Remi Tsuruta (鶴田 玲美, born 18 April 1997) is a Japanese athlete. She competed in the women's 4 × 100 metres relay event…Remi Tsuruta (鶴田 玲美, born 18 April 1997) is a Japanese athlete. She competed in the women's 4 × 100 metres relay event at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Miyuki Uehara (Japanese: 上原 美幸; born 22 November 1995) is a Japanese female long-distance runner who competes in the…Miyuki Uehara (Japanese: 上原 美幸; born 22 November 1995) is a Japanese female long-distance runner who competes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. Born in Kagoshima, she attended high school there and after graduation became a professional corporate runner with Dai-ichi Life. She made her first progress at senior national level in 2015, coming seventh at the Japanese National Games, then took fifth over 5000 m at the 2016 Japan Championships in Athletics. As a junior athlete, she made her breakthrough at the Asian Cross Country Championships, leading the Japanese in the individual and team events for two junior gold medals. Later that year, she placed eighth on the track in the 3000 metres at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics. She was on Japan's fourth-placed junior team at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. In 2015, she improved her track bests to 15:21.40 minutes for the 5000 m and 32:16.66 minutes for the 10,000 m. Under the guidance of coach Sachiko Yamashita (a former world medallist in the marathon), she gained selection for Japan at the 2016 Summer Olympics and, after front-running her heat, she made it to the Olympic 5000 m final – only the second Japanese woman to achieve that feat.
Natsuki Obama (小濱なつき, Obama Natsuki; born February 12, 1984) is a Japanese fashion model and actor. She appeared in the…Natsuki Obama (小濱なつき, Obama Natsuki; born February 12, 1984) is a Japanese fashion model and actor. She appeared in the national "What should I do to coordinate tomorrow?" campaign for the fashion magazine Marisol in 2017 and 2018. While attending Kagoshima Girl's High School, she was a member of the volleyball team that went to the national finals. Obama was a finalist for the 3rd Cover Girl Prize given out by Magazine Summit, a national organization for magazine publishers in Japan. Obama has used her celebrity status to support products such as shōchū that are produced in Minamisatsuma. She gave birth to a daughter in 2019.
Ritsuko Nakayama (中山 律子, Nakayama Ritsuko; born October 12, 1942) is a former professional bowler. She was born in…Ritsuko Nakayama (中山 律子, Nakayama Ritsuko; born October 12, 1942) is a former professional bowler. She was born in Kusatsu, Gunma, Japan. She later moved to Kagoshima which is her parents' hometown. Nakayama became a member of the Japan Professional Bowling Association in 1969, representing Tokyo Tower Bowling Center. During her professional bowling career, Nakayama accumulated 33 wins. She attained the number-one rank among JPBA female bowlers in 1969 (avg. 197.6) and 1970 (avg. 199.2), and was ranked among the top-three from 1969 to 1973. On August 21, 1970, Nakayama rolled a perfect 300 game on Japanese national television, becoming the first woman ever to perform the feat in any television market. (It took nearly 27 years before Michelle Feldman rolled the first American television 300-game in 1997.) She rolled the game during a tournament match, aired on the bowling show Ladies Challenge Bowl (October 1969 to March 1975,) at Fuchū Star Lanes. By the end of 1970, she earned the Japan Professional Sports Award for outstanding achievement. Because of her 300-game, Nakayama became very famous in Japan, and would eventually boost the sport of bowling. In 1970, she appeared in a shampoo commercial, and also had a song written about her, titled Sawayaka Ritsuko-san (さわやか律子さん). She was a guest judge for the 21st NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1970), as well as a guest presenter for the 13th Japan Record Awards (1971). In 1971, TBS aired the Japanese television drama Beautiful Challenger, the storyline covering an office lady who joins the company bowling club and competes with other clubs. Both Nakayama, as well as Rie Ishii appeared in the drama series as themselves. Nakayama also held a female world's record for a three-game series of 824 (268, 257 and 299), setting the record on July 15, 1971. Nakayama's arch rival was Kayoko Suda (須田開代子). In 1990, Nakayama was forced to retire from bowling full-time, due to injury to her right shoulder and left knee (her sliding leg). Still, in 1994, she was able to place 4th in The Prince Cup. 1994 was also the year Nakayama celebrated her 25th anniversary as a professional. Today, Nakayama no longer competes in JPBA tournaments. She is, however, very involved in the operations side of bowling in Japan. Nakayama was president of the JPBA until 2012. She is a co-founder and current president of the Japan Ladies Bowling Club (JLBC) - an organization she and Suda created. She is also vice-president of the Bowling Council of Japan (BCJ.) She is also a co-founder of P★League, along with the JPBA and JBC.