[Cover Girl Interview] Ina Enohara Reveals Her Bold Side — “I Tried a Brazilian Bikini in Fiji”

Hip debut at last!

—This marks your seventh time gracing the cover of FRIDAY. How do you feel about that?

“Seventh time? Wow! Honestly, I’m so happy. My very first gravure shoot was with FRIDAY, so it means a lot to me. I’ve been able to appear this many times thanks to all the people who’ve supported me. I’m filled with joy and gratitude.”

—The cover photo is from your second photobook, to be released in December, correct?

“Yes. My previous photobook was shot in three places in Taiwan—Kenting, Kaohsiung, and Tainan—all of which I visited for the first time. So this time, I wanted to shoot somewhere I’d never been before, and I chose Sydney, Australia, and Fiji. We shot on Fiji’s main island and also took a boat to Mana Island.

In the last photobook, I had short hair and wore overalls—very bright and fresh. But now that I turned 28 on October 16, I think I’ve become a bit more mature maybe! (laughs)”

—What were Fiji and Mana Island like?

“Exactly what you’d imagine—a stunning turquoise sea and white sandy beaches. It was the ultimate tropical paradise. Time flowed so slowly there. The locals were so relaxed, working and living at their own pace. During breaks, I got to ride a jet ski, and I was amazed by how the water turned deeper blue the farther out I went.”

—Sydney has more of a city image, right?

“It’s a perfect blend of urban and natural beauty—it really suited me. During the shoot, it started raining lightly, almost like mist, and that created such a dreamy atmosphere. The photos turned out beautifully without any effort. Honestly, there were so many good shots that two-thirds of the photobook almost ended up being Sydney photos! (laughs)”

—Among all those amazing shots, which one is your favorite?

“Probably the first outfit I wore in Sydney—a black sheer jacket paired with an off-shoulder swimsuit. It was shot in a stylish hotel, almost like a fashion magazine spread, but still quite daring as gravure. You can see my butt quite clearly in that one. Until now, I’ve always avoided showing my butt—if anything peeked out, we’d retouch it. I’ve been protecting it all this time! (laughs)”

—You’re mostly known for your bust, after all.

“Exactly! I’ve been getting comments like, ‘Why doesn’t Enohara ever show her butt?’ So I thought, why not? If people are kind enough to buy my photobook, I want them to see a side of me they’ve never seen before. That feeling got stronger, and I finally decided to go for it.”

—Did you do any special lower-body training?

“Oh, absolutely. You can’t tone your butt in just a few week—it takes months of consistent, tough training. I wanted to create a shapely, firm butt that even women would find beautiful.

My debut gravure didn’t have a single rear shot, actually. But this time, I wanted to break the boundaries I’d set for myself in gravure. In Fiji, I even wore a Brazilian bikini—it accentuates the hips and elongates the legs. It’s a T-back style, with the smallest fabric I’ve ever worn!”

As a One-of-a-Kind Gravure Idol

—Your YouTube channel, which you launched in February, shows your training routines and even your everyday meals quite candidly.

“I really just wanted people to see the real me. Once, when I had a cold, I streamed myself barefaced, hair messy, eating a hamburger I’d ordered on Uber Eats—and fans actually loved it! They said things like, ‘You feel so relatable,’ and ‘Seeing you unfiltered made me like you even more.’

Of course, in the gravure world, the right thing to do might be to always look cute and polished on camera. But honestly, in private I’m almost always without makeup, and I’m hopelessly lazy by nature. That’s the real me.”

—Did your agency ever push back on that?

“Oh, totally! (laughs) My manager scolded me, saying, ‘At least put on some makeup!’ But I don’t wear makeup unless it’s for work. Even on Instagram, most of my photos are barefaced. My fans get it now—when I do post a photo with makeup, the comments are full of, ‘Wait, Ina-chan’s wearing makeup?!’ (laughs)

I like to think of myself as the dark horse long shot of the gravure world. As a one-of-a-kind gravure idol, I plan to keep showing my honest, unfiltered self—no makeup, no pretense.”

—You’ve also been appearing on more variety shows lately. What’s your goal for the rest of the year?

“Recently, I found out that my grandmother, who used to run a snack bar in Osaka, is a huge fan of Daigofrom the comedy duo Chidori. She begged me, ‘Please, you have to appear on a show with him!’ (laughs) I’ve been really close to my grandma since I was little, so I want to make that dream come true.

I once appeared remotely on Chidori’s Chance no Jikan (ABEMA), but I haven’t actually shared the screen with them yet. So my goal for this year is to appear on a show with Chidori, take a two-shot photo with Daigo, and send it to my grandma. That would make her day!”

Ina Enohara, 27
A talent from Osaka Prefecture. She launched her own YouTube channel in February this year and is set to release her second photobook from Kodansha in December.
For the latest updates, follow her on X, Instagram, and TikTok — all at @ina_enohara.

My recent best food: French fries

On the first night in Sydney for my photobook shoot, I had kebabs for dinner. The fries at that restaurant looked unbelievably good, but since we had a shoot the next morning, I reluctantly held back. After the shoot, I went to a steakhouse and ordered just a side of fries — and devoured them. They were so delicious I almost cried. I love fries so much that I sometimes buy a Potato Box from KFC (about five small servings) and eat it all by myself.

From the October 24/31, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”