Former HKT48 idol Haruka Kodama is notable, at least in our eyes, for two reasons. And no, we don't mean those two!
Firstly, she is totally open about having had plastic surgery, which common among celebrities in Japan but not publicly discussed. (She's also open about her bipolar.)
Secondly, she's a good example of how former music idols need to be more provocative if they want to make their mark after leaving the ranks of a supergroup. Since leave HKT48 in 2019, Haruppi certainly proved this true with her regular gravure shoots and photo books, including a nude one in 2022 that showed off ...
Miona Hori has recently turned 30 and the former member of Nogizaka46 is celebrating with a new photo book in which she goes nude.
Her third print photo book, Lingering Crimson (深紅の余韻), came out from Shogakukan on October 15. It's her first release in six years and clearly shows a new maturity to her public look.
The photo book was shot lavishly on location in Europe, though we expect fans are more interested in the pics shot in a hotel room and bathroom than the ones of Hori enjoying sightseeing in Dubrovnik.
The interior shots include ones of her lying naked on a bed, her ...
Akiko Hinagata has proved that age is just a number with her first photo book in 22 years.
The married 48-year-old released Primary Colors from Shufu to Seikakatsusha on October 16.
Hinagata debuted as an actress in 1992. She married in 1998 and had a daughter in 2000, but later divorced in 2003. She remarried in 2013 to a fellow actor.
Though reported as her first photo book since Beauty in 2004, it's not quite true, since she had an entry in the Gekkan series in 2010 and a photo book in 2018 reprinted highlights from old shoots.
According to Hinagata at a promotional event ...
Hinatazaka46 member Miku Kanemura has released some preview images of her upcoming second photo book and netizens and fans are going wild over a particular shot of her in alluring black lingerie.
Dressed in an elegant teddy or bodysuit, Miku's bust is really emphasized, transforming her ordinarily slender-looking figure into something far more sensual and voluptuous. This is Miku as femme fatale.
But most eye-catching of all, the crotch area suggests that she has very carefully groomed or even gone fully hairless (paipan) downstairs. This speculation is all a bit tasteless and crude, of ...
Kyra (or Kaira) Shirahase is a professional bodyboarder and model in Japan, and has just released her second print photo book that is set to increase her exposure in a more literal sense.
Blue Sight was released on September 16 from the publisher Futabasha.
The about-to-turn-29 Shirahase's nude photo book shows off more of her athletic body than ever, and is the perfect callback to summer that we need now, as the weather slips into the autumn and the colder months lie ahead.
She covers her breasts with her hands, but in other shots her wet clothing leaves her nipples clearly ...
The second photo book by Cocona Umeyama came out earlier this month and has already set the interwebs on fire in just a few days.
As reported here in July, the ex-NMB48 idol's second publication is a nude release.
Umeyama is a former member of the Osaka-based girl group NMB48 (from 20216 to 2022) as well as of spin-off music group Lapis Arch.
She is clearly trying to establish a name for herself in the competitive world of music idols seeking to build a career after leaving the safety net of their group by taking a more provocative approach in COCOIRO, which features her taking off her ...
We are excited to share more images from the comeback of former top gravure star Kumiko Takeda.
The photo book is 57-year-old Takeda's first in 23 years and the title and cover remain unannounced. It is released on September 9, about a month after Takeda turns a ripe 58 years of age.
A taste of what was to come previously appeared in Weekly Friday, when Takeda did a cover shoot in late June.
Some further images are now available, showing the legendary model in the bath, and letting us revel in her athletic, ageless body. She is lying naked in a bath or on a bed while wearing red lingerie ...
Cocona Umeyama is a former member of Osaka-based girl group NMB48 (from 20216 to 2022) as well as of spin-off music group Lapis Arch.
The Osaka native released a photo book in 2022 and is now set to release a second this August, and in which she is upping the ante in an effort to boost her career as the 22-year-old former idol seeks to establish herself as an actor.
Whereas her previous photo book just featured her in swimwear, COCOIRO is more lavish in terms of both aesthetic and budget.
Shot on location in Cebu, the star poses nude with her hands covering her breasts, showing off her ...
There are comebacks and then there are comebacks. We have seen a fair few returns to gravure in recent years, but surely none are as welcome as Kumiko Takeda.
It was announced this week that the 57-year-old Takeda is to release her first photo book since 2003. The former model and actress shows off her body in preview images released this week and also featured in a 10-page cover shoot for Weekly Friday today.
The book, which is released on September 9, is shot by leading gravure photographer ND Chow and released by Kodansha. It is billed as an homage to her past shoots.
Takeda says: "I ...
Ayame Misaki is back with a new digital photo book. Shot by ND Chow, wet moon came out via Shueisha and Weekly Playboy on May 18.
Living up to its title, it features a sweaty Misaki showing off her shapely body in a bikini.
Misaki is now 37 years old and seems set to replicate the success of Kyoko Fukada and continue such gravure beach shoots into her late thirties and even forties.
Like the voice actress Yuka Iguchi, Misaki reinvented her in her thirties with an athletic look boasting muscular curves and a sun-kissed body.
Beginning in 2021, her comeback has reaped dividends for ...
