Akira Kuroda (黒田 晶, Kuroda Akira), born 1977, is a Japanese novelist. She was born in Chiba Prefecture and studied Art…Akira Kuroda (黒田 晶, Kuroda Akira), born 1977, is a Japanese novelist. She was born in Chiba Prefecture and studied Art at Meiji Gakuin University before dropping out and going on to study at the University of Brighton. In 2000 she won the 37th Bungei Prize for her novel, You Love Us, though the title has since been changed to Made in Japan. In 2003 she was nominated for the 16th Yukio Mishima Prize for her novel, Sekai ga Hajimaru Asa.
Fayray (フェイレイ, Feirei), (born April 18, 1976) stylized as FAYRAY, is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She made her debut…Fayray (フェイレイ, Feirei), (born April 18, 1976) stylized as FAYRAY, is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She made her debut in July 1998 with the single "Taiyō no Gravity". She grew up in the United States and speaks English.
Kei Marimura (Japanese: 真梨邑ケイ, Hepburn: Marimura Kei) is a Japanese jazz singer, actress, author, gravure model, and AV…Kei Marimura (Japanese: 真梨邑ケイ, Hepburn: Marimura Kei) is a Japanese jazz singer, actress, author, gravure model, and AV idol.
Yumi Shirakawa (白川 由美, Shirakawa Yumi; 21 October 1936 – 14 June 2016) was a Japanese film and television actress. She…Yumi Shirakawa (白川 由美, Shirakawa Yumi; 21 October 1936 – 14 June 2016) was a Japanese film and television actress. She was called the Japanese Grace Kelly when she debuted. She was scouted and joined Toho film company. In the same year, she made her film debut with Narazumono. Her notable films are Rodan (1956), The H-Man (1958), and Yasujirō Ozu’s film The End of Summer (1961).
Kin Sugai (菅井きん, Sugai Kin) (28 February 1926 – 10 August 2018) was a Japanese actress. She won the award for best…Kin Sugai (菅井きん, Sugai Kin) (28 February 1926 – 10 August 2018) was a Japanese actress. She won the award for best supporting actress at the 9th Hochi Film Award for The Funeral. Sugai is famous for her role as Sen Nakamura in the jidaigeki drama Hissatsu series. She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 8th Japan Academy Film Prize for her role in The Funeral. In 2008, she landed lead role for the first time in the Hideo Sakai film ぼくのおばあちゃん (Hepburn: Boku no Obaachan) at the age of 82, and was certified as Guinness as "the world's oldest movie starring actress".
Toshiko Ueda (Japanese: 上田 トシコ, Hepburn: Ueda Toshiko; August 14, 1917 – March 7, 2008) was a Japanese manga artist.…Toshiko Ueda (Japanese: 上田 トシコ, Hepburn: Ueda Toshiko; August 14, 1917 – March 7, 2008) was a Japanese manga artist. After apprenticing under the manga artist Katsuji Matsumoto at the age of seventeen, Ueda published her first manga in 1937. Like her mentor, she drew mainly humorous manga, both in shōjo (girls) magazines and in the general press. She is, along with Machiko Hasegawa, one of the few female manga artists to begin their careers in the pre-war period. Born in the Empire of Japan, Ueda split her youth and early adulthood between Japan and Manchuria; her most popular manga series Fuichin-san, serialized in the magazine Shōjo Club from 1957 to 1962, follows the life of a Chinese girl living in Manchuria. Ueda's time in Manchuria, from her idyllic childhood to the arrest and execution of her father during Japanese repatriation, was a significant influence on her manga. She was still actively publishing her manga series Ako-Bāchan (1973–2008) at the time of her death at the age of 90.
Noriko Itō (伊東 範子, Itō Noriko; born May 31, 1962), better known by the stage name of Noriko Hidaka (日髙 のり子, Hidaka…Noriko Itō (伊東 範子, Itō Noriko; born May 31, 1962), better known by the stage name of Noriko Hidaka (日髙 のり子, Hidaka Noriko), is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and narrator. She played Minami Asakura in Touch, Akane Tendo in Ranma ½, Satsuki Kusakabe in My Neighbor Totoro, Near in Death Note, Jean Roque Raltique in Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Kikyō in Inuyasha,Yuki Tsukumo in Jujutsu Kaisen, Patricia O'Sullivan in Mischievous Twins: The Tales of St. Clare's, Erica Fontaine in Sakura Wars and Masumi Sera in Detective Conan. She is also the dub actress for Jayma Mays in the American TV series Glee, as well as in The Smurfs film series.