Shinobu Nakayama Special Interview: Her Journey Through the Entertainment Industry with Her Sister Miho, and the Love Contained in the “Shinobu Files”
Special Interview [Part 2]
Time had stood still for two years,
but thanks to the memories and love my sister left behind, and the support of my only son, life has started moving forward again
In the period drama special series *Muyo-an: The Hermit’s Training* (BS Asahi, airing September 22), which marks its 10th anniversary this year, Shinobu Nakayama (53) plays O-Saki, the proprietress of the traditional restaurant frequented by the protagonist, Hanbei.Although she is now a seasoned actress, as a child she was terribly shy around strangers and had absolutely no interest in the entertainment industry—a stark contrast to her older sister, Miho Nakayama, who is three years her senior.
However, while seeing Miho off at Narita Airport as she traveled overseas for work, she was approached by Director Keiichiro Yoshida (79), who was working as part of the staff at the time. Afterward, word of “Miho’s younger sister” spread throughout the industry, and an offer to appear in a drama came her way.Although she initially declined, saying, “Not until I’m in high school,” she says that from there, things naturally led to her entering the entertainment industry.
She never consulted her older sister—who had become so busy she barely had time to talk—about entering the entertainment industry. They never had any professional interactions either.Their only “collaboration” was in the 1995 film *Gamera: The Great Monster Air Battle*, when Shinobu won the Blue Ribbon Award and the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Yokohama Film Festival. Miho won the Best Actress Award for *Love Letter*, and the sisters attended the awards ceremony together.After that, Miho married writer Hitoshi Tsuji (66) in 2002 and moved to France. She gave birth to her first son in 2004. Shinobu remains single to this day.
“There were times when I fell in love and thought about getting married. But my manager told me, ‘You can’t do both. If you’re going to get married, you should quit your job and focus on your family, like Momoe Yamaguchi (67).’ So I said, ‘Hmm, I’m sorry, but I’ll stick with my work.’There were also times when I’d get dumped right when a big job was about to come through. Apparently, I don’t work when I have a crush. That’s no good, is it? (laughs)”
She also mentioned that she sometimes went to Paris to help her older sister with childcare.
“I went to visit her many times. Now, as I’m sorting through my older sister’s photos, I see pictures of her with a big baby bump and my newborn nephew. Even though she ended up getting divorced, there were definitely happy times. Looking at the photos, I think to myself, ‘Sis, I’m glad things worked out for you.’”
It’s been nearly two years since Miho passed away suddenly in December ’24. Shinobu took possession of the belongings from the apartment where Miho had been living alone.
“I just can’t seem to finish sorting through her belongings. I rented a storage unit near my house and have everything stored there. All the dishes and shoes my sister used are in the storage unit. I’m wearing her coat—she was a little smaller than me, so it feels a bit tight.”
Among the vast number of items Miho left behind were printed photographs. Among them was a folder labeled “Shinobu File.”
“Inside the file, there was a spread with a photo of my sister from when she was around 15 or 16, shortly after her debut, paired with a promotional photo of me from before my debut. The photos were the same size, and we were both wearing hats. I laughed and cried, thinking, ‘My sister really liked me, didn’t she?’
“As a celebrity myself, I’d assumed she wasn’t really that interested in me. She’d never asked what kind of work I was doing. But she’d kept flyers from my stage performances. ‘So she really was interested after all,’ I thought.”
I didn’t realize this while she was alive. We got along well, but our hobbies and tastes were different. My sister liked contemporary art, but I was studying the tea ceremony and preferred looking at old tea bowls.
“We had our share of sisterly arguments, too. We’d make plans to eat together, and even when I’d send a message at the agreed-upon pickup time, she’d just mark it as read and ignore it. So I’d confront her, ‘Isn’t this a bit rude? What do you do when you’re working?’ And she’d cry, ‘You’re right—it’s my fault, big sis.’When I replied, ‘Well, I guess you’re right,’ she’d go tell my manager, ‘Why does she talk to me like that?’
But… when my manager got injured, she came all the way to Hakata to help me while I was performing on stage. She was a kind older sister. Looking at the photos she left behind, I feel happy knowing she truly cared about me—but at the same time, I realize that my older sister is no longer here… It makes me feel so lonely.”
“I have to stay strong—for my sister’s sake.”
Just as with her sister’s belongings, Shinobu says she still hasn’t come to terms with her grief.
“I cried every day until the first anniversary of her passing. I took advantage of the people around me telling me, ‘You don’t have to force yourself,’ and I’d even cry in front of others. People told me, ‘Your feelings will settle down by the time the first anniversary comes around,’ and I believed that myself. But when the day actually arrived, my sadness and loneliness hadn’t lessened at all.I realized that’s probably how everyone feels—they’re just trying not to cry in public—so I decided to do the same. Even after the 20th monthly memorial day passed, I’m still just as sad and lonely, and I find myself thinking about my older sister at least once a day. I realize I’m still living in the midst of this abnormal situation…”
Even so, Shinobu is trying, little by little, to look ahead.
“I thought, ‘If I keep going like this, my own life will come to a standstill—I have to stay strong for my sister’s sake.’ So recently… I started doing Pilates! I’ve only gone three times so far, though. I hadn’t been taking care of my nails either, and they were starting to crack, so I’ve been applying oil. I felt like I needed to get myself back on track.”
What’s been a source of support for Shinobu is the only son of Miho, who is now 22.
“This past April, I was invited to Kyoko Koizumi’s concert, and I went with my nephew.On the drive home, he said, ‘I wish I could have seen Mom’s concert, too.’ He’s grown into such a fine young man—he even worries about me, saying, ‘Bu-chan (Shinobu’s nickname), when you talk to me, doesn’t it make you sad because it reminds you of Mom?’”
This past June, for the first time in over thirty years—since her idol days—she launched a fan club called “Yurikago.”
“I wanted to create a warm place where we could all gather again and feel free to cry and laugh together,” she said.
Where is Shinobu Nakayama headed from here?
“When I first decided I wanted to be an actress, I thought I’d still want to do this even when I’m a grandmother. I’d be happy to play a criminal, but I’d also like to play the one who catches them. I want to play angels and devils alike. That hasn’t changed.”
He passed away in August, but I had made a promise with Director Izuru Narushima, whom I worked with on *The Terminal of Life* (released in 2021): ‘When the time comes that I can act without hiding my gray hair, let’s make another movie together.’ Because of what happened with my older sister, I hadn’t been in touch, and then he passed away—it was a huge shock.Life is a series of unexpected events, and I’ve realized I shouldn’t put off doing the things I want to do. I have to do what I want to do and meet the people I want to meet. That’s how I intend to live from now on.”
As if talking to herself, Shinobu smiled gently.
〈Shinobu Nakayama: Born in Tokyo in 1973. Made her debut in 1988 in the TV drama *Otoko daro!*. After working as an idol and TV personality, she began her career in earnest as an actress. In 1995, she won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film *Gamera: Great Monster Air Battle*〉
From the October 2 & 9, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*
Interview and Text： Daisuke Takahashi PHOTOS： Hiroyuki Komatsu (2nd photo), Courtesy of Shinobu Nakayama