“This Shoot Captured the Peak of My Late-Twenties Allure!” Ina Enohara Opens Up in This Week’s Cover Girl Interview

A more mature series

— This is your ninth appearance, the most ever!

“I’m so grateful! If I’ve appeared this many times, don’t you think it might make the online news? There might be someone who’s appeared 10 times, though, so please count them again and make sure this really is the record (laughs). Maybe it’s because I’ve released two photobooks.”

— We counted carefully, and yes, it really is the most ever! This is your first new photoshoot in about a year, right?

“We shot at a studio in Tokyo, but the sunlight was so intense that it felt like I was on the Greek island of Santorini. Even the white walls seemed to be competing with the sunshine, so I went into the shoot thinking, ‘So there really is a Santorini in Tokyo!’ My favorite shots are the ones where I’m wearing a one-piece swimsuit with jeans. When I wear jeans, it gives me more of that energetic, cute girl image.

“When I first appeared, I mostly wore pastel colors like pink bikinis, but ever since my second photobook, fans have started telling me, ‘You’re gradually becoming more mature.’ In this shoot, I reached the maximum level of allure you’d expect to see in someone in their late 20s. It’s the ultimate installment of the ‘Enohara’s More Mature Series’!”

— One of the things that makes you so special is how you combine the sex appeal that captivates your fans with your sense of humor.

“I’m from Kansai, so to me, being funny is the highest compliment. On social media, I let people see my everyday life, like posting pictures of myself stuffing my face with ramen or yakiniku. Please enjoy a look at the bright and fun everyday life of the real Enohara (laughs).”

— Your “Yoihara” videos, where you enthusiastically sing karaoke while drunk, have also been well received.

“Yuuki Hirako (47) from Alco & Peace, who I appeared with on a variety show, watched one of my ‘Yoihara’ videos and complimented me, saying, ‘You’re a good singer.’ Sometimes I upload them while I’m drunk and my memory is hazy, so all I can do is hope I don’t end up causing some kind of accident.”

— What kind of songs do you sing at karaoke?

“My go-to song is ‘Sobakasu’ by JUDY AND MARY. My mother absolutely loves Judy Mary, and I grew up listening to ‘Sobakasu’ and ‘Over Drive’ like they were lullabies. While my friends sing Aimyon and Mrs. GREEN APPLE, I belt out songs by REBECCA and Princess Princess. I’m definitely from a different generation than everyone else (laughs).

“I’ve loved karaoke since I was three. My grandmother runs a snack bar, and apparently, when I was just learning to walk, I used to stand on the counter and sing ‘Junjō March’ by Yuko Nakazawa (laughs). My very first karaoke song was an enka song by Nakazawa. I honestly have no memory of it, but I’ve been a hardcore karaoke fan since the very beginning.”

Everyone around me was an experienced actor

— In the drama “Viral Hit,” which was released on Netflix this June, you made your acting debut.

“I took on my very first audition ever and landed the role of one of the protagonist’s classmates. There’s a scene where the entire class bullies the protagonist, but even when I was told, ‘Just do whatever you want,’ I had no acting experience at all. My Kansai dialect kept coming out, and I couldn’t get the intonation of my lines right.

“I asked, ‘Couldn’t we make the character a transfer student from Kansai?’ but of course the answer was ‘No’ (laughs). Every day during filming was a process of figuring things out as I went, and there are parts of the experience that are already a blur in my memory.”

— Appearing in a Netflix drama with absolutely no acting experience must have put a tremendous amount of pressure on you…

“Some of the actors playing the other students had been acting for years, ever since they were child actors, while others would spend their breaks reading scripts for the dramas they were going to appear in next. I was the only complete amateur, and I kept thinking, ‘I really don’t belong here.’ There were kids who could suddenly cry on cue, while others could effortlessly deliver long lines. I was constantly amazed, thinking, ‘How the heck do they do that?!’

“Every day was basically, ‘I’m really sorry, the amateur has come to bother you all,’ but it was an exciting and incredibly educational experience. I had no idea that even a single fight scene involved shooting so many different takes from different angles. On TV, it lasts only a few seconds, but the actual filming takes hours. It completely changed the way I watch dramas.”

— Did you discover anything else while working on set?

“I don’t know what other productions are like, but the catering snack section was incredible. There was an entire area stocked with every kind of snack, from fancy sweets you’d find in the basement food halls of department stores to familiar cheap Japanese snacks. Whenever something ran out, it would be replenished. I’d put my favorite snacks in my pocket and, during breaks, eat them while chatting and getting to know the other cast members.”

— You’ve been expanding your activities, appearing on variety shows and now taking on acting as well. Do you have any goals for what you’d like to do next?

“I’ve started getting really interested in music. Both my parents and my grandmother are good singers, so if I get the chance, I’d love to make my debut as a singer. I’m also practicing DJing. I had my fortune told by my friend Kasumin (29), who works as a comedian and fortune teller, and apparently in 2028 I’ll be traveling abroad a ton, living in a house that costs twice as much as my current rent, and earning twice my current salary, so I’ll be rich.

“So in two years, I might have made it as a singer or DJ and be traveling around the world!”

Ina Enohara, 28
Born in Sennan, Osaka. After making her gravure debut in 2024, she released her first photobook, “Inaism,” in October of the same year, followed by her second photobook, “I am Ina,” in December 2025 (both published by Kodansha). Her hobbies include traveling abroad, people-watching, and exploring restaurants.

My Recent Best RAMEN: Yamaokaya’s Spicy Miso Ramen — Extra Spicy

I love Yamaokaya so much that I invite a friend to go with me about once a week. For the “Spicy Miso Ramen — Extra Spicy,” I add two servings of bean sprouts, spinach, and a seasoned soft-boiled egg. I also order half a bowl of rice and finish the meal by turning the leftover soup into something like an ochazuke-style rice dish. I choose not to think about how many calories I’ve consumed in a single meal (laughs). I also collect the service coupons that can be exchanged for ramen or gyoza!

From the September 4, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”