There is something of a minor trend among gravure idols to emphasize their academic background. If they come from a prestigious or famous college, this is often made a significant part of their appeal.
And so it was when Serina Fukui first burst onto the gravure scene a few years ago. The pharmacy student at Keio University -- one of the most prestigious private colleges in Japan -- was praised for her curvy charms and her brains. And it was the latter that made the former even better.
Having graduated from Keio, Fukui now works as a regular pharmacist in Tokyo but has continued her ...
A few weeks ago, we posted a preview about the gravure idol Sayaka Nitori's highly anticipated debut photo book.
The semi-nude photo book shows off the model's nipples for the first time, though nominally covered by wet clothing. We also noted the meteoric rise of the idol and how she has done it as a freelancer unattached to the usual talent agencies (which control a celebrity or model's career and take most of the money).
We are delighted now to share some more highlights from the photo book, Ribbon, proving that's really stretching the "semi" part of "semi-nude." Nitori's G-cup ...
Sumire Yokono suddenly left NMB48 in May 2021 -- shortly after a report broke that went to a hotel with a male celebrity twice her age. Even more shockingly, she was also spotted on a date (six days later) with yet another boyband member, with who she also spent the night at an expensive hotel.
The resulting scandal sunk her NMB future.
After a year off, the 21-year-old relaunched her career in May this year.
Su-chan is now trying to go it on her own (with a little help from a major modeling agency). She is carving out a career as a gradol and model, and is succeeding: three gravure cover ...
The slinky Sayaka Nitori is one of the most popular gravure idols of the moment and enjoys a following especially on social media (to the cool tune of a million followers on Instagram). In fact, she's known as an Instagram gravure pioneer, launching her account in late 2016 and then making her formal debut in gravure in 2018.
After years of anticipation, the 28-year-old is releasing her first photo book, Ribbon, on September 28, and has finally shown us her nipples.
Kind of.
Those titties are unfortunately still covered by her clothing, but the amazing outline of her pert nipples of her ...
As we get older, we appreciate the charms and beauty of older women more. But it's far from the case that we ignored jukujo during our own salad days. Far from it, we have long sung the praises of Japanese cougars and MILF on these digital pages, as regular readers will know.
A jukujo (roughly, "mature woman") is rather loosely defined, and is often applied liberally to any woman past her "prime" (i.e., her twenties). This is nebulous, of course, and most Japanese women in their thirties would shirk from the label, though various celebrities have embraced it and turned it into their whole ...
It seems like everyone is doing nude shoots these days, from Nana Asakawa to Kyouka, Mariya Nagao, and Aoi Fujino.
Nude shoots can be a great way to make a comeback or boost a flagging career, or even, as in the case of Kyouka, go out with a bang.
Multilingual gravure idol and actress Manami Shindo, however, has already set a precedent in past photo shoots in 2021 that showed off her naked butt and (under sheer/wet clothing) breasts. Those shoots marked Shindo's full entry into the world of gravure -- and what an entrance it was.
Now the 30-year-old has decided to go one step further and ...
Curvy, busty gravure idols are nothing new. But it can still make you stop and sputter when you stumble over a provocative shoot.
Take Aoi Fujino (藤乃あおい), whose bust is meant to measure a whole meter! Her latest photo shoot is nude -- or at least about as close as it is possible to be without being nude.
Making her 23rd birthday, Fujino shows off her attractive body by posing with her arms over her breasts (the classic tebura pose) and a hand covering her crotch. Sometimes the only thing preserving her modesty is her long hair or soap suds rubbed over her wet body.
But when it ...
Readers, we have failed you. After reporting on Mariya Nagao's latest photo book in December 2021, we failed to follow up when it was released earlier this year.
We should have, because it was actually (as rumored) Mariya Nagao's first nude photo book. Her fourth print book Yabai! Mariya. came out in January and follows Mariyagi as she visits an old hot spring resort with its run-down love hotels and snack bars.
The Showa-themed shoot features a naked Mariya in vintage clothes that she takes off for a bath and then enjoys the water. Her nude butt is visible in several shots. After years of ...
Riko Suzuhara (鈴原りこ) is a 30-year-old gravure idol who is also apparently a certified and practicing caregiver.
She could use those nursing skills to intimate effect in the bedroom, no doubt. Just imagine what she could do with those firm hands of hers!
A little later than most gradols, Suzuhara has got a decent boost to her career with the release of her debut photo book, coming out on September 1 from Kodansha. (She didn't make her gravure debut until age 26.)
As a promo, Weekly Gendai recently published some preview images showcasing the photo book, which is an ambitious nude ...
We've bemoaned the crowded and competitive state of the gravure industry before. A gradol may grace the cover of Weekly Playboy or Young Jump one week and, just a few months later, be hung out to dry as yet another young lady in a bikini takes their place.
It's hard to keep up with all the new arrivals on the scene and while many gravure idols try to expand into acting and TV work without explicitly "graduating" from glamor modeling, some do more formally retire. But even this is often done without much fanfare.
Perhaps it gets announced on social media and then that's it: the idol is ...
