Meet Marica Hase, the most famous gravure idol and Japanese porn star you’ve never heard of

It’s often the case the Japanese porn stars that are huge in China, Taiwan or Korea are not necessarily the biggest stars back home in Japan. Sora Aoi is one famous example — a star at home but a mega-star abroad.

Yet it’s rare for any gravure idol or porn star to make it big in Europe or America beyond the radar of hardcore Japanese or Yellow Fever fans.

But one lady is bucking the trend.

Marica Hase (or Marika Hase) (長谷真理香) made the leap over the waters to America in 2012 and hasn’t looked back since. She appeared in Penthouse in January 2013 and now makes around 15 titles a month.

Her porn debut came in 2009, after a career in the gravure idol field. Since making the journey to the New World and resuming her adult video activities there, the 29-year-old minx has clocked up over 50 porn titles to her credit.

Japanese weekly tabloid magazine Shukan Post recently made the trip stateside to speak to the living success story.

On a big Japanese shoot there will be hair styling and makeup specialists to help the performers look their best but on an American shoot, you have to do it all yourself. You need to bring clothes, toys and props in a big suitcase, says Marica.

“My English has now improved a lot but at first all I could say was ‘Hello’ and ‘I am Marica’,” she recalls with a laugh.

In fact, she says it wasn’t really the case that she had a strong yearning to go and work in America. It was a chance recommendation.

“After I had made a film in Japan for the first time that I was fully pleased with, the director praised me. He said I was wasted in Japan. Go to America, he said.”

“At the time I just agreed with him but the next day my manager actually asked me if I wanted to make my debut in America. We then consulted with a director who knew about America and things really began to move forward.”

And ever since that perceptive director’s recommendation led her to get on a plane, she hasn’t looked back!