TOKYO (TR) – Last year, one of the bigger scandals to rock Japan’s entertainment world was the emergence of a report detailing the extra-marital affair of comedian Ken Watabe.
According to the article, Watabe repeatedly engaged in sex with his mistress inside public toilets in the Roppongi Hills complex in Tokyo.
For adult video starlet Yua Mikami, she’s been there — well, not literally those toilets, but she has had sex atop a public commode.
“I was young, a second-year middle school student,” she tells the web site for weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun in the second of a three-part interview.
Though such a setting would not be unusual for an adult video (AV) production, the days for such an activity appear over for Mikami.
“No matter how clean [any particular] toilet is now, it’s absolutely impossible,” she giggles. “At that time, I had no choice because I liked the other person. But to do so today feels like a hassle.”
Perhaps AV-derived fantasy differs from porcelain reality?
“The industry has probably provided too much fodder for dreams,” she giggles again.
Today, Mikami, one of the more popular idols in Japan, finds herself indeed focusing on reality, which entails dealing with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and facing the prospect of turning 30 in three short years.
“Kimetsu no Yaiba”
Like much of the nation, Mikami, 27, spent a lot of last year at home due to the pandemic.
“I’ve been continuously watching dramas on Netflix. I haven’t watched anime since I was [a child], but I’m addicted to ‘Kimetsu no Yaiba,'” she says of the exceedingly popular anime known in English as “Demon Slayer.”
Typically, she appears on an AV set twice a month. However, that changed when the government issued a state of emergency last April. It extended until near the end of May.
“After that,” she says. “I was really scared when shooting resumed. At that time, I wasn’t sure when I would be asked to refrain from going out again, so I took a few months’ worth of work all at once.”
The expression “close contact” entered the lexicon last year as a reference to someone who has come into contact with a COVID-19 patient. Mikami says that concept took on new meaning on AV sets.
“This may differ from person to person, but for me I try to avoid situations where the exchanging of saliva [is necessary]. I don’t think an exchange [of saliva] would happen through a kiss [with an actor],” she laughs.”
Japan’s AV industry has a small stable of actors, one of whom reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus. That, too, is a concern.
“Actors have a higher risk of infection because they travel to various sites,” Mikami says. “I get scared when I receive information that a certain actor has tested positive.”
Speaking of contact, shoots involving multiple partners are now non-existent, Mikami says.
“I only shoot one-on-one,” she assures. “This might be the doing of my agency, but it could also be a countermeasure for the coronavirus.”
“Princess Peach”
Mikami is a native of Nagoya. She joined SKE48 under the name Momona Kito in 2009. Five years later, she left the group after after the emergence of the photograph of her kissing Yuya Tegoshi of boy band NEWS.
In June 2015, label Muteki released “Princess Peach,” Mikami’s AV debut. The following New Year’s Day, her second disc, “Pleasant Feeling,” hit store shelves.
Her AV career was well-received from the start. At the DMM Adult Awards 2016, a marquee event to honor the top female talent in the industry, she topped a field of 10 contestants in receiving the Best New Actress prize. The following year, she was crowned Best Actress at the same event.
Mikami’s popularity today extends well beyond the AV industry: She is also one of the nation’s most popular social media figures and a fashion icon who promotes a number of brands targeting girls.
“This girl is no longer cute”
For 2021, Mikami wants to keep her work fresh to ensure that her fans keep coming back.
“The content of my AV films hasn’t changed much in the five and a half years since I debuted,” she tells Bunshun. “But I want the number of people who want to see Yua Mikami’s films to increase in the future. Therefore, I’d like to have a year in which I try different things so [people] don’t get bored.”
This year she will be 28 years old.
“When I made my debut, I didn’t think about [my age] at all. However, that has changed. Every time I have a birthday now, I take into consideration my age,” she says. “I want to keep people from saying, ‘This girl is no longer cute.’ I want to do all that I can so that I can be beautiful as I grow older.”
Mikami goes on to tell Bunshun that she has rough plans to get married by the age of 30.
“I’ve been thinking about a number of things, such as, ‘Is this too early to get married?’ and ‘Can I get married at all?’ But I also want children,” she says. “I’m an only child, so I’d like to have children to connect the generations.”
“Momentum of the moment”
Of course, Mikami would have to reveal her profession as an actress to her children, which, she guesses, may not be a problem.
“I’ll think about it then,” she says. “I don’t know what will be going on in the AV industry [in the future], and I don’t know if my work will still exist in the world. I’ll make the best choice at that time. I’ve had times in my life that I could say were turning points. But I don’t think about [those times] in advance. I always decide based on the momentum of the moment.”
In thinking about a partner, wealth and personality are important.
“I like people who have money. I’m not concerned about profession,” she tells Bunshun. “Before, I used to judge only by appearance. But now I may have come to see [the importance] of personality. I want person who is kind, has a good personality and is someone I can feel at ease with.”
