TOKYO (TR) – A rookie professional mahjong player with a résumé unlike any other in the game has made a splash well beyond the felt, releasing her debut digital photobook, reports Oricon News (Nov. 4).
Publisher Shueisha released “Unmei no Ichijunme” (First Hand of Fate), featuring Nao Osaki, on Monday.
Osaki, who stands 180 centimeters tall and hails from Hiroshima Prefecture, was inducted into the Japan Pro Mahjong League as a Class 42 second-semester female professional in autumn 2026, according to the organization. Before the tiles, she built a career spanning a U.S. university education, a sales role at Recruit, and live-event production at Avex, the entertainment giant.
It was a stint as a mahjong parlor attendant, however, where her striking height earned her the nickname “Inpachi,” a mahjong term for 180, and sent her social media following into overdrive.
The photobook capitalizes on that notoriety in full. Clocking in at over 100 pages across six costume changes, it takes Osaki from a fresh-faced white swimsuit opening through to more daring lingerie segments, making the most of the first-timer energy that a debut shoot uniquely delivers, promotional materials state.
“I used to play mahjong in somewhat provocative outfits — like tops with deep, open backs—which, combined with my height, made quite an impression,” she said. “That’s likely why people remembered me. As my younger sister says, my tall stature was a major catalyst that opened doors to work in the mahjong industry.”
Osaki lists pachinko slots, bar-hopping, and cosplay among her hobbies. Having already carved out an unconventional path to the mahjong professional circuit, she is now staking a claim on a second arena entirely.
