The Japanese actress Kasumi Arimura is best known for her sweet, gentle looks. She is usually seen with a smile on her face while advertising tea or something similarly innocuous (though she did do some gravure stuff early on in her career, much like Haruka Ayase also did). And so she is a surprising casting choice for the lead role in the new Netflix film Call Me Chihiro. Her character is meant to be a former sex worker who takes up a new job at a bento lunchbox shop in a seaside town. (We were also surprised to see that she is now 30. She seemed so much younger.) Though Netflix has ...

No, it's not AV idols or even Gravure idols. Nor is it exotic or glamorous fashion models. It's very mainstream actresses with charming personalities. Almost all the ladies have "cute" girl-next-door faces rather than sensual, "beautiful" looks. The number one lady that Japanese men said they most wanted to date was... Haruka Ayase, who also came out top of last year's survey. Local guys like ditzy girls, it seems. Second was Satomi Ishihara, up from fourth place. It might be all those Aeon English school ads she has been doing. A girl who can speak English (albeit with a ...