Haruka Kinoshita, a too-beautiful professional mahjong player, shows off her first gravure in her life: “I hope it shows that I really enjoyed it.

The gravure digital photo book “Temptation of Lupinus,” released by Kodansha on July 25, has been a quiet hit. It received over 50 Amazon reviews in just one week after its release, and continued to rank high in Kindle sales rankings.

The subject of the book is Haruka Kinoshita. She is a 27-year-old model and TV personality from Hokkaido who is also active as a professional mahjong player.

Why did this “star of Hokkaido,” who is very well known in Hokkaido, take on the challenge of a photogravure for the first time in her life?　When we interviewed Kinoshita after the photo shoot, she began to talk about her background.

I was born in Hokkaido and went to Hirosaki University in Aomori Prefecture. I was chosen as “Miss Hirosaki University” in my first year of college and “Miss Sakura Hirosaki Castle” in my second year. I was planning to work for a company in Hokkaido after graduating from university, but I happened to be asked if I would like to audition for a TV program. I had always wanted to work in the TV industry. I had always had a yearning for the world of television, so I auditioned and passed, so I joined an office and began working as a TV personality and model.

The agency that approached me was an entertainment agency based in Sapporo. Kinoshita is still a member of that agency.

I worked as a weathercaster and reporter for a morning information program in Hokkaido for about two years after my so-called fresh graduation year. I remember well the first time I stood in front of the camera. When I recently looked back at the recording, I found that I was biting my teeth right from the start (laughs).

Kinoshita, whose activities were rooted in her hometown of Hokkaido, decided to move to Tokyo for a certain reason.

About two years later, I decided to graduate from the program, and at the same time, my “passion for mahjong” began to reignite. I had been passionate about mahjong when I was a college student, and I decided that if I still loved the game as much as I did as an adult, I would try to become a professional player in the M League. As a result of intense study, he passed the professional test in 2010. I moved to Tokyo last fall and have been working as a professional mahjong player.

But my love for my hometown is so strong that I didn’t even want to leave Hokkaido!　I even thought “I don’t want to leave Hokkaido! Even after moving to Tokyo, I still love Hokkaido. I love my family, friends, and my dog. What surprised me when I came to Tokyo was that there were almost no affiliated restaurants, which is common in Hokkaido. There are not many BIKKURI DONKEY restaurants, so I miss being able to go there easily (laughs).

Kinoshita says he has become accustomed to life in Tokyo, but one of the reasons he returns to Hokkaido so often is the presence of the Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, a J-League club team. One of the reasons she frequently returns to Hokkaido is because of the J-League club team Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo.

We are a soccer family, and all of us are supporters of Consadole, so on game days, even if we go to the games separately, we often get together as a family at Sapporo Dome. The year Consadole was founded was the year I was born. My father was so happy that a soccer team would be established in our hometown that he immediately became a supporter. and became a supporter immediately. Thanks to my father’s gifted education, I had already recognized Consadole as the “red and black team” by the time I could remember.

Since then, Consadole has been a part of my life. When Consadole wins, I can spend a whole week in a good mood, and when they lose, it affects my mahjong game. Mahjong is a mental game, so if I lose my game the day after Consadole loses and my spirits drop, there is a good chance that I will lose too. Maybe I am influenced too much (laughs).

Soccer and mahjong have something in common. I think they are very similar in the speed at which the game develops, such as when you are on the offensive and suddenly find yourself in a pinch. And while soccer is a sport in which a single point counts for a lot, mahjong is the same way. That’s the kind of thing that I get carried away with.

Fans of the J-League may recognize Kinoshita’s face from her many appearances on camera as a stadium MC for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo games.

When I work as a stadium MC, I try not to forget that I am a supporter, ” she says. Of course, it is my job, but before it is my job, I am also a fan, so I always try to keep in mind what the supporters are thinking right now.　I always try to keep this in mind.

This season, the player I am paying attention to is Musashi Suzuki. He had been a member of Consadole since 1919, and after the COVID-19 crisis he was transferred to Gamba Osaka, but this year he came back to Consadole on a loan transfer. I have high hopes for him so much that I bought Suzuki’s uniform this season!　I interviewed Suzuki once a few years ago and told him I was rooting for him. I hope he remembers me. “