Hikaru Nishida: “I am who I am! I’ve been walking around with this attitude for 40 years, and now I’m happy with the way I’m doing.

Overcoming the Language Barrier

I think I was good at living my life as “I am me. I have always been willing to take on any challenge, and I will soon celebrate the 40th anniversary of my debut. I think I’m happy with the way I’ve turned out.

Hikaru Nishida, 53, a TV personality, smiles softly, reminding us of her debut. In 1988, at the age of 15, she began her entertainment career as a campaign girl for “Japan Air System (now Japan Airlines),” and made her debut as a singer with “Fifteen,” released the same year. The following year, she attracted attention when she appeared in a bold white swimsuit in the House Foods commercial “Frutice,” the theme song of which was based on the same song. Her healthy and vivacious character was well received by fans, and she gradually expanded her activities to include acting and variety shows. Having spent her childhood in the U.S., she made her big break as a “returnee” talent.

She says, “Because of my father’s job transfer, I lived in the U.S. from shortly after my birth until I was 13 years old. I grew up in California, where there are many oceans, so I love to swim. I had no qualms about wearing a bathing suit for work, and I enjoyed it more as an extension of my playtime (laughs).

At the time, the U.S. was in the heyday of MTV, with Madonna (1967) and Cyndi Lauper (1972). Nishida recalls himself as a teenager who loved to dance.

She recalls, “I was just an ordinary girl who was fascinated by Michael J. Fox (64) of the popular American TV drama “Family Ties. After returning to Japan, I attended an American school in Tokyo, and at the same time I was looking for dance classes, and an acquaintance introduced me to the president of my current agency.”

She decided to join an entertainment agency and spent many days auditioning for singing and dancing, until she finally received the good news that she had been accepted as a campaign girl for “Japan Air System. She finally received the good news that she had been accepted as a campaign girl for “Japan Air System.” She promised her parents that she would always give priority to her schoolwork and entered the entertainment industry.

I never thought I would debut, so when I heard that I had passed the audition, I thought, “I wonder if it’s true ……, but I might give it a try. But I thought I would give it a try” (laughs). I started without any knowledge of the Japanese entertainment industry or any idea of what kind of work I wanted to do. I started without any knowledge of the Japanese entertainment industry or any idea of what kind of work I wanted to do.

She had been exposed to English more often than Japanese until then, but the reality of the “language barrier” was a challenge for her.

During the time I lived in California, I was an only child, and the only time I used Japanese was with my parents and on Saturdays at a supplementary Japanese language school. After returning to Japan, I went to an American school, but the only time I used Japanese was with my parents or teachers. But thankfully, I received many job offers. I asked them to put ruby in all scripts for TV dramas and programs (laughs).

At first, Nishida struggled with the use of “te-ni-o-ho” but he continued to work on one or two …… jobs, and before he knew it, he was on the road to popularity.

In the February 13 issue of “FRIDAY” (on sale January 28) and the paid version of “FRIDAY GOLD,” he talks about his encounter with “two famous actors” that marked a turning point in his career, as well as his future prospects.

For more details and multiple photos, click here.

From the February 13, 2026 issue of FRIDAY