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- Hiroshi Abe was born on 22 June 1964 in Kanagawa, Japan. He is an actor, known for Still Walking (2008), Godzilla 2000 (1999) and After the Storm (2016).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
The boyish Ueno Juri was born in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. Her mother died while Juri was at junior high school. She was athletic at elementary school and also had piano lessons. She began wearing contact lenses at junior high school. She applied to become a model for a fashion magazine, but failed in the year 2000. The agent, however, kept her on. This agency was called Will and later would become part of Amuse. She did commercial work for P&G in 2001. She began acting in the year 2000, but came to the public's attention five years later when she appeared in the popular Swing Girls movie. She had thought about becoming a singer, but had taken her mother's advice to try acting earlier. Her role garnered her the Newcomer Of The Year prize at the Japanese Academy Awards. She actually can play the saxophone and had had lessons since childhood. She was further popular a year later when she was cast and appeared in the TV serial version of the Nodame Cantabile manga series, which was based on the relationship of novice Classical musicians. Her role won the Best Lead Actress price at the 51st Television Drama Academy. The serial was a major commercial success, which naturally meant the role would be reprised several times. These were not her last awards. The press chimed in with Vogue Japan naming her one of its females of the year for 2008. Another monetary success was 2013's Girl In A Sunny Place, which was also based on a novel. She acted in a South Korean film in 2015. Ueno married Triceratops musicians Wada Sho on 26.05.2016. They had been dating for nine months. Her older sister is singer and adult model Ueno Mana. Her oldest sister is a DJ called Saori. She is managed by the Amuse Agency and does corporate advertising for things like construction companies. She likes music, cooking (prefers fish) and playing the saxophone.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1985, Aya Ueto received her first break in August 1997 when, at the age of 11, she won the Special Jury Prize at the 7th All-Japan Bishoujo Contest. After this initial success, she tried her hand at both acting and singing, appearing in various minor TV drama roles, as well as a low budget action movie, and formed a short-lived pop quartet, "Z-1", with other winners of the Bishoujo Contest. After her passionate portrayal of a high school student with Gender Identity Disorder in the 6th series of the long-running classroom drama Kinpachi sensei, Mr. Kinpachi in Class 3B (1979), endeared her to the Japanese nation, she was able to pursue a solo music career with her first single, "Pureness", released in August 2002. It was this performance that also convinced cult movie director Ryûhei Kitamura to cast her in the title role of Azumi (2003). With the film's release date coinciding with the sale of her debut album "AYAUETO" in the spring of 2003, Aya was set for super-stardom. Her famous smile has since earned her increasing numbers of commercial contracts and magazine covers - all important exposure for any idol - combined with starring roles in a number of popular television dramas have meant she is rarely out of the limelight and has cemented her position as one of Japan's top entertainers.- Misaki Itô was born on 26 May 1977 in Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan. She is an actress, known for Ju-on: The Grudge (2002), Umineko (2004) and James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (2003).
- Actor
- Director
Mirai Moriyama was born on 20 August 1984 in Kobe, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Rage (2016), Crying Out Love in the Center of the World (2004) and The Drudgery Train (2012).- Actress
- Soundtrack
The Tokyo-born Tabe Mikako, who has two older brothers, is an actress with roles on stage and the big and small screens. She began her career in 2002 at the age of thirteen by signing with a management office. She took up the role of Marina Moon in the Sailor Moon musicals. She was in movies by 2005 and garnered her first award for her role in Hinokio for which she won Newcomer Of The Year by the Japan Movie Critics and Blue Ribbon Awards. This role, featuring a robot, likely remains her more famous one although Fish Story has become a minor cult film since release. Like most Japanese celebrities she has done advertising for products like chips, chocolate, cider, etc. Makiko likes the colour pink, watching movies and jazz. She has stated that she would like to be married by age 30 and has been rumoured to have dated Masato Sakai (now married) and Kengo Kora (who was also in Fish Story) among others. She is handled by Hirata Office.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Shun Oguri was born on 26 December 1982 in Tokyo, Japan. Shun is an actor and director, known for Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Gintama 2: Rules are Made to be Broken (2018) and Two Homelands (2019). Shun has been married to Yû Yamada since 14 March 2012.- Eita Nagayama was born on 13 December 1982 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Dear Doctor (2009), Monster (2023) and Nakumonka (2009). He has been married to Kaela Kimura since 1 September 2010. They have two children.
- Actress
Yu Aoi was born as Yu Natsui on August 17, 1985 in Kasuga. She's a Japanese actress, voice actress, model & TV personality who has become a beloved tour de force in Japan. In 1999, she made her stage debut as Polly in the musical production of Annie, where she was picked from among hundreds of candidates at an audition. She began her silver screen career w/ the controversial All About Lily Chou-Chou before going on to lead roles in films like Letters From Kanai Nirai & One Million Yen Girl. She has participated in the live action series Mushishi & the short film collection Tokyo!. She was the voice of the imaginary companion Ikechan in Ikechan and Me. She has been awarded numerous prizes, including Best Supporting Actress for Hula Girls at the Japanese Academy Award, where she was competing against herself in 2007. She reprised the role of Noriko in Tokyo Family, a remake of the classic of cinema Tokyo Story, had another memorable role in the TV series Penance, released photo books, did modeling & commercial work. She also returned to the stage for the play Gakuya. She married Ryota Yamasato in 2019. Trademarks include her kind & innocent eyes, light make-up as well as slim build. She plays piano, listens to Chatmonchy & loves ballet, the latter of which comprised a pivotal scene in her memorable performance in Hana and Alice.- Horikita Maki (born Marina Hara) was born in Tokyo the eldest of three sisters in 1988. She was a tomboy growing up and by the time of her retirement also had short hair as she was older. In-between she was an attractive actress, model and corporate product endorser with longer hair between 2003 and 2017. She was awarded the Newcomer Award at the Japan Academy Awards for her role as a student boarder in Always: Sunset On Third Street. She also won a Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Kurosagi. Hanazakari No Kimitachi E in contrast garnered her the Best Actress award. Horikita's management announced her marriage to actor Koji Yamamoto on the 22nd August, 2015. The actor and actress had become a couple while playing lovers in the stage production of Arashi Ga Oka (Wuthering Heights) in May of that year and officially begun dating in June. They were also in Atashinchi No Danshi. She announced her pregnancy in the middle of 2016 and gave birth to their child in December, 2016. She announced her retirement from the entertainment industry on February, 28 2017. She stated her desire to take care of her family and thanked her fans for a "wonderful fourteen years." She has photobooks, magazine covers and multiple corporate endorsements to her name.
- Fukada Kyoko was born in Kita Ward, Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress and singer. She has a younger sister and graduated from Horikoshi Gakuen, a renowned high school known for its many performing arts alumnae such as "Jun Matsumoto" and Ai Katô, in Nakano in 2000. The school is famous for its elite clientele and a number of graduates who went on to become celebrities. Fukada debuted in 1997. She first starred in the film with Jun Matsumoto and Ai Katô as Shinjuku Boy Detectives in 1998. with her appearance in the television drama Sore Ga Kotae Da! as Kazune. Her first film was Ring 2 as Kanae Sawaguchi in 1999, which was the year before she graduated from high school. She won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Newcomer for Shisha No Gakuensai in 2000. She released her first album, Dear, and her first single, The Last Fruit, in 1999. She starred in the haunting Dolls as Haruna in 2002 and was the star in the even more famous and comic commentary film Kamikaze Girls in 2004. She won the award for Best Actress at the Yokohama Film Festival for the latter film. Kyoko has continuously worked since, including in the thriller Room-mate or Fuji TV's remake serial, The Stewardess Cop , and appeared in commercials like ones for Pocari Sweat where she was a mermaid. She is signed to the Horipro talent agency. The agency announced the actress will go on a break from acting beginning May 2021 as she was diagnosed with something called adjustment disorder. Kyoko can play the Piano and clarinet.
- Mao Inoue began her career as a child actress at 5 when encouraged by her mom and receiving a fan letter after her first year in show business. She hasn't stopped since. She was born in Yokohama, just west of Tokyo, in 1987. She gained national attention on Kids War from 1999 to 2003. She was the lead in Hana Yori Dango with J-pop band Arashi's members, 2 years following the end of Kids War. She was awarded Best Actress by the TV Drama Academy. Rumors of romance and even marriage with Arashi member Jun Matsumoto soon spread, keeping fans tingled for years. It was reported that they were dating, but their talent agencies were hindering an official union. Others speculated that these are mere publicity stunts. She starred in the series' second season & also made the jump into feature films with Check It Out, Yo! She branched out into singing and was soon called 'The Ten Billion Yen Actress' for her films' earning prowess. Instead of taking on acting further full-time, she took time off in 2005 to attend Meiji University & graduated in 2009, majoring in theater & literature. Her role in 2011's Youkame No Semi (Rebirth) was another milestone for her, garnering her Best Starring Actress Award at the 35th Japan Film Academy Awards. She was asked to lead the Red team in the annual New Year's Eve Singing Contest Kohaku Uta Gassen in 2011. She played a dramatic underdog in 2014's The Snow White Murder Case alongside actress and model Nanao.
- Atsushi Itô was born on 25 November 1983 in Chiba, Japan. He is an actor, known for Fireworks (1997), Ao no toki (2001) and Flying Colors (2015).
- Kazuya Kamenashi was born on 23 February 1986 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for It's Me, It's Me (2013), Joker Game (2015) and Lumberjack the Monster (2023).
- Toda Erika was born in Kobe in central Japan on August 17th 1988. While her official first acting credit dates back to Audrey (Ôdorî ) in 2000 she truly began her career four years later. She used the intermediate period with gravure adult and other fashion modelling from age thirteen. She has been in many serials and films since perhaps most notably in the Death Note and SPEC series. She announced that actor actor Ryo Kase and her are dating in 2016. They had been dating and co-starring earlier, such as in Keizoku 2: SPEC of 2010. She cites calligraphy and the piano as favourite pastimes. She is managed by FLaMme.
- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Tomohisa Yamashita was born on 9 April 1985 in Funabashi, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Code Blue: The Movie (2018), The Man from Toronto (2022) and The Head (2020).- Actress
Saitama Prefecture is next door to Tokyo and also is where Kanno Miho was born. The actress attended Shukutoku Daigaku and studied Communications, but did not graduate. When at junior High school in 1992 she auditioned for an idol group on TV, which was her foray to becoming famous. She began acting in 1993 and became a supporting actress by 1995. The year after gave her first main actress role. Kanno won praise for her portrayal of a deaf and mute person in Kimi No Te Ga Sasayaite Iru and solidified her reputation. More popularity came her way when, again in 1997, she posed for a naked pictorial book of herself. Soon she was also trying her hand at singing and had a hit with the song Zoo. She cites travelling and shopping as favourite pastimes.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Aoi Miyazaki's a former child actor whose professional career started at 4 in ads, commercials & as an extra. She was born in Tokyo in 1985. Her TV show & film debut came in 1999. She starred in the film debut Ano Natsu No Hi & the show Genroku Ryoran. She began winning prizes 2 years later w/ a Best Actress award for Harmful Insect, a film which also featured a young Yu Aoi. Her biggest role came in the manga adaptation Nana in 2005, which she hadn't read prior to obtaining the role. Nonetheless, she refrained from participating in the sequel, reportedly because of a mild sex scene. Yui Ichikawa replaced her. Her older brother Masaru's also an actor & appeared w/ her in the 2006 film Hatsukoi, which depicted a 1960s heist. She married long-time boyfriend Sosuke Takaoka the following year. This marriage lasted until 2011 , which was adversely affected by Takaoka's statement that he was weary of all the Korean content on Japan's Fuji TV & claiming she supported his views. Both statements would be walked back following a public backlash. He also claimed she was unfaithful & had been w/ boy band member Junichi Okada as well as others. She & her brother traveled to India to highlight poverty& Scandinavia to educate themselves on climate chaos. They also did charity work in Japan. She waited until December of 2017 to remarry. Her new husband was Junichi Okada, another actor and boy band dancer. They first co-starred in the 2008 movie Kagehinataa Ni Saku, subsequently playing husband & wife in Tenchi Meisatsu in 2012. Reports of them dating had surfaced in 2015, by which time she had grown her hair. However, the 2 were reported to have had an affair as early as 2011. Like many, Japanese celebrities, she has done vocals for songs. She has also represented corporate products like shampoos & phone companies.
She cites photography as a favorite pastime. Like her brother, she's represented by Hirata Office.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Yukie Nakama was born on October 30, 1979 in Urasoe. She's 1 of the few Japanese celebrities that have been able to break free from their teeny-bopper image & emerge as 1 of the country's most popular as well as respected actresses.
She appeared in small roles until"Love & Pop (1998)." She was a gravure idol for a few years until she got the lead role as Sadako for Ring 0: Birthday, which became her big break.
Afterwards, she starred in several TV dramas, most notably Trick , which demonstrated her talent in comedic roles. It was such a hit, it was picked up for 2 more seasons. However, the TV series Gokusen, cemented her as 1 of Japan's most bankable & popular actresses.
Notable movies include Ring 0: Birthday , Trick Movie, G@me, Shinobi: Heart Under Blade & Oh Oku.
She has also proven her bankability through commercial endorsements such as Nissin, Glico, Lotte, Asahi, Shiseido & au by KDDI. She's 1 of the most watched celebrity endorsers, becoming a regular face at billboards & subway stations. She has even served as spokesperson for the Japanese Tax Agency & Japan Railways.
She's managed by Production Ogi.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Ai Otsuka was born on 9 September 1982 in Suminoe Ward, Osaka, Japan. She is an actress, known for Tokyo Friends (2005), Tokyo Friends: The Movie (2006) and Annoying and Cunning Sisters (2023). She was previously married to Kazuto Otsuki.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Yûsuke Santamaria was born on 12 March 1971 in Oita, Oita, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Kôshônin: Mashita Masayoshi (2005), Bayside Shakedown (1998) and R246 Story (2008).- Actress
Hitomi Satô was born on 10 October 1979 in Kasugai, Japan. She is an actress, known for Ringu (1998), Bounce Ko Gals (1997) and Ring 2 (1999). She has been married to Kei Hosogai since 10 October 2019.- Akiko Yada was born on 23 December 1978 in Kawasaki, Japan. She is an actress, known for Ring: The Final Chapter (1999), Rasen (1999) and Crossfire (2000). She was previously married to Manabu Oshio.
- Tsuyoshi Kusanagi was born on 9 July 1974 in Saitama, Japan. He is an actor, known for Midnight Swan (2020), Doomsday: The Sinking of Japan (2006) and Ballad: Na mo naki koi no uta (2009).
- Megumi Satô was born on 17 November 1984 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress, known for Death Note: L Change the World (2008), Boys Over Flowers (2005) and Cyborg She (2008).
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Tetsuya Takeda was born on 11 April 1949 in Fukuoka, Japan. He is an actor and writer, known for The Yellow Handkerchief (1977), Keiji monogatari (1982) and Bakumatsu seishun graffiti: Ronin Sakamoto Ryoma (1986).- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
Hiroshi Tamaki was born on 14 January 1980 in Nagoya, Japan. He is an actor, known for Rokkazu (2003), Taira no Kiyomori (2012) and Here Comes the Morning (2015). He has been married to Haruka Kinami since 26 June 2018.- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Anna Tsuchiya was born on 11 March 1984 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress and composer, known for Kamikaze Girls (2004), The Taste of Tea (2004) and Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008). She was previously married to Joshua.- Misa Uehara was born on 21 December 1983 in Maibara, Japan. She is an actress, known for Ju-on: The Grudge (2002), Atenshon purîzu (2006) and Nagai nagai satsujin (2007).
- Saki Aibu was born on 20 June 1985 in Hyogo, Japan. She is an actress, known for Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's New Great Adventure into the Underworld (2007), Golden Slumber (2010) and Ricchiman Puauman (2012).
- Miki Maya was born on 31 January 1964 in Hiroshima, Japan. She is an actress, known for The Quiz Show (2008), Atenshon purîzu (2006) and Absolute Boyfriend (2008). She has been married to Kazuhiro Nishijima since 22 December 2008.
- Tetta Sugimoto was born on 21 July 1965 in Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. He is an actor, known for Departures (2008), White Snake Enchantment (1983) and Samurai Resurrection (2003).
- Actress
- Cinematographer
Lisa Kudô is known for Saikyô heiki joshikôsei: Rika - zonbi hantâ vs saikyô zonbi Gurorian (2008), Sleeping Flower (2005) and Rabu retâ: Sôrenka (2006).- Osamu Mukai was born on 7 February 1982 in Yokohama, Japan. He is an actor, known for Naruto: Shippuden (2007), S the Last Policeman Recovery of Our Future (2015) and First Love (2022). He has been married to Ryôko Kuninaka since 28 December 2014. They have two children.
- Yo Kimiko was born in Yokohama, a city just south of Tokyo to a Japanese mother and Taiwanese father on the 12th of May 1956. Her cousin was actress Bunjaku Han. She became active in front of the camera in 1987 and has been a feature of Japanese television and cinema ever since. She had begun acting on the theatre stage in 1976. Audiences may mostly know her for her supporting role in Shin Gojira, as a sympathetic colleague in the 2008 films Departures, which won an Oscar, and kind wife and waitress in Ramen Girl, but she has almost 200 credits to her name. These include an abnormal neighbour in The Drugstore girl and serene presence in Café Lumière where she was directed by a Taiwanese director in Japan. Dear Doctor (2009) propelled her name forward in Japan and was an award winner. She has several Japan Academy prizes to her name. Like most celebrities she pushes products and has done commercials for telephone companies, shampoos and cosmetics manufacturers. Yo is married to a man who at the time was a NHK employee in 2006 and is managed by the Alpha Agency.
- Ranran Suzuki was born on 4 August 1975 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress, known for Love Letter (1995), Osen (2008) and Aishiteiru to ittekure (1995).
- Yoshiyoshi Arakawa was born on 18 January 1974 in Saga, Japan. He is an actor, known for Kubi (2023), Tiger & Dragon (2005) and Tokyo! (2008).
- Actor
- Music Department
- Director
Naoto Takenaka was born on 20 March 1956 in Yokohama, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Nowhere Man (1991), 119 (1994) and Shall We Dance? (1996).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Shô Sakurai was born on 25 January 1982 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Yattâman (2009), The After-Dinner Mysteries (2011) and The After-Dinner Mysteries (2013).- Ken Utsui was born on 24 October 1931 in Tokyo, Japan. He was an actor, known for Sûpâ jaiantsu (1957), Sûpâ jaiantsu - Uchû kaijin shutsugen (1958) and Zoku sûpâ jaiantsu - Akuma no keshin (1959). He was married to Fumie Kase and Yurie. He died on 14 March 2014 in Tokyo, Japan.
- When Mana was 3, her mom thought her becoming an actress would be fun & guided her into the vocation. Her 1st role came in 2009. She was in the TV show Mother on Nippon Television Network Corporation in 2010. The director was looking for a 7-year-old & was reluctant to audition a 5-year old, but things changed when they met, adjusting the script to suit her. She appeared in a historical drama in 2011. She was given the lead role in the serial Sayonara Bokutachi No Youchien ('Good-bye Our Kindergarten') in 2011, which made her at age six the youngest lead actress in Japanese TV history. She appeared in Marumo No Okite ('Marumo's Rule') & also sang the serial's theme song, Maru Maru Mori Mori. It became a Top 10 hit. Next, she became 1 of the Rookie Of The Year Award winners at the 34th Japan Academy Awards for her work in the movie Ghost. She also branched out into voice-over for foreign films' dub into Japanese. She became the youngest person to win Japan's Blue Ribbon Award. She was also the host for the talk-show Meringue No Kimochi in 2011, thus becoming the youngest talk or variety show hostess ever in Japan. She signed w/ Universal Music, debuting a single & an album, supporting her music career by giving concerts in 2012. She was also in the Hollywood movie Pacific Rim. She had earlier become the winner of Celebrity Kids Edition of the Japanese version of the contest Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
She's an avid reader & rides a unicycle. It's said that she could read by 4 & would read 60 books a month, starting from kindergarten. Her fans call her Mana-chan. She's represented by JobbyKids agency. - Rina Uchiyama was born on 7 November 1981 in Minamiashigara, Japan. She is an actress, known for Musashi (2003), Shinku (2005) and Quiz (2000).
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Toshiro Mifune achieved more worldwide fame than any other Japanese actor of his century. He was born in Tsingtao, China, to Japanese parents and grew up in Dalian. He did not set foot in Japan until he was 21. His father was an importer and a commercial photographer, and young Toshiro worked in his father's studio for a time after graduating from Dalian Middle School. He was automatically drafted into the Japanese army when he turned 20, and enlisted in the Air Force where he was attached to the Aerial Photography Unit for the duration of the World War II. In 1947 he took a test for Kajirô Yamamoto, who recommended him to director Senkichi Taniguchi, thus leading to Mifune's first film role in These Foolish Times II (1947). Mifune then met and bonded with director Akira Kurosawa, and the two joined to become the most prominent actor-director pairing in all Japanese cinema. Beginning with Drunken Angel (1948), Mifune appeared in 16 of Kurosawa's films, most of which have become world-renowned classics. In Kurosawa's pictures, especially Rashomon (1950), Mifune would become the most famous Japanese actor in the world. A dynamic and ferocious actor, he excelled in action roles, but also had the depth to plumb intricate and subtle dramatic parts. A personal rift during the filming of Red Beard (1965) ended the Mifune-Kurosawa collaboration, but Mifune continued to perform leading roles in major films both in Japan and in foreign countries. He was twice named Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival (for Yojimbo (1961) and Red Beard (1965)). In 1963 he formed his own production company, directing one film and producing several others. In his later years he gained new fame in the title role of the American TV miniseries Shogun (1980), and appeared infrequently in cameo roles after that. His last years were plagued with Alzheimer's Syndrome and he died of organ failure in 1997, a few months before the death of the director with whose name he will forever be linked, Akira Kurosawa.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Takeshi Kitano originally studied to become an engineer, but was thrown out of school for rebellious behavior. He learned comedy, singing and dancing from famed comedian Senzaburô Fukami. Working as a lift boy on a nightclub with such features as comic sketches and striptease dancing, Kitano saw his chance when a comedian suddenly fell ill, and he went on stage in the man's place. With a friend he formed the comic duo "The Two Beat" (his artist's name, "Beat Takeshi", comes from this period), which became very popular on Japanese television.
Kitano soon embarked on an acting career, and when the director of Violent Cop (1989) (aka "Violent Cop") fell ill, he took over that function as well. Immediately after that film was finished he set out to make a second gangster movie, Boiling Point (1990). Just after finishing Getting Any? (1994), Kitano was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that almost killed him. It changed his way of life, and he became an active painter. This change can be seen in his later films, which are characterized by his giving more importance to the aesthetics of the film, such as in Fireworks (1997) and Kikujiro (1999).- Actress
- Soundtrack
The boyish Ueno Juri was born in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. Her mother died while Juri was at junior high school. She was athletic at elementary school and also had piano lessons. She began wearing contact lenses at junior high school. She applied to become a model for a fashion magazine, but failed in the year 2000. The agent, however, kept her on. This agency was called Will and later would become part of Amuse. She did commercial work for P&G in 2001. She began acting in the year 2000, but came to the public's attention five years later when she appeared in the popular Swing Girls movie. She had thought about becoming a singer, but had taken her mother's advice to try acting earlier. Her role garnered her the Newcomer Of The Year prize at the Japanese Academy Awards. She actually can play the saxophone and had had lessons since childhood. She was further popular a year later when she was cast and appeared in the TV serial version of the Nodame Cantabile manga series, which was based on the relationship of novice Classical musicians. Her role won the Best Lead Actress price at the 51st Television Drama Academy. The serial was a major commercial success, which naturally meant the role would be reprised several times. These were not her last awards. The press chimed in with Vogue Japan naming her one of its females of the year for 2008. Another monetary success was 2013's Girl In A Sunny Place, which was also based on a novel. She acted in a South Korean film in 2015. Ueno married Triceratops musicians Wada Sho on 26.05.2016. They had been dating for nine months. Her older sister is singer and adult model Ueno Mana. Her oldest sister is a DJ called Saori. She is managed by the Amuse Agency and does corporate advertising for things like construction companies. She likes music, cooking (prefers fish) and playing the saxophone.