Gravure veteran Rina Koike turns 30, marks 20 years in the industry

Rina Koike has been part of our lives (and this blog) for so long, we almost forgot she was still doing gravure!

Having made her debut two decades ago as an actress — she appeared in a Sailor Moon adaptation way back in 2004 — and now reaching the ripe old age of 30, Koike will release her first photo book in eight years to celebrate the milestone.

It was shot in Vietnam and features shots of the doe-eyed model in the Southeast Asia country’s famous outdoor markets. The best, most alluring shots, though, are indoors and more intimate, as these preview pics show.

The as-yet untitled photo book will come out in early July from major publisher Kodansha.

She released her first photo book in 2006 as a junior idol (it’s an ongoing controversy how young idols begin their careers in Japan, but Koike is a product of this system). It was quickly followed by many others, but Koike has focused in recent years on her acting and popular YouTube channel.

She switched agencies last year and is clearly going through a transitional stage in her life and career.

With her youthful face and personality, and slinky body, it’s hard to believe that Rina Koike is now in her thirties — and so technically a jukujo in the eyes of the idol industry!

Her return to gravure means she joins several other major models and actresses who started off in gravure, and recently made high-profile comebacks, not least Aya Ueto, Haruka Ayase, and Kyoko Fukada.

For more pics of Rina Koike over the years, see our tumblr page.