Full Text] Hikaru Nishida: “I was blown away when I performed with Miho Nakayama. I am who I am! I am myself!

She has appeared in the dramas “Department Store! Natsu Monogatari”,
She has captivated her fans with hit songs such as “Kitto Ai ga Aru” (“Surely There Will Be Love”).

I think I was always 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 am happy with the way I am now.

Hikaru Nishida, 53, a TV personality, smiled 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,” which featured the song’s theme song.

Her healthy and lively character was well received by fans, and she gradually expanded her activities to include acting and variety shows. She spent her childhood in the U.S. and 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 I was born 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 was looking for dance classes at the same time, when an acquaintance introduced me to the president of the current agency.”

She decided to join an entertainment agency and spent her 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 write ruby in all scripts for TV dramas and programs (laughs).

Two great actors I admired.

In 1989, he also entered the film industry with the TV series “Seishun Kazoku” (Seishun Family) (NHK). Six months later, she appeared in “Kimi no Hitomi ni Koishiteru,” a drama co-starring Miho Nakayama (54 years old), who passed away in 1949! Special” (Fuji TV), in which she played Nakayama’s younger sister.

Miho was the opposite of me. She was the opposite of me. Even Shunsaku Kawage, 73, who was directing the drama, said to me, ‘Miho is an actress who can speak with her eyes. Hikaru, too, should work harder” (laughs). (Laughs.) Even without saying much, Miho has a tremendous charm that attracts people’s attention, or rather, she attracts everyone.

When I saw such an amazing person, I felt like I might not be the actress type. But then I thought, “It’s not right to force myself to act like an actress,” and I wondered, “What is my own style? People are people, and I am me!　I am myself!

The following year, Nishida had her second major encounter.

Rie Miyazawa (52), who co-starred in “Always in Love with Someone” (Fuji TV), was a true professional. Even though she was only 15 or 16 years old at the time, she had an outstanding sense of style, and it was really cool to see how she stood up to the best of the best in fashion and design.

I also think he excelled in his ability to absorb and make something out of them. Even though we were both teenagers, we were totally different from me, who was a “normal” …… student who put schoolwork first.

While she was overwhelmed by Miyazawa’s charisma, she also recalls how they got along as “girls of the same generation” on set.

When you start filming a school drama, you are on set from morning to evening, so it (the set) becomes like a school. Rie-chan is one year younger than me, but we were the same age and got along very well.

On our days off, we would go to Daikanyama (in Shibuya Ward) together, and we would go shopping and eat together, saying things like, “Hariran (Hollywood Ranch Market) is so cute! We would go shopping and have dinner together. What kind of lipstick do you use? We had a lot of fun talking about such trivial things.

Miyazawa became a darling of the times in 1991 with the release of her photo book “Santa Fe,” which sold a total of 1.65 million copies.

I didn’t know they were releasing a photo book, so I was surprised!　The photographer who took Rie’s picture, Kishin Shinoyama (83 years old), asked me, ‘What do you think? Hikaru-chan, too. Hikaru-chan, too. Hikaru-chan was so beautiful and I was so different from Rie-chan, so I said ‘No, I’m fine’ and refrained.

Nishida was keenly aware of the difference between himself and Nakayama and Miyazawa, who were outstanding actors even then and still deserve the name of “great actors.

However, his success continued to grow, despite his conflicts. Department Store” (TBS) in 1991! Natsu Monogatari” (TBS) in 1991, in which she was chosen as the heroine and sang the theme song “Tokimite. She also appeared in the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen that year for the first time.

The drama was set in a department store in Sagami-Ono (Kanagawa Prefecture), and since it was filmed during business hours, many fans came to see the show. We were on such a tight schedule at the time that we didn’t even have time to eat, so the only thing I looked forward to was having tea at a coffee shop (in the department store) in my uniform during my free time.

At the time, it was rare for Sagami-Ono to be in the spotlight, and the locals were happy to hear, “She’s a star of Sagami-Ono! (laugh).

When I first debuted, my image as a “returnee talent” spread, and there was a time when I worried that that wasn’t all there was to me.

But as I worked with …… for 3, 5, 10 years, I was able to express various aspects of myself, and I had more opportunities to have people say, “You look good in these roles in plays,” “You are not only bilingual,” and “You are a good singer, too. That’s another benefit of working in this field.

She continued to have a string of hits as a singer, including “Kitto Ai ga Aru” (“Surely There Will Be Love”) in 1994 and “Jinsei wo Changeru Natsuyasanai” (“Maybe It’s the Summer That Will Change Your Life”) in 1995. Nishida, who found her own identity while wearing both shoes as a singer and actress, steadily dispelled her conflicts.

Happiness” seen through marriage

In 2002, while running on the road to popularity, Nishida married an ordinary man. In fact, behind the scenes, a perfect plan had been devised.

In her late twenties, the president of her office, who was also a woman, gave her a big push, saying, “If you want to get married, you can. There were no entertaining dinners, as was common in the entertainment industry at that time, and I might find someone I liked!　I was often introduced to all kinds of people (laughs). I also told the office in advance about my current husband, so we were able to get married without any unnecessary detours.”

It is surprising that, in consideration of reporting to her sponsors and her work schedule, she had made concrete plans several years before her marriage, saying, “Let’s announce our engagement this year and get married the following year.

Then, they decided to leave their positions as successful entertainers and begin their married life in the U.S.’ After giving birth to her first son in the U.S. in 2006, she returned to Japan again and moved her base of living to Hyogo Prefecture, where she gave birth to her second son in ’09. She is now the mother of two children.

My first son is now a university student and my second son is in high school. I had the opportunity to perform on the stage of Masahiko Kondo (61) last year, as I did the year before last, and in about five years, when my children have completely grown out of my life, I would like to get back into the stage and perform in musicals.

This year marks the 20th year that he has lived in Hyogo. Her passionate words are sometimes accompanied by a hint of Kansai-ben (Kansai dialect). It is fresh because it is not part of his image.

Was I speaking in a Kansai dialect? (Laughs.) The office has stopped me from doing so. Just when I thought I was getting good at Japanese, I’m now bilingual in Kansai dialect. ……

Nishida looked a little frustrated, but when I asked her what she is into these days, she immediately opened her mouth in a cheerful tone.

I like knitting these days, and I spend the whole time knitting on the bullet train to Tokyo. I’ve also been into mahjong since last year!　In fact, it’s a big thing in the U.S. right now, and I heard that actress Julia Roberts (58) is also into it. I go to a women-only salon with a friend to learn. I’m learning ″techniques″ and stuff while I’m there. ……”

Wow, you bothered to go to ……?

It was ″……″ role!　And also ″Suji″ and so on. …… Oh, suji!　Like ″369″ (subroukyuu)!

Even as she approaches her 40th year in show business, her mischievous personality and cuteness remain strong.

From the February 13, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY