TOKYO (TR) – Facing the dread of turning 30 with unfulfilled ambitions, gravure idol and former race queen Mai Hirukawa decided it was time to cross the line.
After an eight-year grind in the entertainment industry filled with setbacks, Hirukawa is finally releasing her first physical photobook — “Mailani,” which will hit store shelves on October 23.
Reaching this milestone only became a reality after she agreeing to strip completely naked for the cameras, reports Smart Flash (Sep. 19).
The turning point came during a sudden dinner at a Genghis Khan (grilled mutton) restaurant, where Hirukawa essentially cornered her manager. Realizing she was about to hit 30 without ever landing a magazine cover or a physical photo book, she laid her cards on the table.
“I suddenly invited him out to eat,” Hirukawa recalled. Desperate to achieve her goal, she informed him she was willing to shed all her clothes to make the project a reality.
Her manager was caught off guard by the ultimatum. “Nudity wasn’t on my radar at all,” he said. “But seeing her sheer determination, I knew I had to make a move.”
“Taking it all off”
The bold gamble led to a photo shoot in Hawaii, a first for the idol. However, baring it all in front of a familiar crew proved to be a psychological hurdle.
“Up until now, I’ve always kept my crucial parts hidden,” Hirukawa said. “Taking it all off in front of staff I’ve worked with for years was definitely embarrassing.”
Adding to the ordeal, the tropical paradise was battered by severe winds and rain. “Staff who have been to Hawaii countless times told me they’d never seen anything like it,” she said.
“Stayed at my core”
For Hirukawa, the decision to go nude is a rebellion against her own passive nature. She traces her career frustrations back to her school days, when she stepped aside and surrendered her dream role of lead vocalist in a band to a classmate simply because she couldn’t say no. “That experience stayed at my core,” she explained, admitting she had spent the last eight years wondering if she wasn’t cut out for showbiz.
The gamble is already paying dividends. Alongside the steamy publication — which features a Hawaiian title translating to “royal hospitality,” a nod to the “submissive” themes of her past works — Hirukawa has also secured her first starring role in a film.
During the grueling three-to-four-day film shoot, the newly minted leading lady revealed she memorized her heavy script during intense late-night sauna sessions.
No longer the girl who steps aside for others, Hirukawa is finally taking control. “I want to live without leaving any regrets behind,” she declared.
