Umi Shinonome Reveals She Gained 10 kg in 3–4 Months Before Strength Training

Self-produced two-faced buttocks and breasts

Umi Shinonome: “I deliberately gained 10 kg in 3–4 months before starting strength training” — This week’s cover girl opens up

— This was your first cover shoot for our magazine. Do you have a favorite shot?
“There’s a photo taken on a rooftop, where I’m wearing a denim set-up. The lace peeking out from the cropped jacket gave it a spring vibe, perfectly matching the season of the shoot! I don’t usually dress up that fashionably, so it felt like they cast a kind of ‘magic’ on me—I’m really thankful for that! (laughs)”

— You have a unique background: switching from working in sales at a trading company to becoming a gravure idol.
“I’ve always liked recommending my favorite things to people. In high school, I made a fan account for Hello! Project, which I loved, and would spread the word on social media. That love for promoting things made me think sales would suit me. So after graduating college, I joined a trading company. I worked in the sales department for about a year and even became the top performer. But then, a defect was found in one of the products I was handling… That made me think, ‘What if I became the product myself? Even if I have some “defects” in my looks or body, I could improve with effort.’ That’s when I contacted the talent agency that had scouted me during college and decided to pursue gravure.”

— The nickname “the dual-wielding queen of gravure” is something you coined yourself, right?
“Yes. I always had a large bust, but when I debuted, I was very skinny and had a small butt. As I looked at a lot of gravure photos and studied women’s bodies, I realized that a curvier figure looked more beautiful. So I made the decision to bulk up—eating things like two burgers and a large fries almost daily. It wasn’t the healthiest method, but my efforts paid off and I gained about 10 kg in 3–4 months. From there, I started strength training and my butt became nice and perky!

Then I started promoting myself as ‘100 cm bust and 100 cm hips—dual-wielding!’ and gradually magazines started using that tagline too. Around the same time, Shohei Ohtani was dominating as a two-way player with the Angels, so I totally jumped on that wave! (laughs)”

— You’re also a two-way player as a gravure idol and a YouTuber.
“I started my channel Umichannel in October 2020. I didn’t set out to become a YouTuber—I just wanted to share my hobbies. So after my self-introduction video, the second video I uploaded was me assembling a Gundam plastic model. That one unexpectedly got 3 million views! Honestly, I was shocked. My subscriber count also jumped to about 300,000 all at once.”

— You’re not from the Gundam generation—how did you get into Gunpla?
“When I was a sophomore in college, I went to Akihabara to buy some bishoujo figures, which I was collecting at the time. There, a Zeta Gundam model on display in a showcase caught my eye. After buying it and assembling it at home, I started wondering, ‘How does this character appear in the actual show?’ That curiosity led me to start watching Mobile Suit Gundam—the original series—and I got completely hooked. I wanted more Gunpla after that (laughs).

I don’t just assemble them—I paint and customize them too, so it takes about a month to complete one kit. But I never get bored. I think I’ve made around 50 so far.”

An offer to appear in a major TV drama

— You’re active in many fields, but what’s your ultimate goal?

“I want to try everything I can! Last year, I had the opportunity to appear on many variety shows, and more recently, I made my full-fledged acting debut in the NHK Taiga drama Berabou. I play the role of ‘Hisa,’ who helps Gennai Hiraga—played by Ken Yasuda (51)—restore the elekiter. Surprisingly, the offer also came through YouTube.

At an event called the Shizuoka Hobby Show, I met actor Koji Ishizaka (84) for the first time, and he had already seen my videos. Later, while he was working on the Taiga drama, he and some of the other cast members were watching my YouTube videos in the dressing room and having fun with them. That’s when the producer happened to notice and said, ‘She looks like she’d be perfect for a scene tinkering with the elekiter,’ and that led to the offer. A lot of my jobs have come from what I put out there myself, so I want to keep trying new things.”

— You’re dominating as a triple threat gravure idol, YouTuber, and actress—what are your goals from here?

“For gravure, I want to be on the cover of as many magazines as possible and place first or second in the overall Top Cover Award. Last year, I hit my goal of 40 magazine covers and ranked second in the comics category. This year, I’m aiming for 50! I also want to keep doing variety shows and radio, and if I get acting offers, I’d love to take them. As for YouTube, even if it doesn’t go viral, I’d like to keep it up until I’m a little old lady!”

Umi Shinonome, 28 years old
Born in Saitama Prefecture. After graduating from university and working as a company employee, she made her gravure debut in 2020. She is also active as a cosplayer, TV personality, and actress. Her YouTube channel “Umi Channel” has over 1.15 million subscribers.

My best recent activities relaxing time
Playing with my cat

I’m constantly comforted by my two beloved cats, Tuna (female), a Siberian, and Gorou (male), a Norwegian Forest Cat, who joined my life this February. They wake me up at 7 a.m. every morning, so I feel like I’ve become healthier than before (laughs). They’re still babies, so they stay in a cage, but when I come home, they greet me with their heads pressed adorably against the cage fence in excitement. I can’t stop taking cute photos of them, so my phone’s album is now completely filled with pictures of my cats!

From the July 11, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”