The photo book market in Japan can sometimes seem like a tame one. Sure, we harp on about the latest semi-nude shoots featuring various music idols, actresses, models, and so on, but, as lovely those are, we are ultimately making hay out of thin material. Gone are the glory days of the photo book when we could be really surprised by a provocative new release. We are talking about, of course, the "hair nude" full-frontal shoot. Back in the 1990s, when the hair nude was at its peak, it was popular for established stars or even up-and-coming models. Far from a last resort for a faded star or ...

The year is drawing to a close: another twelve months packed full of gravure shoots and photo books. But who did the most memorable nude shoot? Sure, there were plenty of sexy and semi-nude shoots, but who made their nude debuts? Who looked best without their clothes on? We look at the best nude shoots in 2021 from gravure idols, models, and other celebrities (not porn stars, since going nude is par for the course). Former Morning Musume idol and singer Maki Goto make a high-profile comeback to live performance and also released a photo book, where she went nude again -- and proved how ...

Is the hair nude making a comeback? Well, the full-frontal nude shoot never went away per se, but it's a rarer species these days. Have gradols become more risk-averse? Where are the mainstream actresses of the 1990s who had big hits with hair nude photo books (like Rie Miyazawa, Miho Kanno, Eri Ishida, or Saki Takaoka)? Many, if not most, such full-frontal shoots these days are published in a weekly tabloid magazine and often as a promo for an upcoming porn debut (like Anri Sakaguchi). The singer KOM_I is a notable, welcome exception to this trend. But we are pleased to report two new ...