Last-Second Dash! Marika Matsumoto Turns Heads at Tokyo Station in Chic Black Dress

Running to Catch the Shinkansen

A little after 4 p.m. in late September, actress Marika Matsumoto (41) was seen lightly jogging toward the Shinkansen gates at JR Shinagawa Station, dressed in a black one-piece dress and sandals.

Right beside her was a male staff member pushing two large suitcases—apparently they were heading out of town for work. The two hurried toward the ticket gates with a sense of urgency.

“Marika Matsumoto made her drama debut at age 15. Her role as the class representative in The Sixth Sayoko (NHK, 2000) was highly praised and was considered an ideal start for a young actress. However, she went through a long period without much success afterward. Her turning point came in 2018, when she suddenly shot to fame with her role in Holiday Love (TV Asahi), in which her character evolved from cute but sly to terrifying as the other woman in an affair,” a TV magazine writer explains.

Since then, she has appeared in numerous films and serial dramas as a distinctive supporting actress. In 2024, she landed her first lead role in a network TV series with Miss Target (TV Asahi). In the July 2025 season drama Ubai Ai, Manatsu(TV Asahi), she played Manatsu Umino, a single woman who breaks up with a man she once considered marrying after an affair, becomes disillusioned with her job as a tabloid reporter, and changes careers to work in public relations for a watchmaker.

Given the series’ tone, viewers expected a messy love-hate story between her character and the company’s heir-president, Taimu Sorachi (played by Ken Yasuda, 51). But when the show aired, it unfolded as a pure love story, subverting expectations and becoming a major talking point.

Even after the drama ended, just when it seemed she could finally take a breath, Matsumoto appeared to be continuing an extremely hectic schedule.

Returning to the scene earlier: after entering the ticket gates, Matsumoto and her manager ran up the stairs to the platform. According to her Instagram Stories that day, she had returned to Tokyo for only an eight-hour stay before heading out again for work in another region.

For the ultra-in-demand Matsumoto, it appears there is no time to rest.

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