[Full Text] Akiko Sendō: 35 Years Since “Tokyo Love Story”—“I’m Going to Become a ‘Trendy Auntie’ in Hokkaido!”

She moved to her husband’s hometown—where he works as a scuba diving instructor—and

“It’s been 15 years since I moved to Hokkaido. I’ve been captivated by the majestic nature and fresh ingredients like potatoes—I just can’t leave now,”

These are the heartfelt words of actress Akiko Sendō (57). Sendō, who celebrated her 57th birthday in April, officially relocated to Sapporo, Hokkaido—the hometown of her husband, a scuba diving instructor—in the spring of 2011. She says the birth of her second child was the catalyst for the move (comments below are from Sendō).

“Until just before that, I had been living in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, near my parents’ home, but an acquaintance introduced me to an obstetrician-gynecologist in Hokkaido. At first, I planned to return to Hokkaido—where my husband’s mother lives—to give birth, intending it to be a temporary stay. However, I became completely rooted in Hokkaido because of its abundant nature, delicious food, and cozy atmosphere. It’s also the perfect environment for raising children.I was also affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred during my pregnancy. I asked myself, ‘Is it really okay to leave my mother-in-law, who lives alone, in this situation?’ and that’s when I decided to move here.”

“School Festival Queen,” “Trendy Actor”… Although she was called these things, Sendō never had a strong interest in the entertainment industry to begin with.

“I’ve been into sports since elementary school. I love running. In middle school, I was on the track and field team and was so busy with practice and competitions that I hardly watched any TV.”

The turning point came during high school.

“I enrolled in the drama program at a newly established public high school in Hyogo Prefecture. I was interested in health and physical education and wanted to become a kindergarten teacher, so I thought that if I studied acting, I’d be able to have fun playing with the children.But everyone around me was seriously aiming for a career in show business. At first, I told myself, ‘Other people are other people, and I’m me,’ and was planning to go to a junior college with an early childhood education program. But during my summer vacation in my senior year of high school, I casually entered an audition called ‘Lotte: You’re the CM Idol!’ For some reason, I passed the initial screening…

When I went to the venue in Osaka for the singing audition, there were about 300 applicants. I’d never taken singing lessons or anything like that, but I performed Akina Nakamori’s “Gypsy Queen”—a song I’d practiced using a cassette tape I borrowed from my older sister—and, unexpectedly, I was chosen as one of the 10 finalists.My father accompanied me to the venue in Tokyo, and we went there as if we were on a sightseeing trip.”

Although I didn’t win the grand prize in the finals, the president of an entertainment agency visited my parents’ home several times to enthusiastically try to sign me.

“My father encouraged me to enter the entertainment industry, saying, ‘Just give it a try for two years with the intention of focusing on your studies. After that, it won’t be too late to go on to junior college as originally planned.’ However, right after I moved to Tokyo, my life was pretty mundane. All I did was answer the phone at the agency and serve tea to clients. I only took singing lessons occasionally.”

“I cried every day.”

It was July 1990, and the two years I’d promised my father had passed; I was thinking, “Maybe it’s about time I went back home.” That’s when Sendō was handpicked for a job that would catapult her name to national fame.

“I was chosen as the main host for the late-night variety show *All Night Fuji* (on Fuji TV). But since it was a late-night show, the studio was filled with women in swimsuits, and risqué topics came up constantly. I was also dressed in a bodycon top and a miniskirt. After getting home, I’d cry almost every day, saying, ‘I can’t do this kind of work!’”

Her life was completely transformed from answering phones at her agency to an extremely hectic schedule.

“The ‘wild and wild’ image really stuck with me, and I started getting invited to a lot of college festivals. On busy days, I’d visit three schools in a single day, get home at 3 a.m., take a quick shower, and head straight back out to work. A strange rumor started going around that ‘Sendō gets completely wasted at the disco every night and picks up guys,’ but I didn’t even have time to go to the disco.Besides, I couldn’t even drink alcohol to begin with.

I used to struggle with the gap between the ‘wild and carefree’ image of ‘Akiho Sendō’ and who I really was. But at some point, I decided to just let go and enjoy the persona everyone had created for me. Looking back now, though, I was really pushing myself to the limit back then. Getting only two or three hours of sleep a day was the norm. Even when I was exhausted, I couldn’t confide in anyone.I was so busy that I had chronic, throbbing headaches and couldn’t live without painkillers.”

Starting in January 1991, she appeared in the show that established Sendō as a “trendy actor.” It was the smash-hit drama *Tokyo Love Story* (Fuji TV), which recorded a peak viewership rating of over 32%.

“My character was the daughter of a large hospital’s president who ends up with a top-performing medical student (Yosuke Eguchi). The director told me after the drama ended that there had actually been a kissing scene with Mr. Eguchi in the script. However, since my agency at the time was promoting me as an idol, they reportedly said no.The director was disappointed, saying, ‘The agency stopped it.’

‘Tokyo Love Story’ was the first TV series I ever appeared in. I had almost no acting experience and couldn’t even bring myself to speak to my famous co-stars. Even during breaks in filming, I’d just sit quietly in the production van. It was the lead actress, Honami Suzuki, who helped ease my nerves.

One morning in the studio, I heard Honami-san’s voice from afar: “Someone, please lend me some money~!” She was about to be late, so she jumped into a taxi—only to realize she’d forgotten her wallet. It made me feel much more at ease to realize that even Honami-san, who was already a famous actress at the time, had such a down-to-earth side.”

Sen’do was active across a wide range of genres, from dramas to variety shows, boasting an astonishing accuracy rate on quiz programs such as *Magical Brain Power!!* (Nippon TV). While her popularity was soaring, she says she was also feeling exhausted.

“Being constantly watched by people was something I enjoyed as a celebrity, but it was also scary. During live broadcasts, large crowds of fans would wait outside for me, and some would even ‘chase’ me in their cars. Once, the driver of a taxi I happened to take said, ‘I’ll shake them off for you!’ and, with some skillful driving, managed to lose the ‘stalkers’ for me.

It’s true that I was feeling a bit worn out by my glamorous and hectic life in Tokyo. Whenever I had a day off, I’d drive alone in the middle of the night to the beaches of Kamakura or Shonan and just zone out without thinking about anything. Maybe I wanted to draw a clear line between my work in the city and my private life.”

Sendo got married in December 2000.

“I went to Saipan, a U.S. territory, to get my scuba diving certification. That’s where I met my husband, who was an instructor there. It might sound boastful coming from me, but as a celebrity, I was well-known enough that staff and customers would get all excited when they saw me—yet my husband, who had been working in Saipan for about seven years, had absolutely no idea who I was. That was a relief and felt really good.I was happy that he treated me as a person, not as a celebrity to be fawned over.”

As mentioned at the beginning, she moved her base to Hokkaido after the birth of her second child.

“I can’t go back to being a ‘trendy actress’ anymore. I think I was able to play that character because I was full of the energy and vitality of my twenties, during the glamorous and dynamic ’90s. But just because I moved to Hokkaido doesn’t mean I’ve given up my career as a celebrity.I’ve simply shifted to a lifestyle where I prioritize spending time with my family, especially my children. From now on, I’ll be a ‘trendy middle-aged woman’ who can share the charms of Hokkaido with all of Japan—no, with the whole world!”

Sendo currently appears in dramas and information programs on Hokkaido television stations, while also serving as a support ambassador for the Hokkaido Fisheries Cooperative Women’s Division.

From the June 19, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*