Fresh from playing the lead in the NHK Taiga drama last year, Yuriko Yoshitaka is back in the news over rumors that her next role will see her do a sex scene. If true, this will be the 36-year-old's first proper sex scene since Snakes and Earrings in 2008, which made her famous and became notorious for its explicit nude scenes in which the then-young actress showed off her slender body in the role of a self-destructive hostess. After becoming a mainstream success and a staple of TV dramas and commercials, Yoshitaka never went back to risky or provocative roles again (or her management ...

We've always had a soft spot for Yuriko Yoshitaka, not least because her young debut means she seems to have been with us forever. She has one of the most recognizable faces in the land, plastered on ads for drinks, banks, and more. And she remains unmarried, despite being her looks and fame. Or perhaps it's because of her looks and fame: she may be fussier than others and unwilling to settle down with someone unless they If so, good for her. But her father seems to think otherwise. In a bizarre interview with Bunshun last month, Yuriko's father suggested that his daughter ...

It's an open secret that "compensated dating" (援助交際, enjo kosai) is common in the Japanese idol world, even among mainstream entertainers and celebrities. Just as the casting couch exists, so too does the dating table. Idols don't earn that much money and their careers are fickle, so they boost their income with dates. There doesn't always sex involved, it should be added, but it's surely not impossible. It's like a hostess "dohan" date (where the hostess accompanies you for dining before going to the club together) or services offered by "dating clubs" (交際クラブ, kosai ...

We've been tinkering with this list of Japanese movie sex scenes for a long, long time, and finally think it's ready to share with readers. What follows is a highly subjective list -- more our personal favorites than anything else -- and, for convenience sake, restricts itself to just the past 20 years or so. We will also continue to update it. It was intended as an expansion or continuation of our previous list of Japanese actresses who are happy to do sex scenes -- there are fewer than you might think! -- and just grew from there. Here are the ladies, arranged in alphabetical ...

Cutie Yuriko Yoshitaka has landed the biggest presenting gig in Japanese television -- co-hosting the end-of-year music show Kohaku on NHK. The actress with the famous husky voice has been a rising star for several years and this cements her maintain ascendancy. Last year the job was handled by Haruka Ayase, who notoriously made a botch of it, forgetting people's names and so on. We expect the 26-year-old Yuriko will do much better. However, we also think it's time to remember the role that first made Yuriko famous, a very revealing turn when she was still a teenager in the film Snakes ...

Much like the yaeba snaggletooth phenomenon, the Japanese trend of the duck face has both fascinated and revolted foreigners. Japanese girls make the duck-face pout (ahiru-guchi) as they think it makes them look cute and attractive to men. You look "dumb" and submissive, and, since Japanese ladies don't usually have much in the way of busts or butts they have to make up for it by charming gentlemen with their faces. Classic duck-face advocates include Tomomi Itano from AKB48, singer Yuki, and voice actress Aya Hirano, though it can look sexier in the context. It was first used in the ...

Yuriko Yoshitaka, star of the live action remake of the manga Gantz, didn't always make her living as a headliner in blockbuster movies. Her first big break had her naked on her back under guys with lots of tattoos and piercings. The now 22-year-old actress is known for her sweet personality and her acting chops. Her first major role was in the movie Snakes and Earrings (2008), where she played a troubled youth whose life gets turned around by a split tongued tattooed rebel. And if you want to see Yuriko squirm and scream as she is getting screwed, watch the film. Talk about a debut. ...