is a Japanese
tarento
Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in America were described as " ...
,
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
, and
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
. She is a former member of the
Japanese idol
An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements ...
group
Nogizaka46
is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, created as the of the group AKB48. They are the first group from the Sakamichi Series, which also includes sister groups Sakurazaka46 (formerly Keyakizaka46), Yoshimotozaka46, a ...
, co-author of the self-help book ''Investment Methods that Keep My Money Growing Even Though I'm An Idol'', and author of the novel ''Trapezium''.
Early life
Takayama was born on February 8, 1994 in
Minamibōsō
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 37,143 in 17,175 households and a population density of 160 persons per km². The total area of the city is , making it the fifth largest city in Chiba Pr ...
,
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to t ...
. She attended a small school in which she had the same classmates for many years, and she trained in
kendo throughout elementary school and junior high school.
Career
Nogizaka46
Takayama's entertainment career began in 2011 when she successfully auditioned for the first generation of the idol group
Nogizaka46
is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, created as the of the group AKB48. They are the first group from the Sakamichi Series, which also includes sister groups Sakurazaka46 (formerly Keyakizaka46), Yoshimotozaka46, a ...
.
Beginning with the group's first release, Takayama was regularly selected as one of the main recording and performing members on Nogizaka46 singles. She also performed on B-sides, including a 2012 acoustic duet with
Mai Shiraishi
is a Japanese singer, model, YouTuber and actress who is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group Nogizaka46.
Career
After graduating from high school, Shiraishi attended music college as she desired to be a singer. Later on, one of he ...
, titled "Shibuya Blues", on Nogizaka46's fifth single "
Seifuku no Mannequin
is the fourth single by Nogizaka46, released on December 19, 2012. It debuted in number one on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart. It also reached number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. The music video was directed by Kazuma Ikeda. He later di ...
". Takayama performed as part of the main selection group on every Nogizaka46 single released during her tenure. In 2016, her first solo photobook, titled ', was published. The photos in the book were taken on location in her hometown of Minamibōsō. Her second photobook, , with photos taken in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
, was published in 2019.
In the Oricon weekly book sales ranking for its first week of publication, ''Monologue'' placed first in the photobook category.
Takayama made her final appearance as a member of the group in their November 2021 concert at
Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...
, and wrote a short story titled ''The Name of Hope'' that was distributed to concert attendees.
Writing
Takayama made her literary debut in January 2016 with the short story ', which was published on the website of Japanese magazine ''Da Vinci'' and illustrated by fellow Nogizaka46 member Mai Fukagawa. The next year she worked with Japanese investor Taizen Okuyama to learn about investing and track her own progress as an investor, which she and Okuyama then wrote about in a book published by PHP titled '.
From May 2016 to September 2018, Takayama wrote a serialized novel titled ' that was published in installments in ''Da Vinci''. ''Trapezium'' tells the story of a young girl who has to make difficult choices to realize her dream of becoming an idol. The novel was published in a single volume in November 2018 by
Kadokawa Shoten. In December 2018 the novel placed first in the
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in ...
book ranking in the literary category. The publisher had to stop reprinting the book after the fourth printing, as inventory of the special paper used for the book's cover ran out. A limited edition of the book with a wrapper containing commentary from fellow Nogizaka46 member
Nanase Nishino
is a Japanese actress, model, television host, and former member of Japanese idol girl group Nogizaka46. Her lead roles in TV and film have included Asahi Tōjima in ''Asahinagu'' and Ai Amano in '' Denei Shojo: Video Girl Ai 2018''. She co-host ...
was subsequently published.
Acting
As a Nogizaka46 member, Takayama took on acting roles in the television adaptation of the manga ''
Bad Boys'',
the baseball drama ''
Hatsumori Bemars'',
and the
NHK
, also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestr ...
taiga drama ''
Hana Moyu
is a 2015 Japanese historical drama television series, the 54th NHK ''taiga'' drama. The series stars Mao Inoue as Sugi Fumi, a sister of Meiji Restoration scholar Yoshida Shōin. It premiered on January 4, 2015, and ended on December 13, 201 ...
'',
as well as appearing in advertising campaigns for the
Tourism Authority of Thailand
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) ( th, การท่องเที่ยวแห่งประเทศไทย) is an organization of Thailand under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Its mandate is to promote Thailand's tourism in ...
,
Meiji Dairies
is a Japanese food company. It was renamed into the , on March 31, 2011.
It was a major dairy industry company established in 1917. Apart from dairy products like milk, ice cream, and cheese, their lineup includes sports drinks, pizza, choco ...
, and travel company Jalan. As an individual performer she appeared on several television variety shows, and co-hosted the
TBS program ''
All Star After Party''.
A year after leaving the group, she joined the cast of the 2023
NHK
, also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestr ...
series ''Chou Ningen Yousai Hiroshi Senki'' (lit. ''The War Chronicles of Superhuman Fortress Hiroshi'') in the role of Akemi Bardot, marking Takayama's first lead acting role.
Selected works
Television
Books
* (co-author, with Taizen Okuyama) ', PHP, 2017,
* ',
Kadokawa Shoten, 2018,
Photobooks
* ', Gakken Plus, 2016,
* ',
Tokuma Shoten
is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, ...
, 2019,
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takayama, Kazumi
Living people
1994 births
People from Minamibōsō
Japanese idols
Japanese women singers
Japanese television actresses
Nogizaka46 members
21st-century Japanese novelists
21st-century Japanese women writers
People from Chiba Prefecture