BuzzFeed Japan asked some of the top gravure idols to come into the studio and spill some home truths for them.
Each gravure idol was asked to pose with a notepad telling us what their life was really life.
Here is Nanoka, saying “Life is simple.” Apparently she spends her days off just sitting around at home.
Rina Hashimoto dispels one of the myths of her job. “I don’t enjoy the locations.” While it might seem like paradise to fly to Hawaii or other exotic locations for photo shoots, the reality of the job is apparently less glamorous. You spend all day shooting from morning till night, and the food you get time for is instant noodles.
Rin Tachibana says: “I never meet people.” Despite being gorgeous, Rin claims she hasn’t had a boyfriend since she launched her gravure career.
Iroha Yanagi says: “It’s tough.” All that posing for photo shoots takes its toll on the body.
Saki Yanase says: “I’m really an I-cup.” People tend to think that gravure idols lie about their all-important bust sizes, but Saki says hers is really that big.
Continuing a trend here, Hikaru Aoyama says: “I love being at home.” Again, she spends her days off just relaxing at home.
Asuka Kishi says: “My dog is my play partner.” Shame, we are available for that role!
Finally, the butt-astic Yuka Kuramochi says: “It’s not comfort.” What she means by is that she spends her life posing for photos in long shoots that cause her body to ache. Moreover, the money isn’t very good!
One of the big misconceptions about gravure is that you get get rich posing in a bikini. Not true. If you can branch out into TV appearances or acting roles you can make some reasonable money. But your salary is dedicated by an agency, who take most of the cash — and there is a lot of competition out there. The market is basically saturated. The gravure idols are only really one up from booth companions at events or race queens or ring girls. It’s quite a far cry from fashion modelling.
Oh, and then there are all the other secrets, such as the coercion and sex with management, drugs and yakuza involvement.
