Yuki Kawauchi (川内優輝, Kawauchi Yūki; born 5 March 1987) is a Japanese marathon runner. He came to prominence after…
Yuki Kawauchi (川内優輝, Kawauchi Yūki; born 5 March 1987) is a Japanese marathon runner. He came to prominence after running the 2011 Tokyo Marathon in 2:08:37, finishing as the first Japanese citizen and third overall. He was known as the "citizen runner" given that he used to work full-time for the government of Saitama Prefecture and trained in his time off with his own expenses without any sponsorship. Kawauchi won the 2018 Boston Marathon. In 2020, he left his job in local government and became a full-time professional runner. Kawauchi is a frequent competitor, entering many races each year (averaging a marathon per month) ranging in distance from the 1500 m to the 50 km ultramarathon. Among his better performances are victories at the Boston Marathon, the Hokkaido Marathon and the Beppu-Ōita Marathon and top-three finishes at the Tokyo Marathon and Fukuoka Marathon (the two most important marathons in Japan). His personal best for the distance is 2:07:27 (Lake Biwa 2021). Guinness World Records has recognized Kawauchi for becoming the first person to run more than 100 sub-2:20 marathons. In spite of being an amateur, he has represented Japan internationally at the World Championships in Athletics and the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. He has two younger brothers, Yoshiki and Koki Kawauchi, who are also marathon runners.
Famous People from Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture: 897 people
Yoshiko Hasegawa (長谷川美子, Hasegawa Yoshiko) (born 28 February 1987) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler best…
Yoshiko Hasegawa (長谷川美子, Hasegawa Yoshiko) (born 28 February 1987) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler best known for her tenures with promotions from the Japanese independent scene such as Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW), Actwres girl'Z and Ice Ribbon.
Kazuhisa Kawahara (河原 和寿, Kawahara Kazuhisa; born 29 January 1987 in Gyōda, Saitama) is a Japanese retired football…
Kazuhisa Kawahara (河原 和寿, Kawahara Kazuhisa; born 29 January 1987 in Gyōda, Saitama) is a Japanese retired football player.
Yuta Mikado (三門 雄大, Mikado Yūta; born December 26, 1986) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder, captain…
Yuta Mikado (三門 雄大, Mikado Yūta; born December 26, 1986) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder, captain and currently play for J3 League club, Kochi United SC. He is a versatile player who can play any midfield position and has also played as a right back.
Hiroyuki Endo (遠藤 大由, Endō Hiroyuki; born 16 December 1986) is a Japanese former badminton player who specialized in…
Hiroyuki Endo (遠藤 大由, Endō Hiroyuki; born 16 December 1986) is a Japanese former badminton player who specialized in men's doubles. He represented Japan at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. With Kenichi Hayakawa, Endo won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships and was part of the Japanese team that won the 2014 Thomas Cup, the country's first title in the competition. Endo later partnered Yuta Watanabe, with whom he won the men's doubles title at the 2019 Asian Championships and consecutive All England Open titles in 2020 and 2021. He retired from competitive badminton in March 2022 and subsequently became a coach with the BIPROGY badminton team.
Yoko Arai (新井 陽子, Arai Yōko; born December 13, 1986) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known by the…
Yoko Arai (新井 陽子, Arai Yōko; born December 13, 1986) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Yoko Bito (美闘 陽子, Bitō Yōko). Bito initially made her in-ring debut in December 2010 for World Wonder Ring Stardom and quickly became one of the most popular wrestlers in the promotion, until announcing her retirement from in-ring competition in November 2012. Bito came out of retirement and returned to Stardom in April 2016, and returned to the ring in June of that year, before retiring again in December 2017.
Minami Tanaka (田中 みな実, Tanaka Minami; born 23 November 1986) is a Japanese freelance announcer and tarento who is a…
Minami Tanaka (田中 みな実, Tanaka Minami; born 23 November 1986) is a Japanese freelance announcer and tarento who is a former Tokyo Broadcasting System Television announcer. Her spouse is Kazuya Kamenashi, married in 2026.
Yuki Shimada (島田 祐輝, Shimada Yūki; born November 18, 1986) is a Japanese football player. He plays for Vonds Ichihara.
Hiroyuki Sugimoto (杉本 裕之, Sugimoto Hiroyuki; born October 6, 1986) is a Japanese football player.
Tatsuya Satoh (佐藤 達也, Satō Tatsuya; born July 26, 1986 in Ōmiya, Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball…
Tatsuya Satoh (佐藤 達也, Satō Tatsuya; born July 26, 1986 in Ōmiya, Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.
Seiji Saito (斉藤 誠司, Saitō Seiji) (born 27 May 1987) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a…
Seiji Saito (斉藤 誠司, Saitō Seiji) (born 27 May 1987) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Kōta Kanai (金井 恒太, Kanai Kōta; born May 25, 1986) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7-dan.
Yoshinobu Harada (原田 欽庸, Harada Yoshinobu; born 17 May 1986) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for…
Yoshinobu Harada (原田 欽庸, Harada Yoshinobu; born 17 May 1986) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Tochigi City FC in the J3 League.
Kenji Fujimitsu (藤光 謙司, Fujimitsu Kenji; born 1 May 1986) is a Japanese sprinter who specialises in the 200 metres. He…
Kenji Fujimitsu (藤光 謙司, Fujimitsu Kenji; born 1 May 1986) is a Japanese sprinter who specialises in the 200 metres. He is a one-time Asian champion and two-time national champion in the event and has a personal best of 20.13 seconds. He is also a bronze medalist in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2017 World Championships. He holds the Asian best in the rarely-contested 300 metres.
Hiroyuki Yamamoto (born April 30, 1986) is a Japanese professional long-distance runner. Yamamoto has competed at…
Hiroyuki Yamamoto (born April 30, 1986) is a Japanese professional long-distance runner. Yamamoto has competed at several major marathons throughout his professional career. His 4th-place finish at the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon earned him $25,000 in prize money. As of January, 2021, his 10th-place finish at the 2017 Tokyo Marathon makes him the 82nd fastest marathoner in Japanese history and the 792 fastest marathoner in world history in a time of 2:09:12.
Shunsuke Fukuda (福田 俊介, Fukuda Shunsuke; born 17 April 1986) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a centre-back for…
Shunsuke Fukuda (福田 俊介, Fukuda Shunsuke; born 17 April 1986) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a centre-back for Giravanz Kitakyushu in the J. League.
Yuya Nakamura (中村 祐也, Nakamura Yūya; born April 14, 1986) is a Japanese football player who plays for Aventura…
Yuya Nakamura (中村 祐也, Nakamura Yūya; born April 14, 1986) is a Japanese football player who plays for Aventura Kawaguchi.
Shunsuke Oyama (大山 俊輔, Ōyama Shunsuke; born April 6, 1986) is a former Japanese football player.
Ryosuke Kawanabe (川鍋 良祐, Kawanabe Ryōsuke; born February 26, 1986 in Kasukabe, Saitama) is a Japanese football player…
Ryosuke Kawanabe (川鍋 良祐, Kawanabe Ryōsuke; born February 26, 1986 in Kasukabe, Saitama) is a Japanese football player currently playing for Gainare Tottori.
Kosuke Kikuchi (菊地 光将, Kikuchi Kosuke; born December 16, 1985 in Koshigaya, Saitama) is a Japanese football player…
Kosuke Kikuchi (菊地 光将, Kikuchi Kosuke; born December 16, 1985 in Koshigaya, Saitama) is a Japanese football player currently playing for Renofa Yamaguchi FC.
Nonami Takizawa (滝沢乃南, Takizawa Nonami; born December 14, 1985) is a Japanese gravure idol, and a female talent. She is…
Nonami Takizawa (滝沢乃南, Takizawa Nonami; born December 14, 1985) is a Japanese gravure idol, and a female talent. She is best known for her voluptuous figure. She is from Gunma, and her nickname is 'Nonamin'. She retired from modeling as of 2011.
Hiroyasu Tanaka (田中博康) is a retired Japanese jockey and current racehorse trainer.
Hiromi Miyake (三宅 宏実, Miyake Hiromi), born 18 November 1985) is a Japanese retired weightlifter. In the 48kg category…
Hiromi Miyake (三宅 宏実, Miyake Hiromi), born 18 November 1985) is a Japanese retired weightlifter. In the 48kg category, she won the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics and won bronze at the 2016 Olympics. Her father and coach is Yoshiyuki Miyake, who was a bronze medallist in weightlifting at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Her uncle Yoshinobu Miyake was a gold medalist in weightlifting at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics. She is an employee of Ichigo Inc., a Japanese sustainable infrastructure company.
Tsubasa Masuwaka (益若 つばさ, Masuwaka Tsubasa; born October 13, 1985, in Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese model…
Tsubasa Masuwaka (益若 つばさ, Masuwaka Tsubasa; born October 13, 1985, in Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese model who is represented by the talent agency, Asia Promotion. She is known for being a model for Popteen, which gave her the nickname, 10 billion Yen Gal (100億円ギャル, 100 Oku-en Gyaru) because it has an economic effect that her projects such as wearing clothes and accessories. It gained 50 million Yen for the economic effect. She is nicknamed Tsu-chan (つーちゃん). In 2012, Masukawa briefly held a singing career and released music under the name Milky Bunny.
Ryōsuke Nakamura (中村 亮介, Nakamura Ryōsuke; born September 26, 1985) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked…
Ryōsuke Nakamura (中村 亮介, Nakamura Ryōsuke; born September 26, 1985) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 6-dan.
Tsuyoshi Shimamura (島村 毅, Shimamura Tsuyoshi; born 10 August 1985) is a former Japanese footballer.
Shuto Kawachi (河内 修斗, Kawachi Shūto) is the assistant coach of the San-en NeoPhoenix in the Japanese B.League.
Kumi Otoshi (大利 久美, Ōtoshi Kumi; born 29 July 1985 in Kita, Tokyo) is a Japanese race walker. She competed in the 20 km…
Kumi Otoshi (大利 久美, Ōtoshi Kumi; born 29 July 1985 in Kita, Tokyo) is a Japanese race walker. She competed in the 20 km kilometres event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Otoshi has been highly successful at the Asian Race Walking Championships. Her first appearance was in 2006, when she placed seventh, and she improved to fourth in 2007. She was the Asian 20 km runner-up in 2009 and 2010 and followed this with Asian title wins in 2011 and 2013. She placed fourth at the 2007 Summer Universiade and came twelfth at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. Otoshi was the silver medallist behind Li Yanfei at the 2009 East Asian Games. In her second global appearance she came 22nd at the 2010 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. She figured in the top twenty at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, although her 19th-place finish was not improvement on her 2009 performance. She was one place higher at the 2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup.
Hitomi Kitamura (北村ひとみ, Kitamura Hitomi; born July 16, 1985) is a Japanese gravure idol and a female talent. She is…
Hitomi Kitamura (北村ひとみ, Kitamura Hitomi; born July 16, 1985) is a Japanese gravure idol and a female talent. She is from Saitama. She changed her stage name to Tama Mizuki (水樹たま, Mizuki Tama) on September 1, 2010.
Taishi Tsukamoto (塚本 泰史, Tsukamoto Taishi; born July 4, 1985) is a former Japanese football player.
Norio Sakurai (Japanese: 桜井のりお, Hepburn: Sakurai Norio) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the creator of…
Norio Sakurai (Japanese: 桜井のりお, Hepburn: Sakurai Norio) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the creator of Mitsudomoe, Rororro!, Kodomo Gakkyū, and her most successful series, The Dangers in My Heart. In 2010, Mitsudomoe was adapted into a TV anime. In 2023, The Dangers in My Heart was also adapted into a TV anime. A subsequent season released in 2024. She was born in Ageo, Saitama Prefecture.
Hideaki Takeda (武田 英明, Takeda Hideaki; born May 22, 1985) is a former Japanese football player.
Minoru Suganuma (菅沼 実, Suganuma Minoru; born May 16, 1985) is a former Japanese football player.
Naoko Sakamoto (坂本 直子, Sakamoto Naoko; born 11 May 1985 in Osaka) is a Japanese softball player who won a bronze medal…
Naoko Sakamoto (坂本 直子, Sakamoto Naoko; born 11 May 1985 in Osaka) is a Japanese softball player who won a bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Shigeru Kaga (加賀 繁, Kaga Shigeru; born April 13, 1985 in Niiza, Saitama, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball…
Shigeru Kaga (加賀 繁, Kaga Shigeru; born April 13, 1985 in Niiza, Saitama, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
Hitomi Yoshizawa (吉澤 ひとみ, Yoshizawa Hitomi; born April 12, 1985) is a Japanese former singer and actress. In 2000…
Hitomi Yoshizawa (吉澤 ひとみ, Yoshizawa Hitomi; born April 12, 1985) is a Japanese former singer and actress. In 2000, Yoshizawa debuted as a 4th generation member of the idol girl group Morning Musume and became their leader in 2005 until leaving the group in 2007. Following her departure, Yoshizawa continued to appear in several music projects, including Hangry & Angry, Abcho, and Dream Morning Musume. On September 28, 2018, Yoshizawa announced she was retiring from entertainment following public scrutiny of her involvement in a vehicle accident and subsequent arrest.
Keisuke Ishii (石井慧介, Ishii Keisuke; born February 6, 1985) is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and signed to…
Keisuke Ishii (石井慧介, Ishii Keisuke; born February 6, 1985) is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). Ishii also competes for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former World Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Kazuki Yoshino (吉野 一基, Yoshino Kazuki; born 23 January 1985) is a Japanese former footballer who was last part of…
Kazuki Yoshino (吉野 一基, Yoshino Kazuki; born 23 January 1985) is a Japanese former footballer who was last part of Yangon United of the Myanmar National League in 2014.
Nobuhiro Kato (加藤 順大, Katō Nobuhiro; born 11 December 1984) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as…
Nobuhiro Kato (加藤 順大, Katō Nobuhiro; born 11 December 1984) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Tomoya Osawa (大沢 朋也, Osawa Tomoya; born October 22, 1984) is a former Japanese football player.
Nozomu Fujita (藤田望, Fujita Nozomu) (born 2 October 1984 in Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union player. Fujita has…
Nozomu Fujita (藤田望, Fujita Nozomu) (born 2 October 1984 in Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union player. Fujita has played 14 matches for the Japan national rugby union team. Fujita was a member of the Japan team at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, where he played four matches. Fujita currently plays for Top League team Honda Heat.
Yuta Yoneyama (米山 裕太, Yoneyama Yūta; born (1984-08-29)29 August 1984) is a Japanese male volleyball player. He was part…
Yuta Yoneyama (米山 裕太, Yoneyama Yūta; born (1984-08-29)29 August 1984) is a Japanese male volleyball player. He was part of the Japan men's national volleyball team at the 2010 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship in Italy. Currently, he plays for Toray Arrows on the club level.
Manabu Yamaguchi (山口 学, Yamaguchi Manabu; born August 29, 1984), better known by his alias Mabanua (stylized in…
Manabu Yamaguchi (山口 学, Yamaguchi Manabu; born August 29, 1984), better known by his alias Mabanua (stylized in lowercase; Japanese pronunciation: [mabaꜜnɯa]), is a Japanese music producer, drummer, and singer. He released his first album Done Already in November 2008 and has participated in production for artists including Kenshi Yonezu, Gen Hoshino, Imase, and Official Hige Dandism. He is also member of the three-person band Ovall.
Yuri Nakamura (中村 有里, Nakamura Yuri; born July 15, 1984), known professionally as Ayana Tsubaki (椿 彩奈, Tsubaki Ayana…
Yuri Nakamura (中村 有里, Nakamura Yuri; born July 15, 1984), known professionally as Ayana Tsubaki (椿 彩奈, Tsubaki Ayana; formerly written as 椿姫 彩菜), is a Japanese TV personality, fashion model and professional mahjong player. Tsubaki works for the Koakuma Ageha girls' fashion magazine.
Yuki Takahashi (高橋 裕紀, Takahashi Yūki; born July 12, 1984) is a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He currently…
Yuki Takahashi (高橋 裕紀, Takahashi Yūki; born July 12, 1984) is a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He currently races in the All Japan Road Race JSB1000 Championship aboard a Honda CBR1000RR. For 2009 he made his debut in the MotoGP class, with the Scot Racing Honda team but was subsequently dropped by the team after just seven rounds of the 2009 season due to financial issues. Until that point, he had spent his entire career with Honda.
Kazlaser (カズレーザー, Kazurēzā; born 4 July 1984, in Kazo, Saitama) is a Japanese comedian. He performs boke in the comedy…
Kazlaser (カズレーザー, Kazurēzā; born 4 July 1984, in Kazo, Saitama) is a Japanese comedian. He performs boke in the comedy duo Maple Chogoukin. His real name is Kazunori Kaneko (金子 和令, Kaneko Kazunori). He is represented by Sun Music Production. Kazlaser is known for his red clothing and gold hair. He stated that the look was inspired by the 80's anime series Space Cobra. Kazlaser's parents were both civil servants and his family are strawberry farmers.
Junya Hosokawa (細川 淳矢, Hosokawa Jun'ya; born 24 June 1984) is a former Japanese footballer.
Ryūichi Yamamoto (山本 龍一, Yamamoto Ryūichi; born May 8, 1984), known by his shikona Yamamotoyama Ryūta (山本山 龍太), or…
Ryūichi Yamamoto (山本 龍一, Yamamoto Ryūichi; born May 8, 1984), known by his shikona Yamamotoyama Ryūta (山本山 龍太), or simply Yama, is a Japanese retired sumo wrestler from the city of Saitama in Saitama Prefecture. He made his professional debut in January 2007, and reached the top makuuchi division in January 2009. His highest rank was maegashira 9. At 265 kg (584 lb), Yamamotoyama is the heaviest Japanese-born sumo wrestler in history, and is also thought to be the heaviest Japanese person ever. In April 2011, he was told to retire by the Japan Sumo Association after he and several other wrestlers were found to be involved in match-fixing. He currently participates in sumo exhibitions and amateur tournaments, and has made a number of appearances in television shows, commercials and music videos.
Takanori Sugeno (菅野 孝憲, Sugeno Takanori; born 3 May 1984) is a Japanese football player who plays for Hokkaido…
Takanori Sugeno (菅野 孝憲, Sugeno Takanori; born 3 May 1984) is a Japanese football player who plays for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo.
Masumi Hoshino (星野 真澄, born April 4, 1984, in Saitama, Saitama) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in…
Masumi Hoshino (星野 真澄, born April 4, 1984, in Saitama, Saitama) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He played with the Yomiuri Giants from 2010 to 2012. Before joining the Giants in 2010, he pitched for the Shinano Grandserows of the Baseball Challenge League.