably ...
