Here's something we did not expect to be on our radar. The actress Megumi Kagurazaka has made a surprise return to gravure.
Now aged 44, the married mother is to release her first photo book in 14 years. The as-yet-untitled book will come out in Japan on December 18.
She has kicked off her return with an interview and shoot over 11 pages of the October 24/31 issue of the weekly magazine Friday.
And this isn't just a gravure comeback. It's a nude comeback -- and a full-frontal nude shoot (known as a hair nude in the industry). It almost feels like we are back in the 2000s!
Age and ...
The cover image for the upcoming photo book by veteran gravure idol Sayaka Isoyama has been released.
The book, Yoin (translating as "afterglow" or "resonance"), comes out from Kodansha on October 22, marking Isoyama's 25th anniversary in the entertainment industry, and the day before she turns 42.
It was shot on location in Cairns, Australia. No doubt we shall all be soon basking in the afterglow of Sayaka's eternal, shapely beauty, as showcased on the cover.
She already teased us with how great she looks with a 10-page cover shoot for Weekly Friday, her first such cover shoot in eight ...
Ayame Misaki is probably this blog's favorite Japanese model and actress, so we are delighted to hear that she will release another print photo book. Eu te amo comes out via Kodansha on November 27, 2025. "I love you" indeed.
It was shot by photographer Yasuhisa Kikuchi on location in Miyakojima, an island in Okinawa, and amply showcases her sensual curves and shapely derrière.
Here are some highlights from the upcoming release, which was recently previewed in an issue of gravure magazine Weekly Friday.
Now aged 36 and aging like a fine red wine, the divorced actress was a ...
One of the most prominent members of NMB48, the Osaka-based iteration of AKB48, Miru Shiroma graduated the group in 2021 after an 11-year tenure. Since then, she has continued to work as a singer, releasing a couple of music singles in 2022, and also does some acting and YouTube content.
She already stunned fans by graduating with a second photo book, Reborn, which featured the idol in very skimpy lingerie and some very revealing poses.
She followed this up with a third book in 2023, Aventure, but while her past NMB48 peers have been getting married and having kids (Yuka Hagino, a year ...
Some female celebrities are vampires. They must be, otherwise how else do the likes of Ayaka Haruse, Kyoko Fukada, and Asami Kumakiri seem never to age even as they enter their forties?
One of Japan's top jukujo hotties is Sayaka Isoyama, known for her curvy charms and simple personality.
Though her gravure peak is long behind her and she makes her living primarily now as a TV celebrity and actress, the 41-year-old is releasing a new photo book in October to mark 25 years of working in the entertainment industry. It was shot on location in Cairns, Australia.
As a promotion, she appears ...
Not all heroes wear capes and not all gravure idols enter the industry through the usual agency and competition route.
And while we are used to certain other celebrities moonlighting in gravure, especially music idols, but also wrestlers, actresses, fashion models, and sports athletes, it is relatively rare for a figure skater to dabble.
But Marin Honda is a rare thing indeed, as her gravure debut impressively demonstrates.
The 24-year-old showed off her slinky, toned body and cute girl-next-door beauty in a great series of pics that would make many music idols green with envy.
Her ...
Former Keyakizaka46 music idol Neru Nagahama is back with a new photo book, a self-titled release from major publication Kodansha on July 15.
The 26-year-old has not published a photo book in eight years.
The Nagasaki native was seen as a rising star in the idol world in the late 2010s, with her first photo book going through a reprint. The alluring shower pics surely helped.
Recent years have been leaner ones for Nagahama since leaving Keyakizaka46 in 2019, though she remains connected to the idol industry though a position with Tokyo Idol Festival, and her first photo book was ...
Some women age well. And then there's Kyoko Fukuda.
The eternally youthful (and single) Fukada has appeared on the cover of Weekly Playboy, making her one of the oldest idols to earn the honor.
Now aged 42 (and turning 43 in November) and as comely as ever, Fukada appears on the cover of the latest issue of the magazine, which came out on June 30, wearing a figure-hugging swimsuit. She is fine company: the same issue features such gradols as Erika and Marina Momose, and various other young ladies two decades or more her junior. We'd take Fukada over them any day of the week, ...
Now this is what we call moving on!
After quitting as an announcer at Fuji TV last summer, the future looked uncertain for Nagisa Watanabe.
When the Masahiro Nakai scandal broke, people were quick to deduce that she was probably the unnamed woman at the center of it. Though she's still not officially identified, it is generally assumed that she was the victim of the alleged sexual assault, which led to her taking a leave of absence from her job.
Nakai, one of the biggest names in Japanese entertainment, was forced to retire and Fuji TV suffered a mass exodus of advertisers.
The ...
The actress Aya Ueto is to release a new photo book in July.
Shot in Taiwan, Midday Reverie comes out on July 10 from Takarajimasha. The photographer is Kotori Kawashima, famous for his photos of a young toddler called Mirai, though he has done photo books for models before, such as Nanase Nishino and Asami Usuda.
Midday Reverie marks Aya Ueto's first photo book in 15 years. She turns 40 in September but, as the shoot preview images show, is still a remarkably beautiful woman. Don't expect any nudity, or even much flesh on display, though, since Aya Ueto has never had that sort of career ...
