Yona Enohara: “Even now, I’m still doing “senbero” (one-person senbero) at a popular bar! This week’s cover girl’s heart is in her chest.

Thanks to all of you, I almost made it.”

–Enohara’s gravure debut in February of this year drew a great deal of attention, and when she appeared on the cover of FRIDAY, sales increased so much that some stores sold out.

At the beginning of the year, I set a goal for the year: “Let’s just run through 2012 as fast as we can,” she said. I set goals such as ‘I want to appear in gravure in various magazines’ and ‘I want to be on the cover of magazines,’ and thanks to everyone’s help, most of them came true. But the photo book was like a bonus, like ‘I hope I can do it,’ and I myself was surprised.

–The first photo book was shot on location in Taiwan, at beaches and tourist spots, and shows a candid, unadorned face, perhaps because of the openness of being abroad. She also wears lingerie for the first time, and there are many highlights in the book.

I chose all of the outfits, but my favorite is the one in which she is wearing a black camisole one-piece dress and holding a bouquet of flowers in a meadow. It is a dressy outfit, like that of a foreign celebrity, and I had never worn it before. I usually wear oversized, dowdy clothes a lot, so this is fresh and I like it.

The ‘ism’ in the title means principle, and I think the finished product is full of my own personality, my own way of doing things, and my own way of expressing myself in this book!

–You made your gravure debut in February in FRIDAY.

When I debuted, I never did any muscle training, and I skipped meals for five days before a shoot. However, I felt that such a method would not last long, and I felt the strain on my body and mind. In the summer after the photo book was decided, I started personal training three times a week.

It was not a stopgap measure, but rather a way to change my body through muscle training. On the other hand, if I did not eat, I would not be able to maintain my muscles, so I also reviewed my diet and sleep. Within a few months, my back and buttocks were completely transformed. I could even tell by myself that my back was tighter. I started to cut back a bit on fried foods and carbs, but I could eat and drink normally without stress and not gain weight anymore, so I knew training was important. Watch my back, too!”

–I hear that you are a strong drinker.

I don’t drink much at home, but I do go out to drink alone. I drink at a popular bar called “Senbero,” where you can get drunk for 1,000 yen, and 90% of the customers are old men. I drink oolong tea or green tea with edamame, thick fried bean curd, and chanja.
I was often approached by the old men beside me and asked, “Why a young guy like you? (Laughs.) Sometimes they buy me edamame or other drinks while we are talking. When I was wondering whether I should order fried chicken or not, I was offered a portion because “I saw you looking like you were going to eat it. I often go there during happy hour.

–Does the love of alcohol run in your family?

My grandmother, who looks a lot like me, runs a snack bar in Osaka where she entertains customers with mah-jongg and karaoke.

It was like a hangout for local old men and grandfathers. When I was in elementary school, I used to sing enka with the locals at the snack bar after class.

Even now, I go back to Osaka about once every month and a half, and I always show up at my grandmother’s restaurant. The regular customers always pat me on the head and say, ‘You’ve grown up,’ or ‘How are you?

Going to an off-track betting office by myself

–Enohara-san is known for his love of horse racing, as evidenced by his appearances on horse racing programs.

My father. When I was little, he would invite me to go see the horses at the racetrack instead of the zoo.
Even now, I go to the off-track betting office by myself with other old men. I grew up in such an environment, so there was no way I could be a cool girl or a cute girl (laughs).”

–(Laughs) – Looking at Ms. Enohara’s innocent manner of speaking, it seems that she would be a good variety show performer.

I think I have the aptitude for it. I’ve been dancing on the counter of my grandmother’s snack bar since I was three years old, so I have a lot of episodic stories about drinking (laughs). (Laughs.) I would like to participate in “Sake no Tsumami ni naru Hanashi” (Fuji Television Network), izakaya (Japanese-style pub) locations, and other alcohol-related programs.

–Are there any comedians you would like to co-star with?

I like Tetsuya Morita (43) from “Saraba Seishun no Hikari” and watch most of his videos on YouTube. I also received an obi comment from the reprint of his photo book, so I would like to thank him when I perform with him!

–What kind of talent do you want to be in the future?

I’m not sure, since I can only set goals for each single year.
But I would like to present a house to my mother with the money I earn from being able to appear in various programs. I would also like to build a small theme park in my hometown where I could play karaoke, mah-jongg, and bowling, and make it a place for people in my community to relax!”

◆Enohara Ina
Enohara Ina is a TV personality from Osaka. She made her gravure debut in FRIDAY in February this year.
Since then, she has been gracing the covers of various major magazines at a breakneck pace.

Her first photo book “Inaism” was released by Kodansha on October 23.
On November 2, she will hold events at Hoshino Shoten (Nagoya) andUmeda Tsutaya (Osaka)!
For the latest information, check his official X,Instagram, and Tiktok (both @ina_enohara)!

My best “COMIC” recently
The Oya-san and I” (2017)

This is about the daily life of comedian Taro Yabe, 47, and his grandmother, the landlord of the apartment where he lives. It is a fiction based on a true story, so nothing spectacular happens, but the relationship between the landlord and Mr. Yabe is very nice. It’s like they wrap up their days with elegant humor. I wish I could grow old like this landlady. It is one of my heart’s books that I cannot read through without tears from the latter half of the book!

From the November 1 and 8, 2024 issue of FRIDAY