Minako Tanaka’s Bubble Era Journey

Gorgeous legs and miniskirts are still going strong!

Minako Tanaka (56), who will celebrate the 40th anniversary of her performing career in 2024, was still as beautiful and pheromone-rich as she was when she was the “No. 1 person the students of Todai would like to have as a girlfriend” at university festivals around Japan, wearing a super mini bodycon.

 

“I remember taking photos in front of the red gate of the University of Tokyo. They used to call me the “Queen of Campus Festivals” and I truly traveled all across the country. I can’t even count how many schools I visited.”

“I had a lot of fun,” she recalls, “but my entertainment career started when I was in elementary school.” She entered a children’s singing contest on TV to imitate Pink Lady and auditioned for a theater troupe.

In 1984, when she was in high school, she was chosen as the runner-up for Miss Magazine (the grand prix went to Yuki Saito), which led to her modeling career, and at the age of 21 she made her debut as a singer with “Tears in the Sun.” Most of my peers, such as Wakako Shimazaki (50), were in their teens, and I was unique in that I was in my 20s.

At the time, a producer at a TV station said something to her that motivated her through the turbulent world of show business.

“I was told, ‘At your age, if you go that route (sexy line), you will definitely fail.’ I went home and cried because I was so sad to be told by the producer of a famous trendy drama that I would never sell. After crying a lot, I said to myself, ‘Even if a hundred people tell me I’m no good, I’m the only one who has to believe in Minako Tanaka!’ I will definitely make her look up to me.”

At that time, celebrities could do anything, including singing, variety shows, and acting. While traveling around the country on record company campaigns, she also began filming for TV dramas and commercials.

“The president of the talent agency was quite skilled, and my schedule was always packed. There were days when I had up to 11 appointments in a single day. There were even instances of double booking, and when I asked, ‘What should I do?’ the response was, ‘We’ll move by helicopter’ (laughs). For two years, I lived through days where I could barely get 10 hours of sleep in a week. Despite eating large portions and having around five meals a day, my weight was only 39 kg. One day, after performing as the opening act on Music Station (TV Asahi), I fainted backstage—when I came to, I was in the dressing room, and the performance was already over. When I had a blood test, it revealed malnutrition.”

What sustained the battered girl was her rebellious spirit of “I’m going to make her look up to me,” she said.

“Still, I occasionally wanted some encouragement, so I confided in my mother, but she casually said, ‘Why don’t you quit?’ That made me think, ‘What the heck,’ and it ignited my fighting spirit again (laughs).”

Along with the title of “Queen of the School Festival,” she has also acquired another title. In the drama “Nobody Loves Me Anymore” (Fuji TV, broadcast in 1991), which became a topic of conversation for its rapid-fire plot development, she played the role of a bad girl who destroys those who get in her way without getting her own hands dirty. Since then, she has been inundated with offers to play bad girls. She broke new ground as an actress.

Speaking of Tanaka, there was also talk about the 100 million yen insurance policy on his eyes.

 

“Oh, what was that about (laughs)? It was decided without consulting me, so I wasn’t informed about the insurance period or details. I thought, ‘Is this some kind of strategy?’ and went along with it. I did various jobs, but the most enjoyable was variety shows. Becoming a comedienne like Kirin Kiki was my original dream. I had a great time on the regular appearance on ‘Ucchan Nanchan no Yarunara Yaraneba!’ (Fuji TV, ’90 to ’93), where the camaraderie among co-stars like Yoshizumi Ishihara (61) was wonderful. After recording, we would go out for drinks directly. There was a time we did a wrap-up party on a houseboat, and someone, either Tetsuro Degawa (59)!? or someone else, fell into the sea. Those were good times.”

Eventually, the bubble burst. The office’s slick president had trouble with stocks, unpaid wages, and even had to transfer to another office. Through twists and turns, Tanaka is still active as an actress. She has appeared in such high-profile productions as “Hanzawa Naoki” and “99.9: Criminal Lawyer – Season II” (both on TBS). In December 2023, she initiated an event with her ’80s friends.

“It started with Mamoru Nonomura (59) singing ‘Iitomo Seinentai’ with ‘Ukiuki WATCHING’ and ended with Koji Nishiyama (62) from the former ‘Imo Kin Trio’ singing ‘High School Lullaby.’ Just that makes it seem fun, right? Tomomi Nishimura (53), Yuka Onishi (55), and a total of 10 ’80s idols, including female members, sang and danced along with the audience—one song each. It was so lively, like going back to the bubble era. Back then, being chased by Friday magazine was tough, but it was fun. That was my youth.”

In her private life, she got married in 2007. She is the mother of a son and a daughter and is working hard to raise her children.

She says, “My campervan helps us communicate as a family. My uncle is a car dealer, and I have fond memories of him taking me to Lake Kawaguchi and other places in a campervan when I was in elementary school, so I wanted my children to have the same experience. Since I rode in one on a TV project the other day, my family and I have been taking a month-long trip around Hokkaido and Shikoku during our summer vacation.”

Tanaka laughs, saying that she is only five prefectures away from conquering the whole country for the first time since she was Queen of the School Festival.

From the January 5 and 12, 2024 issue of FRIDAY