Hong Kong have cracked down on foreign sex workers, arresting numerous women on October 17. According to local news reports, they included the former Japanese porn star Noa Aizawa (愛沢のあ), who has been working as a prostitute from a hotel in the city. Police have targeted a prostitution ring that was promoting Aizawa's services as a sex worker on social media by using her past adult videos as promotional material. Along with Aizawa, another woman arrested at the hotel was from Thailand. They both entered Hong Kong on travel visas. In all, 16 women were arrested in a series of ...

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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 ...

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The afterlives of idols is an ongoing theme of this blog. What happens to those music and gravure stars after they call it quits? Some, of course, go into porn, like Yotsuha Kominato (Rikako Inoue). Others, like AKB48's Risa Naruse (Haruna Aisaka), marry a celebrity. Many go on to do ordinary jobs. Here's a slightly more unusual take on that: Manaka Shida, formerly of Keyakizaka46 (now called Sakurazaka46 since 2020), is now a Ginza hostess. Of course, it's well known that many adult video and gravure idols are doing hostessing on the side anyway. Some have also announced this publicly ...

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We have spilled much digital ink on this blog talking about what happens to idols from AKB48 and its sister groups, taking an interest (for obvious reasons) especially in the young ladies who go on to have careers in porn. But what about those same singers-turned-porn stars after they are done with their adult video careers? For some, it's a short stint in the competitive world of JAV. For others, like Yua Mikami, they enjoy years at the very top of the industry. But all things must come to an end. What do they do next? Well, in the case of former AKB48 idol Risa Naruse (who worked in JAV ...

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The recently retired porn star Nanami Kawakami has announced her pregnancy and marriage. The 29-year-old shared the news with fans on August 1 via social media, though she says she actually married her partner on July 7. Her due date is next January. The announcement tweet included charming pictures at the beach, with her partner (whose face is hidden) slipping a ring on her finger and Kawakami beaming at the camera with her ring on. Kawakami, who has been candid about the financial pitfalls of her line of work, retired at the start of 2022 after a successful career lasting her ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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If you follow the Japanese adult video newbies closely, you may have noticed the porn debut of Moeka Marui (円井萌華) back in May for SOD Create. Though her exact age is unknown, Marui was formerly a child model and music idol under the name Moeka (萌華). She apparently had a following in Taiwan and would travel to appear in events there, though they seem like relatively small street performances. (So the next time you see an idol performing on the street in a Japanese city, imagine their future career in porn!) Here is Marui back in her Taiwanese days. She has so far ...

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The graduation of various leading members and the restrictions placed on live, in-person events by the pandemic have greatly reduced the presence of AKB48 and its sister groups in popular culture. The groups retain strong followings, of course, but the days when AKB dominated advertising and TV shows seem over. As such, even the little scandals seem to pass us by. We missed that Yuka Suzuki (鈴木優香) was forced to graduate AKB48 last September due to an alleged romance (oh, the horror!) that first emerged in spring 2021. Following her ignominious departure from AKB48, Yuka Suzuki ...

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One of the fascinations of this blog is with the afterlives of idols, whether music, gravure, or porn. What do the hordes of women do after their (frequently brief) moment in the spotlight is over? Kizuna Sakura was active in adult video from 2014 to 2020. Now aged 32, she has begun the next stage of her left and career by opening a Niigata-themed ramen restaurant in December 2020 in Tokyo's Suginami ward. She funded her enterprise through an ambitious crowdfunding campaign, which included such perks as a one-on-one talk and even a "fake wedding ceremony" and one-night stay at a hot spring ...

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