Noriko Kijima (木嶋のりこ Kijima Noriko, born in Nagano Prefecture, Japan on March 22, 1988) is a Japanese gravure idol and actress. Noriko was one of the winners at the 2005 Seikore (制コレ) competition, short for Zenkoku Joshikousei Seifuku Collection (全国女子高生制服コレクション), a Japanese national contest for high-school girls modeling school uniforms and bikinis. She has since made a number of gravure videos.
In May 2006, at age eighteen, she appeared in Masato Tsujioka’s award winning film Divide. That same year saw her playing a literal “living doll” in the Tetsuya Ikea produced Legend of the Doll. The Crystal Acids reviewer notes “The acting is fairly solid … with Noriko Kijima proving that she is more than just a pretty face.” She also played the role of Yoshie, Ami’s best friend, in Noboru Iguchi’s 2008 cult gore film The Machine Girl and was the star of the short direct-to-video sequel Shyness Machine Girl.
Yukie Kawamura (川村 ゆきえ Kawamura Yukie, born January 23, 1986) is a Japanese gravure idol, tarento, and actress signed to 10-POINT.
Born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, Kawamura grew up in Yokohama, Kanagawa and later in Abiko, Chiba. She made her debut in 2003 as a gravure idol. In 2006 she started her career as an actress.
Reon Kadena (かでな れおん Kadena Reon, born February 19, 1986 in Sakai, Osaka, Japan), also known as Leon Kadena or Minamo Kusano, is a Japanese model and actress. Kadena is a female Japanese idol whose photobooks and films largely feature her in revealing costumes, underwear and bikinis.
Filmography
Tri Puru H (2004, under the name Minamo Kusano)
Leon (2004)
Girl’s Desire (2004) – Other title is ‘Gravure Idol’
Piikan Fūfu (2005)
Virginity (2005)
Style (2005) – Also known as ‘Reon Style’
The Making of Dark Fantasy (2006)
Make You Happy (2006)
My Reflection (2006)
God’s Left Hand, Devil’s Right Hand (2006) – horror film directed by Shusuke Kaneko
The Document of God’s Left Hand, Devil’s Right Hand (2006)
Memories (2006) – Often referred to as ‘Champion Gold Selection’
Dream Planet (2007)
Himitsu Sennyū Sōsakan: Wildcats in Strip Royale (2008)
Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider OOO & W Featuring Skull: Movie War Core (2010)
Leah Dizon (born September 24, 1986) is an American-born former gaijin tarento, singer, and model in Japan. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, she moved to Tokyo, Japan in 2006 to pursue a career in entertainment. She made her recording debut on Victor Entertainment later that same year.
1986–2004: Childhood and youth
Leah Donna Dizon was born in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 24, 1986. Her mother is of French descent and her father is half Filipino and half Chinese. Her parents work as casino dealers. Dizon is the fourth of six children: she has two older brothers, an older sister, and two younger brothers. In an interview, she explains that she listened to rock and R&B music and trained in dance since the age of 12. Dizon has said that her mother was “very strict and monitored [Dizon's] spending habits”. When she was 14 years old, she worked at a clothing store and eventually saved enough money to travel to Japan alone for a trip.
She attended the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts for her freshman and sophomore years but graduated from the public Eldorado High School in 2004, where she became active in theater. At the age of 18, Dizon relocated to Los Angeles, California and attended college as a film major for her freshman year.
2005–2007: Destiny Line, early work, and career debut
While living in Los Angeles, Dizon worked as a promotional model for local car shows. Eventually, her photographs were posted online. It was reported that there were 2 million Google hits within an entire year, with the majority of the viewers being located in China and Japan. Much of the attention received was attributed to her unique looks. She was asked by many Japanese fans—who had seen her photographs—to work in their country, which eventually prompted her to submit several demo tapes and dance videos to Victor Entertainment. An agent offered and signed her to a recording contract.
In March 2006, Dizon moved to Tokyo and began Japanese lessons alongside voice training. She released her first photobook, Petite Amie (which means “girlfriend” in French), in October 2006—Petite Amie was ranked as the third best-selling photobook of 2006 and 2007. A few pictorials for various magazines followed.
Dizon made her musical debut under Victor Entertainment on February 14, 2007 with the single “Softly”. This was followed by “Koi Shiyō”, and “L・O・V・E U”. which also peaked at number 7 on the Oricon Weekly Chart. The title track is described as a “grooving, up-tempo dance song” and the single features 2 B-sides: “Could you be that one?” and “Aishiteru: Love Story” (アイシテル～ Love Story). Koi Shiyō was used in a Lotte TV advert, while “Could you be that one?” was featured in a PlayStation 3 Ninja Gaiden Sigma TV advert, with Dizon starring in both commercials. In September 2007, Dizon released her debut album, Destiny Line, under Victor Entertainment. The CD+DVD Edition contains 14 tracks, 10 of which she penned herself on the single PVs alongside a special album PV “Again and Again”. The CD+1 only edition contains the digitally-released remix of “Koi Shiyō”, called “Koi Shiyō (Yasutaka Nakata-Capsule Mix)”.
2008–present: Communication!!!, marriage, and pregnancy
After the release of Destiny Line, Dizon continued with two singles: “Love Paradox” and “Vanilla” (both 2008). Her second album, Communication!!!, was released in August 2008. “Under the Same Sky” was used as the theme song for the Japanese drama Tokyo Prom Queen. She made a guest appearance on the show as Naomi, the prom queen from the previous year.
In February 2008, Dizon began dating her stylist Bun (born 1979), whom she had met while shooting the music video for Love Paradox. On October 10, 2008, while three months pregnant, Dizon married Bun in a traditional Japanese ceremony. These initial stages were chronicled and announced during her Communication!!! Album Tour several days after the marriage.
The couple’s daughter, Mila (美蘭 Mira), was born on April 24, 2009. On February 14, 2010, Dizon appeared on live television and discussed making cookies for Bun. Subsequently, she confessed that their relationship had been aversive ever since the birth. That same month, she was featured in a spread for Glamourous Magazine, where she discussed motherhood and her hopes to return to the entertainment industry. It was her first magazine cover in nearly two years. On October 31, 2010, she announced that she and Bun had separated and filed for divorce earlier that month, and she was seeking full custody of their daughter. According to Dizon, the split was due to “busy schedules and inability to meet regularly differing opinions toward raising children” alongside “irreconcilable differences”. According to a statement released on February 22, 2011 by Dizon’s agency, Dizon received full custody of their daughter Mila and details of their arrangement were private. Their divorce was finalized in December 2010. Dizon currently resides in New York City with Mila, where she is taking acting classes. Dizon has stated that she would like to return to Japan for work in the future.
In June 2011, Dizon filmed commercials in Manhattan for Shonan Cosmetic Surgery Clinic. The commercials were released on August 17, 2011.
Machiko Tezuka (手束 真知子 Tezuka Machiko,born February 25 1986 in Hyogo prefecture) is a Japanese idol, and member of SDN48. She has previously had careers as a gravure idol/bikini model under the stage name Ourei Harada (原田 桜怜 Harada Ōrei), and Eiko Maeda (前田 栄子 Maeda Eiko), as a member of idol group SKE48.
In 2004, Tezuka began her career in the gravure business as Ourei Harada. Her most noticeable feature was her G-cup breasts. Her first photobook, Vanilla, was released in Japan just after her eighteenth birthday. This initial success was followed up with photoshoots in several magazines and websites. In 2004 she won the Miss Magazine annual gravure idol contest put on by publisher Kodansha. According to her blog, Tezuka retired from the gravure idol world as of March 31, 2007.
Tezuka returned to the media spotlight in May, 2008 by reporting via webcast on the press release for Metal Gear Solid 4 held by Sony in Tokyo. From the footage of this webcast it is apparent that she has had breast reduction during her previous retirement. Following her return to show business, Tezuka became a weather reporter for a regional company that provides cellphone updates. Her blog reopened during this time period only to shut down again on April 14, 2009.
On April 15, 2009, it was announced that Tezuka would be changing her stage name to Eiko Maeda and joining the pop idol group SKE48. This is a rather unusual career move for the former Japanese bikini idol who has had breast reduction surgery because even though SKE48 supposedly only allows new members who are under the age of 20, Maeda Eiko was able to join at the age of 23. On November 30, 2009 she moved to SKE48′s sister group, SDN48, and change her stage name to Machiko Tezuka.
Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎 あゆみ Hamasaki Ayumi, also 濱崎 歩; born October 2, 1978 in Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, actress, and ex-gravure idol. Also called “Ayu” by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the “Empress of Pop” because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to pursue a career in entertainment. In 1998, under the tutelage of Avex CEO Max Matsuura, she released a string of modestly selling singles that concluded with her 1999 debut album A Song for ××. The album debuted atop the Oricon charts and stayed there for four weeks, establishing her popularity in Japan.
Hamasaki’s constantly changing image and tight control over her artistry has helped her popularity extend across Asia; music and fashion trends she has started have spread to countries such as China, Singapore, and Southeast Asia. She has appeared in or lent her songs to many advertisements and television commercials. Though she originally supported the exploitation of her popularity for commercial purposes, she later reconsidered and eventually opposed her status as an Avex “product”.
Since her 1998 debut with the single “Poker Face”, Hamasaki has sold over 50 million records in Japan, making her the best selling solo singer in Japanese history as well as one of the country’s most successful songwriters, ranking her among the best-selling singers in the country. As a female singer, Hamasaki holds several domestic records for her singles, such as the most number-one hits overall by a female artist, the most consecutive number-one hits by a solo artist, the highest sales, and the most million-sellers. Since 1999, Hamasaki has had at least one single each year topping the charts (except 2011, which she released a mini-album, Five, without any singles). Hamasaki is the first female singer to have eight studio albums since her debut to top the Oricon and the first artist to have a number-one album for 13 consecutive years since her debut.
Haruka Ayase (綾瀬 はるか Ayase Haruka, born in Hiroshima Prefecture, March 24, 1985) is a Japanese actress.
In 1999, Haruka successfully passed a Horipro audition. She first achieved widespread recognition for her starring roles in the short film Justice; in 2004 she rose to stardom as Aki in the TV series Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World.
On March 24, 2006 she released her first single, titled “Period” (ピリオド Periodo), the lyrics of which were written by Kaori Mochida from Every Little Thing and Takeshi Kobayashi. Kobayashi, the producer of the single, also composed and arranged the music.
She has also released two photo books: Birth in 2001 and Heroine in 2004.
Haruka excels in many sports. As a junior high school student she took part in a Chūgoku region Ekiden tournament. When she was a high school student in Hiroshima, she moved to Tokyo and entered Horikoshi High School. In 2003 she entered Teikyo University Junior College in 2003, and later dropped out.
