Retro Idols Part II : More Idols

Mita Hiroko (born: January 27, 1966), real name: Inagaki Atsuko, was an idol in early 1980s. In 1980 she modeled for the teen magazine "Seventeen" and appeared in a commercial. The next year, she made her first appeareance in a drama. She debuted as idol singer in March 21, 1982 (the 1982 generation, the same debut year as Nakamori Akina, Kyon2, Hayami Yuu, Ishikawa Hidemi, Shibugakitai). 

As a singer, she has released a total of 14 singles (1982 - 1987) and 5 original albums. There's no information about her total song sales, but her highest selling song sold 80,000 copies and her four highest ranked songs in Oricon chart ranked: #21, #28, #36 and #50. 

She has better career in acting, in which she has appeared in 61 dramas (1981 - 2016) and 6 movies (1983 - 1989). She also appeared in quite a lot of tv commercials. 

lyrics + translation

Sano Ryoko (born: August 22, 1968) was an 1980s idol. She debuted as actress in October 1984 but always longed to be a singer. April 21, 1985, she finally got her singing debut.  

As a singer, she has released a total of 17 singles and 9 original albums. Her total song sales are about 193,280 copies. Sano Ryoko was bigger as actress, which she has appeared in 39 dramas (1984 - 1994)  and 4 movies (1986 - 1993). She was also quite popular as "baradoru" (*bariety aidoru = variety idol; idol specialize in variety shows). 

lyrics + translation

Nakayama Shinobu (born: January 18, 1973) was an idol active in very late 1980s to the very early 1990s. She's the younger sister of the 3rd biggest female idol of 1980s: Nakayama Miho.

One day, Shinobu was at the airport with her family to see her sister off. The staff of her sister's agency saw her and scouted her. She made her acting debut in 1988. That same year, she debuted as idol singer on November 2, 1988 (*idols debuted the same year as her include Tamura Eriko, Marcia, Kawada Junko, Kawagoe Miwa, Shimazaki Wakako (her best friend), Chiba Mika, Hosokawa Naomi, etc). She was also a member of Rakutenshi, a limited time idol trio active from December 17, 1989 to January 9, 1990 formed only for Christmas project

In her singing career, she has released a total of 8 singles and 3 original albums. Her total song sales are 239,230 copies. She was more popular as an actress, she has appeared in a total of 194 dramas (1988-2024) and 20 movies (1990-2023). She has appeared in multiple dramas each year every single year since 1990, mostly playing support role, that she was called "the queen of support role".  

lyrics + translation 

Saint Four was an idol group in the 1980s with their members:

- Itaya Yumiko (born: March 5, 1968), nickname: "Passionate Yumiko", color: red.

  *She usually wore glasses when she was in Saint Four. She quit the group in March 1986

- Hamada Noriko (born: February 22, 1965), nickname: "Dramatic Noriko", color: pink. 

- Suzuki Yukie (born: May 15, 1966), nickname: "Exciting Yukie", color: blue

- Iwama Saori (born: July 7, 1964), nickname: "Fashionable Saori", color: green

*Replacement member:

Iwao Jun (born: February 18, 1970), color: red. She joined for a few months to replace Itaya Yumiko but left right before the group disbanded

In 1982, the four girl were chosen from 30,000 aplicants and underwent two years of training in singing, dancing and acrobatic. The group name was supposed to be "Lunarians" but later it was decided to be "Saint Four". They made their official debut on November 5, 1984. Saint Four offered a unique concept: singing while doing acrobatic moves.

In their career, Saint Four have released a total of 4 singles and 3 original albums. Their total sales are 204,740 copies. Saint Four also appeared in two movies (1984, 1986) which are their own movie.

lyrics + translation

Shiraishi Marumi (born: November 27, 1962), real name: Matsuda Mitsue, was an 1980s idol singer. In 1978, she applied for an audition for the role of Go Hiromi's (<-- top 3 male idol in 1970s) girlfriend in his drama. Out of 40,000 applicants, she won the second place so the girlfriend role was given to the winner while she got the role as Go Hiromi's sister. That became her acting debut. January 21, 1982, she made her debut as idol singer (*the same debut year as those infamous 1980s idols: Nakamori Akina, Kyon2, Hayami Yuu, Hori Chiemi, Ishikawa Hidemi, Shibugakitai, etc).

As an actress, she has appeared in 46 dramas (1978-2014) and 1 movie (2003). As a singer, she has released 5 singles and 1 album. There's no information about her total song sales. 

lyrics + translation

Osawa Itsumi (born: March 23, 1966) was an idol singer in 1980s. She won grand prix at "HoriPro Talent Scout Caravan" (*a famous audition program by the big agency: HoriPro) in 1981 and made her debut as idol singer on February 21, 1983. Her concept was quite unique compared to mainstream idol singers. She was marketed as an androgynous idol with her boyish haircut and being very tall for idol standard (170 cm, probably about as tall as average Japanese man in that era).

In her career, Osawa Itsumi has released a total of 11 singles and 2 original albums. Three of her singles were charted between #62 - #94 in Oricon chart while the rest didn't make it at all to the chart. There's no information about her total song sales. From 1983-1984, she won 7 newcomer awards including the big ones like "Japan Record Awards", "Japan Song Awards" and "FNS Music Festival". 

As an actress, she has appeared in 40 serial dramas (1984-2015), 32 one-shot dramas (1989-2016), and 13 movies (1987-2013).

lyrics + translation

Watanabe Megumi (born: January 24, 1964) was an idol singer in 1980s. She had been a model since she was in high school and then debuted as idol singer on April 1, 1982. She has released a total of 8 singles and 2 albums. Of all her singles, only one managed to chart in Oricon chart which it reached #70. There's no information about her total sales. As for her acting career, she has appeared in 10 dramas (1983-2012). She was also active in some variety shows. In October 1982, she became regular cast in a variety show: "Waratte Iitomo!".

lyrics + translation

Kobayashi Chie (born: November 20, 1963) was an idol singer in 1980s. When she was in junior high school, she won a talent show on TV and continued to participated in all kind of auditions since then. That was until 1980 when she participated in a big audition with Saijo Hideki (top 3 biggest 1970s male idol) as their brand ambassador, which she won the runner-up (the winner was Kawai Naoko). Being a runner-up apparently disappointed her so she took a break from auditions and song contest for a year and a half. And then it was her 3rd year of highschool when it's time for people to choose their career path, and she once again decided to be singer. She joined another audition sponsored by Yamaha and won it out of 10,000 contestants. She was scouted by the record company: "Pony Canyon" and officially debuted as idol singer on March 21, 1983 (which makes her one of the "class'83" idols)

As a singer, she has released a total of 11 singles and 1 original album. Out of all her singles, only one managed to chart at top 100 in Oricon chart with #99 as the highest position she ever reached. Her total sales are some 4,530+ (*that 1 single with 4,530 sales + another 10 singles and 1 album not recorded by Oricon).

As for her acting career, she has appeared in 5 serial dramas (1987-1999), 2 one-shot dramas (1993, 1998), and 1 movie (1996). Later she found a better success as a baradoru (*bariety aidoru / variety idol / idol specializes in variety show).

lyrics + translation

Hamada Juri (born: November 1, 1962) was an idol singer in 1980s. She debuted in 1980 which made her one of the first generation 1980s idols.

She was seen as promising before her debut, having belonged to a children theater group and taking singing lessons since elementary school. Then she got a contract from CBS/Sony. She was produced by the same producer who worked with Yamaguchi Momoe (the biggest 1970s idol singer), and they thought Hamada Juri had the same vibe as Momoe, so they prepared her as Momoe's sucessor (they called it "post Momoe"), but unfortunately it didn't go as well as they expected.

In her career, Hamada Juri has released a total of 11 singles and 4 original albums. Five of her singles charted between #51-#100 in Oricon chart, the rest didn't make it into the top 100. Her total singles sales are about 102,000 copies but there's no information about her total sales (all singles + all albums). As for her acting career, she has appeared in 37 dramas (1980-1995) and 2 movies (1984,1985). She was also active in some variety shows.

lyrics + translation

Kurata Mariko (born: November 20, 1960), real name: Tsubota Mariko, was an idol singer in late 1970s. She first appeared in a variety show in 1974 and got scouted. Starting from April 1978 (until March 1981) she became one of the regular cast members in "Let's Go Young" music program, the group of their regulars were called "Sundays". Kurata Mariko made her debut as idol singer in January 21, 1979. In her first year, she won newcomer awards in "Japan Record Awards", "Japan Music Awards" and "FNS Music Festival". 

In her career, she has released a total of 17 singles and 5 original albums. The highest position her song ever reached in Oricon chart is #49. There's no information about her total sales, but incomplete data shows her total single sales are about 185,000+ copies but there's no information about her albums sales. She has appeared in 11 dramas (1981-1984). She also did voice acting for one anime in 1983. She retired from entertainment industry in 1985.

Kurata Mariko also known for her look-alikeness with fellow idol: Ishikawa Hitomi. They're not even relatives but they look like twin, and both were idol singers active around the same era.

lyrics + translation

Ito Maiko (born: August 18, 1964) was an idol singer in the 1980s. She won grand prix of "Miss Magazine" contest in 1982 and made her debut as idol singer on February 25, 1983 (which means she was one of the "class'83" idols). 

As a singer, she has released a total of 14 singles and 4 original albums. She has one song that sold 100k+ copies. Her total single sales are about 311,000 copies but without data of her total album sales, there's no information about her exact total sales (all singles+all albums). As an actress, she has starred as the main lead in several movies and dramas. As actress, she has appeared in a total of 65 dramas (1982-2019) and 16 movies (1986-2020). 

Among all 1980s idols, Ito Maiko was (and is still) the most up-to-date when it came to technology. She has always been interested in IT, technology and gadgets since she was young. Back in 1995 when internet was a new thing, Ito Maiko was said to be the first Japanese celebrity to have her own website.

lyrics + translation

Hara Mayumi (born: September 13, 1966), real name: Taneda Mayumi, was an idol singer in the first half of 1980s. When she was in her first year of junior high school, she was scouted by local agency and became model for various advertisement posters. In 1981, she participated in "HoriPro Scout Caravan" (an infamous audition program) and advanced to the national stage as representative from Hokkaido, but the winner at that time was Hori Chiemi. Then she appeared in a milk commercial in 1982, scouted by big agency, moved to Tokyo, transfered to Horikoshi High School (*like a lot of young celebrities at that era) and finally made her debut as idol singer on March 21, 1983. (*which means she was one of the "Class'83" idols).

In her singing career, Hara Mayumi has released a total of 8 singles and 3 original albums. Out of all her singles, two of them managed to reach top 100 in Oricon chart which they reached #89 (with 7,000 sales) and #93 (with 4,000 sales). There's no information about her total sales. She also has acting career which she appeared in 3 dramas (1984-1985). She has also hosted 1 radio show. She won a lot of newcomer awards in her first year. 

After graduating from Horikoshi High School (around 1985), she cancelled her contract with her agency and retired from entertainment industry.

lyrics+translation

Fujii Ichiko (born: June 23, 1970) was an idol singer active in mid to late 1980s. In 1985, she won second place in audition for the drama: "Maido Osawagaseshimasu", which she appeared in the season 2 playing as Nakayama Miho's friend. That was her debut in acting. And then there was another drama aired around the same time on the same tv network following similar storyline: "Natsu Taiken Monogatari". Nakayama Miho played the lead role in season 1, and then in 1986, Fujii Ichiko played the lead role in season 2. She also made her singing debut on July 25, 1986, with her debut song used as OST for the drama.

In her career, she has released a total of 6 singles and 2 original albums. Her total sales are 184,630 copies. As an actress, Fujii Ichiko has appeared in 9 dramas (1985-1990) and 1 movie (1987). She retired from entertainment industry around 1991.

lyrics+translation

Kitaoka Yumeko (born: February 2, 1971), nickname: Mu-chan, Kiku-chan,  was an idol singer active in late 1980s. On August 31, 1985, she passed an audition by Sun Music, joined the agency, transfered to Horikoshi High School (*a high school full of idols and young celebrities), but only got her debut on April 6, 1988 (which made her a "class'88" idol, debuted at the same year as Wink, Nishida Hikaru, Takaoka Saki, Aikawa Eri, etc). She was said to have a great style, she was often featured in magazines.

In her career, Kitaoka Yumeko has released a total of 7 singles and 1 original album. Her first five singles charted between #28 - #65 in Oricon chart while the last two didn't make it to top 100. Her total song sales (all singles + album)  are about 46,022 copies. For her acting career, she has appeared in 14 dramas (1987-1997) and no movie. She hosted 1 radio show in 1988-1990. 

lyrics + translation

Okamoto Minami (born: July 31, 1972), real name: Hayashi Yoshiko,  was an idol active in late 1980s. She was scouted at a chocolate shop on Valentine's day 1986 and active as gravure idol around 1987 under her real name. She made her singing debut on July 26, 1988 under the stage name: Okamoto Minami. She was seen as the second coming of Asada Miyoko (a popular idol in early 1970s). Her debut song was used in the drama: "Jikan desu yo", a long airing drama that spanned over several seasons from 1965-1990. Asada Miyoko herself also played in that drama in 1973.

In her career, Okamoto Minami has released a total of 3 singles and 1 original album. Her first single has decent success but her second single dropped into #93 in Oricon chart with just 3,000 sales, and her third single didn't make it into Oricon top 100. There's no information about her total sales (all singles + album), but her total single sales alone are about 34,000 copies. As for her acting career, she has appeared in 3 dramas (1988 - 1993). 

At some point she seems to retire and in 2002 she re-debuted as R&B singer under new stage name: Reona and released two more singles in 2003 and 2005.

lyrics + translation

Kimoto Yuko (born: January 5, 1967) was an idol singer active in the first half of 1980s. One day in March 1982, her mom took her to a concert and she was scouted by the director of Polydor Records. One year later, she made her debut as idol singer on May 1, 1983 to commemorate the Polydor Records' 30th anniversary. That makes her one of the "class'83" idols.

She has released two singles in the first phase of her career, then she re-debuted in 1985 and released one more single. In total, she has 3 singles and one album. The highest position her song ever reached in Oricon chart was probably #124. There's no information about her total sales.

Kimoto Yuko has a better acting career which she has appeared in a total of 13 dramas (1985 - 2021) and 5 movies (1988 - 2023). In some of her dramas, she has co-starred with Nakayama Miho, Honda Minako and Nanno (*in Sukeban Deka 2 episode 26).

lyrics + translation

Sugiura Miyuki (born: April 5, 1969) was an idol singer active in the second half of 1980s. April 1985, just after graduating from junior high school, she was invited by her friend to apply to Momoco magazine. At that time, she wanted to be a hairdresser and had no interest in entertainment industry, so she applied just for fun. However, she attracted attention when she appeared in May issue of "Momoco" (*registered as Momoco Club member number 1173) and won first place in reader's popularity vote.

Then she joined HoriPro (*a big agency) and made her acting debut in December 1985 in the drama: "Janus no Kagami"; not only she got the role of main lead right away, she needed to play as two different characters in the same drama. And then, January 27, 1986, she made her singing debut and her debut song became a hit.

In her career, she has released a total of 7 singles, 2 original albums and 1 mini album. She has one song that sold 155k copies. Her total sales are about 363,580 copies. 

Sugiura Miyuki had a good acting career, especially in the second half of 1980s, which she has played as main lead in some dramas. In total she has appeared in 18 dramas (1985-1991, 2004) and 4 movies (1987-1991, 2022).

lyrics + translation

Kitahara Sawako (born: March 19, 1964) was an idol singer active in the first half of 1980s. In 1981, she was selected as Miss "Young Jump" (a teen magazine). In the same year, she formed an idol trio: "Pansy" with Manabe Chiemi and Mitsui Hisako who belonged to the same agency. And then she finally made her solo debut on March 19, 1982, right at her 18th birthday. That makes her one of the infamous "flower group of 1982" idols (*idols who debuted in 1982, the likes of Nakamori Akina, Kyon2, Hori Chiemi, Hayami Yuu, Ishikawa Hidemi, etc).

In her career, she has released a total of 10 singles and 6 albums. Her total song sales (all singles + all albums) are about 166,680 copies. She was more active as actress, which she has appeared in 188 dramas (1982 - 2015, mostly as support roles, one episode only guest roles, one-shot dramas) and 9 movies (1982 - 2018).

lyrics+translation

Mitsui Hisako (born: December 20, 1963), nickname: Chako, was an idol singer active in early 1980s. In 1981, she formed the trio: "Pansy" together with Kitahara Sawako and Manabe Chiemi. 

Later she made her solo debut on June 1, 1982. In her entire career, she has released 2 singles and 1 album. Her first single only charted at #93 and the later didn't make it to Oricon top 100.. There's no information about her total song sales. For her acting career, she has appeared in 1 movie (1982).

lyrics + translation

Ishino Yoko (born: February 20, 1968) was an idol singer active in the second half of 1980s.  She is the younger sister of Ishino Mako, a popular late 1970s idol. 

When she was in her first year of high school, she visited her sister's drama filming site and was made to play as extra with the role of a passerby. From there, she got scouted. At first, she had no interest in entertainment and wanted to become a makeup artist instead but somehow they could persuade her. Ishino Yoko made her singing debut on April 25, 1985, which made her one of the infamous "group 1985" idols (debuted the same year as Saito Yuki, Nanno, Asaka Yui, Nakayama Miho, Onyanko Club, etc).

In her career, she has released a total of 7 singles and 1 original album. Two of her singles reached #41 and #54 in Oricon chart (with those two songs combined accumulated 37,000 sales) while the others didn't make it to top 100. There's no information about her total song sales. Ishino Yoko was more popular as actress, which she has starred in a total of 103 dramas (1985-2023, a lot of those are one-shot dramas) and 22 movies (1987-2023).

In late 1980s, she was also known as regular in the popular comedy show: "Shimura Ken Daijobu da", doing comedy together with Japan infamous comedian: Shimura Ken.

lyrics + translation

Morikawa Yukari (born: April 12, 1963) was an idol singer active in the second half of 1980s. After graduating from high school, she originally worked as staff at concerts and live stage performances but encouraged to due to her singing ability (which she showed in karaoke) and her eye-catching beauty. Morikawa Yukari first appeared on TV in 1984 as assistant to the host in the music program: "Popper's MTV" (*MTV Japan). Then she made her singing debut on July 22, 1987.

Debuted at the age of 24 was probably too "mature" for idol singer (*who usually debuted at the age of 15-17, even 18 was seen as "a little late") but that was her charm since she had that older sister character. She was also known for her unique personality: bold, energetic, dare to express her opinion and she also had boyish character.

In her career, Morikawa Yukari has released a total of 17 singles, 4 albums and 4 compilation albums. Her first single failed to reach top 100 in Oricon chart but her second single suddenly exploded (partly helped by it being used as drama OST) and reached #1 in Oricon chart with 427k sales. Unfortunately, she couldn't maintain such level that her third single fell to #18 in Oricon chart with 37,000 sales and her fourth single fell further to #29 (14,000 sales) and starting from her fifth single, none of her songs ever reached top100 in Oricon chart again. There's no information about her total sales.

She also has acting career which she has appeared in a total of 18 dramas (1986-2008) and 3 movies (1989-1994). She also appeared in some variety shows as baradoru (*variety show idol).

lyrics + translation

Mizuno Kimiko (born: May 11, 1965), nickname: Kimiee and Kimiee-chan, was an idol singer active in early 1980s. When she was in her third year of high school, she entered "Watanabe Production" music school (Nagoya branch). Then at the end of 1981, she joined an audition by "Watanabe Production" and passed, then she moved to Tokyo, transfered to Horikoshi High School (*high school that had a lot of idols and young celebrities), and debuted as idol singer on May 25, 1982 (*that means she was one of the "group'82" idols debuted at the same year as Nakamori Akina, Kyon2, Hayami Yuu, Hori Chiemi, Ishikawa Hidemi, etc).

In her career, she has released a total of 4 singles and 1 original album. Out of all her singles, only one managed to chart at #57 while the rest failed to reach top 100 in Oricon chart. There's no information about her total sales. She barely had acting career which she appeared in a 5 minutes drama in "Yan Yan Uta Studio", and played in one musical in 1983.

lyrics + translation

Ribbon was an idol trio debut in December 1989 and active mostly in the first half of 1990s, with their members: Sato Aiko (born: October 22, 1973), Nagasaku Hiromi (born: October 14, 1970) and Matsuno Arimi (born: February 13, 1973). The group was born from Fuji TV's "Otomejuku", an idol-training variety show, which the members were picked from the regulars of that show (just like CoCo). Ribbon made their debut on December 6, 1989. The third member supposed to be another idol trainee: Nakajima Michiyo (later became solo idol) but replaced by Sato Aiko.  During idol winter period when top idols were rare, Ribbon along with CoCo were among the more popular idols. 

In their career, they have released a total of 13 singles and 6 original albums. Ribbon didn't have one especially high selling song but they had consistency, which from their 2nd to 11th single each sold 40k - 50k copies. Their total song sales are 807,490 copies. They have appeared in 1 drama (1990) and 1 movie (1993). They also had their own skit program which was rare among female idol groups. 

Although RIbbon never announced their official disbandment, the group was presumably "disbanded" around the end of 1994 to 1995.

lyrics + translation

Kunizane Yuri (born: December 19, 1970), nickname: Yuririn, was an idol singer active in late 1980s to very early 1990s. She was a fan of Matsuda Seiko who inspired her to enter entertainment industry. When she was in her second year of high school, she applied for an audition program called "The Audition: Boys and Girls" held on October 1987 and won it. She then moved to Tokyo and transfered to Horikoshi High School (*a school full of idols and young celebrities. Her classmates included: Sakai Noriko, Nishimura Tomomi, Watanabe Minayo). Kunizane Yuri made her official debut as idol singer on March 16, 1988.

In her career, Kunizane Yuri has released a total of 12 singles and 6 original albums. Her total song sales (all singles + all albums) are about 121,980 copies. She has starred in 2 dramas as regular cast (1990,1991), 6 dramas as guest role (1988-1991) but seems to never appear in any movie.

lyrics + translation

Aikawa Eri (born: April 29, 1972) was an idol singer active in late 1980s. In 1987, she participated an idol audition program sponsored by Lotte called "Lotte CM: Idol wa kimi da!"and became the winner. She made her official debut as idol singer on April 20, 1988. At the end of the year, she won newcomer award in "Japan Record Awards".

Like a lot of other idols in her time, Aikawa Eri also went to Horikoshi High School, a high school that had a lot of idols and celebrity students. Among her idol classmates there were Tamura Eriko, Takaoka Saki, Kunizane Yuri, Kodaka Emi, Tanaka Ritsuko.  Among fellow idols, she was especially close with Fujitani Miki, Kitaoka Yumeko and Asada Hanako.

In her career, she has released a total of 6 singles and 2 original albums. Her total sales (all singles + all albums) are about 138,020 copies. As for her acting career, she has appeared in 19 dramas (1988-1995) and 1 movie (1989).

lyrics + translation

Tanaka Ritsuko (born: July 17, 1971), nickname: Rit-chan, was an idol singer active in late 1980s to early 1990s. Growing up helping her family's hair salon, she once dreamed of becoming a hairdresser. But in 1984, at the age of 12, she was scouted in a department store in Tokyo and started modelling for the "Seventeen" magazine. April 1985, she made her first television appearance as assistant in a music program and made her acting debut in a drama in July 1985.  And then she appeared in this commercial and got scouted by a record company and officially debuted as idol singer on May 21, 1988 (*debuted the same year as Wink, Nishida Hikaru, Takaoka Saki, etc). Her first album was even produced by the legendary Tsutsumi Kyohei, who also composed her debut single.

She was given full support by her company. Her first three singles were composed by the legendary hitmaker: Tsutsumi Kyohei. She also has one song composed by the very popular singer-songwriter: Anri, who belonged to the same agency, she was even marketed as post-Anri (*Anri's successor). She regularly released new song every three months, appeared on singing shows and toured the country in nationwide campaign, She was also talented enough to write one of her own single and one B-side song.  Despite all that, Tanaka Ritsuko failed to achieve success in singing. 

In her career, Tanaka Ritsuko has released a total of 11 singles and 5 original albums. Her singles position in Oricon chart were #109, #129, #165, #174, #not ranked, #not ranked, #164, #not ranked, #158, #158, #93. There's no information about her total sales but only her last single managed to reached top 100, it charted at #93 and sold 3,000 copies.

Tanaka Ritsuko has a much better career in acting in which she has appeared in a total of 40 dramas (1985-2018) and 5 movies (1995-2014). She also has appeared in quite some commercials and quite active in variety shows.

lyrics + translation

Agatsuma Kayo (born: July 25, 1968) was an idol active in late 1980s and a former member of the infamous Onyanko Club. 

In 1984, her photo was published in the idol magazine: "Momoco" so she was registered as Momoco Club "member" no.368. One year later in 1985, she won the 3rd place in the infamous idol audition: "HoriPro Talent Scout Caravan" (the winner that year was Yamase Mami, and the runner-up was Nakamura Yuma). And then she became regular on the local radio program in her hometown. January 1987, she passed Onyanko Club audition and became Onyanko Club member number #48.

Onyanko Club disbanded in September 1987, and two months later, Agatsuma Kayo made her solo debut on November 21, 1987. In her solo career, Agatsuma Kayo has released a total of 4 singles and 2 original albums. Her total song sales (all singles + all albums) are about 108,990 copies. She seems to never appear in any drama or movie in her solo career but she was quite active in variety shows and radio in late '80s. 

lyrics + translation

Saito Makiko (born: September 19, 1970), nickname: Mackie (マッキー), was an idol active in late 1980s and a former member of the infamous 1980s idol group: Onyanko Club. 

On August 10, 1986, she won the runner up in "Miss Seventeen Contest with Onyanko Club" (*a contest by "Seventeen" magazine in collaboration with Onyanko Club) and accepted in the group as Onyanko Club member number #42. 

May 1987, a three members Onyanko sub-group: Ushirogami Hikaretai was formed with her chosen as one of the members. 

Onyanko Club disbanded in September 1987. The sub-group somehow lasted for another year but  eventually disbanded in 1988. Saito Makiko made her solo debut on July 21, 1988. 

In her solo career, she has released a total of 2 singles and no original album (although she released a "Best" album in 2007). Her total sales are a little more than 21,300 copies. She has appeared in a total of 5 dramas (1988 - 1995). She was also quite active in variety show in early 1990s. 

lyrics + translation

Watanabe Keiko (born: November 9, 1966) was an idol active in mid 1980s. When she was in her third year of junior high school, she participated in the infamous talent show: "Star Tanjou!", made it into preeliminary round and got scouted by an entertainment agency. Around the same time, she also participated in "HoriPro Talent Scout Caravan" , a very popular idol audition program back then, and won a special award (*while the grand prize winner that year was Osawa Itsumi). On March 21, 1984, she debuted as an orthodox idol singer. She was called "the next Kashiwabara Yoshie" and "the next Hori Chiemi". Indeed, her first year was quite successful, she was nominated in many newcomer awards and won some of them.

In her career, she has released a total of 7 singles and 2 original albums. Her total sales (all singles + all albums) are 134,640 copies. She also had acting career which she has appeared in 3 dramas (1985-1986). 

lyrics + translation

Show-Ya is an all-female rock band debuted in 1985. They were the pioneer of all-female band in Japan in 1980s.

Members:

- Terada Keiko (born:July 27, 1963), vocal.

- Nakamura Miki (born: September 27, 1961), nickname: Captain, keyboard, leader.

- Tsunoda Miki (born: December 7, 1963), nickname: Mittan, drums.

- Igarashi Miki (born: November 21, 1962), nickname: Sun-Go, guitar.

- Senba Satomi (born: August 28, 1963), bass.

The band was formed in 1981 and previously named Medusa, but since they failed in all music contests they participated in, they thought the name was a bad luck and changed it into "Shoya"(庄や)  after the bar they held a meeting at. Later they decided to write it in English so it became "Show-Ya" (*Show you!"). They won a Yamaha band contest in 1982, but not long after, four of their members left with Terada Keiko and Nakamura Miki remained. Tsunoda Miki, Igarashi Miki and Senba Satomi were recruited and Show-Ya made their professional debut on August 31, 1985. 

At that time, all-female rock bands were rare and unfamiliar to the public, so they were marketed as idol bands which they didn't like. In the late 1980s, the band returned to the hard rock route and pursued their own music but their songs didn't sell. It was until 1989 that Show-Ya finally made their breakthrough with their seventh album "Outerlimits" sold a total of 600,000 copies, coupled with their eighth single that sold 151,000 copies (or 300k copies by non-Oricon version). Their live shows and TV appearances dramatically increased. 

In their career, Show-Ya have released a total of 13 singles and 12 original albums. There's no information about their total sales (all singles + all albums), but their total single sales alone are 432,000 copies. Then they have one album that sold 600,000 copies. Add that with the sales of their other 11 albums, 3 mini albums, 2 live albums and 9 "Best" albums, it's safe to assume that their total sales could reach a few millions copies.

lyrics + translation

* they are hard rock band, not "idol".

Odaka Megumi (born: May 9, 1972) was an idol active in late 1980s and an actress.

In 1987, she won the 2nd edition of "Toho Cinderella Audition" (an audition held by Toho Entertainment since 1984 as an answer to their rival: Kadokawa Films producing successful idol-actresses like Yakushimaru Hiroko and Harada Tomoyo). She made her acting debut in that same year, appeared in a movie and won "Best New Actress" in Japan Academy Awards that year. Then she debuted as idol singer on March 21, 1988. Like a lot of other idols and young celebrities in that era, she also went to Horikoshi High School. 

In her singing career, she has released a total of 6 singles and 2 original albums. Her total song sales are 59,910 copies. Odaka Megumi was more popular as actress. In her acting career, she has starred in a total of 44 dramas (1988 - 2000) and 9 movies (1987 - 1994, 2023). Among her works, she is best known for her roles in "Hana no Asuka-gumi!" (1988) and Godzilla franchise. Out of her 9 movies, 6 of them are Godzilla movies which she has starred in from 1989-1995.

lyrics + translation

Oginome Keiko (born: September 4, 1964) was a popular actress in 1980s who also had a brief singing career. Not sure if she was counted as an idol, probably not. She is the older sister of an 1980s top idol Oginome Yoko. 

She aspired to become an actress since she was a kid after reading the 1970s manga: "Glass no Kamen" and joined a theater company when she was 12. She made her acting debut in 1977, appeared in a movie together with her younger sister Oginome Yoko, both playing the same character. She became a new uprising actress and appeared in more and more movies and dramas. 

She also had a brief singing career, debuted on July 21, 1983. In her singing career, she has released only two singles and no album. Her first single reached #29 on Oricon chart and the second single failed to reach top 100. Her total song sales are a little more than 64,000 copies. 

Oginome Keiko was more popular as actress. She has appeared in a total of 66 dramas (1978 -  2018)  and 20 movies (1977 - 2013). She won two newcomer actress awards in 1980, and then won 5 best supporting actres awards in 1992 - 2001.

^ lyrics + translation 

Okamoto Maiko (born: September 3, 1970) was an idol singer active in mid 1980s.

At the age of 4, she was scouted on the streets of Shibuya and entered the entertainment industry as a child model. When she was in 5th grade of elementary school (1981), she appeared as ``Maiko'', member of the trio: "Ladybug'' in children television program: " Mama to Asobo! Pin Pon Pan''. Entering junior high school, she became mascot in the Saturday morning program: "Morning Salad", hosted by Saijo Hideki, followed by other morning TV programs: "Sunnyside 7" and "Urotora 7:00". In 1984, she has even released a single "Mishiranu Kuni no Tripper" used as OST for the anime "Mahou no Yousei Persia", which was technically her real debut song but somehow it was seen as pre-debut.

After her long career as child celebrity, Okamoto Maiko made her official debut as idol singer on April 25, 1985. In her first year, she was nominated in numerous newcomer awards and won 5 of them, the biggest one would be newcomer award from "Japan Music Awards". 

In her singing career, she has released a total of 7 singles and 2 original albums. Her total sales (all singles + all albums) are 70,040 copies. As for her acting career, she has only appeared in 1 movie (1987). A few months after her acting debut, Okamoto Maiko  suddenly retired from entertainment. 

lyrics + translation

Morishita Eri (born: August 6, 1967) , real name: Nobori Eri, was an idol singer active in mid to late 1980s ,later turned singer-songwriter. 

In 1981, when she was in her second year of junior high school, she participated in "Hideki Younger Brother/Sister Recruitment Audition" , an audition program with Saijo Hideki (top 3 1970s male idols who was still a big singer in the 1980s) as the face of the campaign. Back then it was common strategy to attached an  established singer's name to newcomer singer to help promote them, thus the newcomer would be dubbed "X singer's 'little sister' " although they're not real siblings. Morishita Eri won runner-up out of a total of 55,460 applicants. Actually all the other judges voted for Morishita Eri as the winner but Saijo Hideki alone vetoed their decision and chose another contestant: Ishikawa Hidemi as the winner instead. 

After the audition, she got scouted and made her debut as idol singer on June 21, 1985. She used the stage name Morishita Eri, named after the ballerina Morishita Yoko whom she was a fan of. Her first year was quite successful, she was nominated in some newcomer awards and started to appear in various magazines and variety shows. Starting from her 5th single, she started to write and composed her own songs and became a singer-songwriter.

In her idol career, she has released a total of 6 singles (1985-1988) and 2 original albums. Her songs position on Oricon chart were #29, #33, #55, #45, #144, #(out of top 200). There's no information about her total sales (all singles + all albums) but her total singles sales in 1980s alone are about: 79,000 copies. Morishita Eri also had a brief acting career which she starred in 1 drama (1991) and 1 movie (1988).

Morishita Eri retired in 1989 after she got married and gave birth to her first son. In May 1996, she re-debuted with the stage name: Eri and released another 5 singles and 4 albums. In 2000, she formed a band called Moneji which mostly only performed live but did released on indie album in 2005. In 2008, she established her own label and revived her solo career, now using her real name Nobori Eri. As Nobori Eri, she has released 2 singles and 2 albums. There's no information about her sales post her idol career. 

lyrics + translation

Imori Miyuki (born: October 26, 1968) was an idol singer active in mid 1980s later turned a popular variety idol.

In 1984, at the age of 15, she won the 9th "HoriPro Talent Scout Caravan" (*a very popular idol audition in that era) out of 120,000 contestants. She signed contract with HoriPro as her agency and Canyon Records (now Pony Canyon) as her label company. Imori Miyuki made her debut as idol singer on April 21, 1985. Her first year was decent with her debut single charted at #32 on Oricon chart and won a newcomer award.

In her singing career, she has released a total of 6 singles and 1 original album. Her total song sales are 86,070 copies. She has a better success with her acting career, she has appeared in a total of 32 dramas (1986-2012) and 5 movies (1989-2010).She has played lead role at least once in 1986.

Around 1987, Yamase Mami , an idol who didn't sell much as singer found a better luck as variety show talent, she popularized the term "baradoru" (*bariety aidoru --> variety idol --> idol specializes in variety show). She was followed by Matsumoto Akiko, Moriguchi Hiroko, including Imori Miyuki, they were called "the original baradoru" and "the pioneers of baradoru". This was where Imori Miyuki found her breakthrough and became a popular variety idol from late 1980s to 1990s. With her new-found popularity, she also started to appear in a lot of commercials.

lyrics + translation

Marcia (born: February 14, 1969), real name: Marcia Kazue Nishie, was an idol(?) / singer debuted in very late 1980s. She was a third generation Japanese-Brazilian born and grew up in Brazil. In 1985, she won a runner-up in a song contest by TBS (tv network that owned "The Best Ten") held in Brazil. The next year, she participated in another song contest for foreigner held by TV Tokyo, also held in Brazil. Marcia who advanced to the final round visited Japan for the first time to represent Brazil in the final. She caught the attention of a composer Inomata Kosho who was serving as one of the judges, who later flied to Brazil to scout her. Marcia and her grandfather moved to Japan and she became his apprentice. After rigorous training period, she finally made her singing debut on January 21, 1989. Her first year was a success with her winning numerous newcomer awards after fierce battle with another promising newcomer idol: Tamura Eriko. 

In her career, Marcia has released a total of 17 singles and 9 original albums. There's no information about her total sales (all singles + all albums) but her total single sales alone are about 416,000 copies. Marcia has performed 1 time in Kohaku Uta Gassen (1990). For her acting career, she has starred in 5 dramas (1990-2019) and 1 movie (2021). She was also quite active in variety shows.

lyrics + translation

Ito Sayaka (born: October 16, 1983) was a rock n' roll singer originally marketed as idol active in early to mid 1980s. 

When she was in high school, her dream was to become a rock n' roll singer and she had formed an all-girl high school band with her classmates. One day in 1980, while on a trip to Okinawa with her three friends, their return flight was cancelled due to a typhoon so they had no choice but to return to their hotel and played "Space Invaders" arcade game. That was when they were approached by the president of the agency company "Hirata Office" who was looking for model for Shiseido "Shower Cologne" commercial. She came to Tokyo 1.5 months later, passed the audition and starred in the commercial. 

From April 1981, she appeared regularly as one of the assistants of the presenter in the very popular singing contest: "Star Tanjou!". October the same year, she made her acting debut appearing in a historical drama. In 1982, she gained attention when she played the female lead in her second drama: "Hiatari Ryoko!" (1982).  She made her singing debut on May 21, 1982. Despite debuted along the "class'82" idols (*Nakamori Akina, Kyon2, Hori Chiemi, Hayami Yuu, Ishikawa Hidemi, etc) and generally seen as idol, Ito Sayaka refused to go with the orthodox idol route and instead chose to be rock n' roll singer. 

In her career, she has released a total of 9 singles and 6 original albums. There's no information about her total song sales (all singles + all albums), but her total singles sales alone are about 175,000 copies. As for her acting career, she has starred in 6 dramas (1981-2008) and 4 movies.

lyrics + translation

Kurasawa Atsumi (born: April 20, 1967) was an idol active in early to mid 1980s.

She has loved singing since she was a kid and used to sing at Sakura Festival in her hometown every year. When she was in junior high school, she found a new talent in impersonating celebrities and appeared in an impersonation variety show in TBS singing Matsuda Seiko song. There she got scouted and signed into an entertainment agency. In 1982, she joined a very popular variety show: "Kin-chan no Doko Made Yaru no!", and along with two other casts, they formed an idol trio: Warabe. While still a member of Warabe,  Kurasawa Atsumi also made her solo debut on March 21, 1984.

In her career she has released a total of 10 singles and 4 original albums. Her total sales (all singles + all albums) are 548,280 copies, with her debut song contributes to almost half of her total sales. She also had acting career which she has starred in a total of 8 dramas (1987-1993) and 1 movie (1991). 

lyrics + translation

Shiga Mariko (born: December 24, 1969) was an idol singer active from 1986-1987. When she was a kid, she appeared as a regular on an NHK quiz show. She also appeared 16 times in an impersonation TV show, impersonating singers like Takada Mizue, etc. In 1985, she sang the OST for the anime OVA: "Mahou no Princess Minky Momo: Yume no naka no Rondo" but somehow this was considered her pre-debut song. Her actual debut was on February 25, 1986 when she sang the theme song of the anime: "Mahou no Idol Pastel Yumi" as her debut song and also voiced the main character. 

In her career she has released a total of 1 pre-debut single, 4 singles and 1 original album. Out of all her singles + album, only one single managed to break into Oricon chart top 100, so her total sales are a little more than 15,650 copies. She has starred in a total of 8 dramas (1983-1986). She also had her own radio shows (1987-1988).

She died in a traffic accident on November 23, 1989

lyrics + translation

Kawagoe Miwa, born: January 3, 1973, was an idol active from very late 1980s to the first half of 1990s. She has learned Japanese traditional dance since elementary school and grew up as a fan of early 1980s idol: Hori Chiemi. One day, she was scouted while working as a model and made her singing debut on October 26, 1988. She was called "the next Goto Kumiko" because of her exotic beauty. 

In her career, she has released a total of 13 singles and 3 original albums. Her total song sales (all singles + all albums) are 130,440 copies. As for her acting career, she has starred in a total of 61 dramas (1989-2005) and 18 movies (1991-2007). 

She was found dead alone in her apartment on April 22, 2008. The cause of death is undisclosed. 

lyrics + translation

Takami Chika (born: July 9, 1962), real name: Takahashi Fusayo was a late 1970s idol.

In 1978, when she was a junior high school student, she participated in a singing contest in a local TV show, she won and got scouted. After graduating from junior high school, she moved to Tokyo, joined an agency and made her debut as idol singer on November 1, 1978. Her real name was said to sound a bit old fashioned so she used the stage name: Takami Chika.

In her career, she has released a total of 19 singles and 4 original albums. She has one hit song that reached #16 on Oricon chart and sold 104,000 copies but the rest of her other singles all failed to enter top 100 of Oricon chart which made her a one hit wonder. There's no information about her total sales. As for her acting career, she has appeared in a total of 20 dramas (1979-1988) and 4 movies (1982-1986). 

She died on December 21, 2022 by cancer

lyrics + translation

Shimura Kaori, born: July 20, 1969, was an idol active in mid 1980s.

In 1984, the movie "Pants no ana" was released which became the movie debut of the idol Kikuchi Momoko. It became a huge hit, with the production cost of 60 million yen, it grossed 300 million yen and launched her popularity into one of the top idols in 1980s. Following the success of the first movie, the sequel was made based on the assumption that Kikuchi Momoko would star in it, but she declined. They had no choice but to hold a public audition to find someone who looked like Kikuchi Momoko. September 1984, Shimura Kaori, who was in her third year of junior high school applied for the audition and selected to play the lead role out of 58,117 applicants. The movie was released on April 13, 1985 which became her acting debut. Few days later, she made her singing debut on April 21, 1985. 

In her singing career, she has released a total of 5 singles and 1 original album (+ 1 "Best" album). Her total sales (all singles + all albums) are 172,930 copies. She has starred in 4 dramas (1986-1988) and 2 movies (1985, 1987).

lyrics + translation

Qlair was an idol trio active in early 1990s. Their members:

- Imai Sachiko, nickname: Sachi, born: December 27, 1973

- Inobe Hiroko, nickname: Hiro, born: December 28, 1973 

- Yoshida Aki, nickname: Aki, born: February 18, 1976

They were some of the idols produced by a Fuji TV talent training program: "Otomejuku". The group's name "Qlair" was inspired by Gilbert O'Sullivan 's " Clair". They made their debut on July 7, 1991. 

In their career, Qlair have released a total of 7 singles and 4 original albums. Their total song sales (all singles + all albums) are 112,680 copies. 

lyrics + translation

Shimada Kaho, real name: Shima Kaho, born: September 19, 1983, was an idol in early 1980s turned a famous stage actress.

Born to a musician father and jazz singer mother, the little Kaho began learning ballet and piano at the age of four. She gained popularity as a child actor in her role in the kid show: "Ganbare!! Robocon" (1974-1977) playing the role of Robin, a ballerina robot. Then in her teen, she debuted as idol singer on April 25, 1981. In her idol career, she has released a total of 4 singles and no albums. None of those could reach top 100 on Oricon chart. 

Didn't have much luck as idol singer, in 1982 she made her stage play debut in the musical "Cinderella" as Cinderella. Shimada Kaho finally made a breakthrough in her career a few years later when she starred in the Japanese adaptation of the infamous musical "Les Miserables" in 1987. Her newly gained popularity as musical actress brought her to the Kohaku Uta Gassen. 

In her career, Shimada Kaho have released a total of 18 singles and 14 original albums. There's no information about her total sales but she has at least one hit song that sold 203k copies in 1992. She has performed twice in Kohaku Uta Gassen (1988, 1989).  She has appeared in a total of 12 dramas (1973-1994) and 6 movies (1976-2024). Her main popularity is as a stage actress which she has played in a total of 43 stage plays (1982-2024) and won many awards. 

lyrics + translation 

Sendo Nobuko, born: September 28, 1969, was an idol-actress popular in the 1980s to the 1990s. 

When she was a kid, she joined Himawari children's theater group and got her drama debut in 1980, starring in a historical drama. From 1981-1984, she got more and more roles in major films and popular dramas, and was praised as a talented child actress. Entering her teens, she was active as idol-actress and even won "Newcomer Actress" category at Japan Academy Awards 1984. She also played the second lead role in popular tv series: "Sailor Fuku Hangyaku Doumei" (1986). Sendo Nobuko made her singing debut on June 21, 1984 and was praised for her singing ability. 

She became even more popular in early 1990s, playing a lot of lead roles in dramas. In 1993, when she starred in the drama "Tetteiteki ni Ai wa..." (1993), she formed a one-time duo "NOA" with the male lead singing their drama OST, it became a big hit that sold more than 800k copies. 

In her career, she has released a total of 4 singles and 1 album. There's no information about her total sales but two of her singles charted at #71 and #59 on Oricon chart, and her highest selling song sold 27,000 copies. Later in 1993 she would have a duet single that became a big hit. Her singing career as an idol wasn't much but Sendo Nobuko was a big actress. She has starred in a total of 73 dramas (1980-2024) and 18 movies (1980-2024), playing a lot of lead roles. 

lyrics + translation  

Nakajima Michiyo, born: January 2, 1973, was an idol active in early 1990s. 

She was one of the trainees in Otomejuku, a Fuji TV talent training TV program ( other idols produced by Otomejuku include CoCo, Ribbon, Qlair, etc). Even before her debut, she was already popular among Otomejuku members due to her cute appearance. She was initially considered as Ribbon member but given a solo debut instead. She made her singing debut on January 30, 1991 with Sun Music as her agency and Pony Canyon as her label. In her first year, she won newcomer award in "Japan Record Awards" 1991 and and had since won numerous other newcomer awards in various award competitions.

In her career, she has released a total of 12 singles and 4 original albums. Her total sales (all singles + all albums) are 308,040 copies. She has appeared in 10 dramas (1992-2002) and 5 movies (1989-1997). 

lyrics + translation  

Chiba Mika, born:August 7, 1972, was an idol active from late 1980s to mid 1990s. 

In 1986, she participated in the popular audition program "HoriPro Talent Scout Caravan" and won the vocalist award (*the winner was Ito Miki). After that, she signed with the big talent agency HoriPro and took singing lessons for 3 years. Meanwhile, she appeared in several dramas and active on  some variety shows. Her notable role was in the live action series "Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop" (1988) which she also sang the ending song, although it was counted as her pre-debut single. She finally made her official debut as idol singer on May 21, 1989. She was marketed as a new type of idol called "mudoru" (* musician + aidoru; idol who empashizes on singing skill like a true professional musician). Idols who debuted the same year as her included Tamura Eriko, Nakayama Shinobu, Marcia, Hosokawa Naomi, etc. 

In her career in Japan, she has released a total of 6 singles and 9 albums. Later when she continued her career in Taiwan and became top idol, she relased another 5 albums in Chinese. There's no information about her total sales (all singles + all albums) but her total single sales alone are about 15,000 copies. All those singles were released when she was in Japan so they don't reflect  her sales in Taiwan (1991-1995) under the stage name "Chenye Meijia" where she was described as a "top idol".  In her acting career, she has appeared in a total of 9 dramas (1985-1990, 2004) and 1 movie (1987). 

lyrics + translation 

Fukatsu Eri, nickname: Fukat-chan, formerly used the stage names: Takahara Rie and Mizuhara Rie, born: January 11, 1973, was an idol active in late 1980s to early 1990s turned a famous award-winning actress. 

In 1986, she won the "Miss Harajuku Grand Prix" contest and entered the entertainment industry at the age of 14. She started her career as an actress, starring in her first movie in March 1988 under the stage name Mizuhara Rie. Still in the same year, she made her singing debut on October 21, 1988 with a novel marketing strategy: releasing two debut singles at the same time under two different stage names: Takahara Rie and Fukatsu Eri. The later stage name was what she later used in the rest of her career. During her idol days, she was known to have short hair, but she actually had already had short hair since her childhood and was very attached to it. Idols debuted around the same time as her included Tamura Eriko, Shimazaki Wakako, Nakayama Shinobu, Hoshino Yuki, Marcia, Chiba Mika and Kawagoe Miwa. 

In her singing career, she has released a total of 6 singles and 3 original albums. There's no information about her total sales (all singles + albums) but her total single sales alone are about 20,000 copies. Fukatsu Eri was much bigger as an actress. She has starred in a total of 52 dramas (1990-2021) and 25 movies (1988-2017), playing a lot of lead roles. As an actress, she has won at least 19 awards. She also has appeared in tons of commercials. 

lyrics + translation 

Iwai Sayuri (born: August 10, 1968) was a moderately popular idol singer active in early 1980s.

She was already active in entertainment since she was a kid, she had appeared in a movie in 1979, appeared in a musical play, and even appeared as model for bank poster and supermarket flyer. She made her official debut as idol singer on January 12, 1983. Her first year was successful with her debut song sold more than 100,000 copies and won various newcomer awards of that year including the big ones like "Japan Record Awards" and "Japan Music Awards". During her idol days, she was known for her trademark ponytail, although she cut her hair short in her second year.

In her singing career, she has released a total of 12 singles and 4 original albums. Her total song sales are about 510,870 copies. As for her acting career, she has appeared in 3 dramas (1984 - 1995) and 3 movies (1979 - 2004).

lyrics + translation 

Ishii Akemi, born: August 26, 1965, was an idol popular in the second half of 1980s. 

When she was in high school, she aspired to become a hairdresser, and when she graduated, she got a job at a big beauty salon in Ginza. However, since it was a large store with 30 sytling stations, her job as new employee was only washing people's hair all day every day until her hands bled, with few opportunities to hone her skills, so she quit after a year. Then, she worked part time at a karaoke bar in Roppongi where the customers would often ask her to sing something. Many of the regular customers at this snack bar were people from tv stations and talent agencies, and they could see her potential, so she would frequently be scouted but she always declined them, choosing to save up money and eventually return to work as a hairdresser. One day, a staff from Ken-On, the agency Nakamori Akina belonged to at that time, invited her once again, telling her to just try to release one song and if it didn't sell she could just quit, and she finally accepted it. She joined Ken-On in 1986 and got her debut in just two months after joining. She made her singing debut on August 14, 1986. Her debut song became a very big hit, it topped the Oricon yearly chart of 1986 and won her newcomer award at Japan Record Awards 1986. 

In her career, she has released a total of 15 singles and 5 original albums. There's no information about her total sales (all singles + albums), but the total sales of her first 13 singles alone are about 936,000 copies. Her 14th single, although there's no data about the sales, it charted at #40 so it must have had decent sales. And then, there's still 5 original albums, 5 Best albums and 1 compilation album, so her total sales surely have (far) exceeded 1 million copies. She seems to never appeared in any drama or movie. 

lyrics + translation