Erika Ikuta goes semi-nude in smash-hit new photo book

Erika Ikuta of Nogizaka46 has a major hit on her hands with her latest photo book, which may more than just a little to do with the fact that she has posed semi-nude for it. After all, as Rena Kato amply demonstrated, raising the sexiness level for a photo book generally leads to buzz and sales.

Here are some of the delights waiting for readers on the pages of “Intermission.”

The photo book was shot over seven days in New York last September.

Following a series of successful photo books by Nogizaka46 and Keyakizaka46 idols, not least Mai Shirase, but less glory by the ladies of AKB48, twenty-two-year-old Erika Ikuta’s second photo book came out from Kodansha on January 22nd and immediately sold out. An extra 50,000 copies have been printed. It had already attracted more reservations than its initial 200,000 print run, leading the publisher to print an extra 20,000 to cope with the early demand.

Just for some context, this is an industry where sales of 10,000 are usually counted as a hit for a photo book.