(born August 16, 1993), known professionally as , is a Japanese
pornographic film actress
A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts in video that is usually characterized as a pornographic movie. Such videos tend to be made in a number of dis ...
and singer. She debuted as a member of the idol group
SKE48
SKE48 (S.K.E. Forty-eight) is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SKE48 is named after the Sakae district in Nagoya of Aichi Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at SKE48 Theater on 2F of Sunshine Sakae, a s ...
in 2009 before leaving in 2014. She entered the adult entertainment industry in 2015 under the
Muteki
Muteki is a Japanese adult video company which specializes in casting mainstream entertainers, usually gravure idols or mainstream actresses, in their adult video debuts. It is part of the Hokuto Corporation's roster of companies. The label's fir ...
label and became one of the most popular and best-selling contemporary AV idols, winning several awards in the process. Mikami is currently performing under the
S1 No. 1 Style
or just S1 (エスワン) is a Japanese producer of adult videos (AV) which has its offices in Tokyo's Meguro Ward. The company is best known for retailing its adult videos under the Fanza brand, an affiliate of DMM.
In the past 15 years since ...
label and has appeared in over 200 adult films (including compilations and
VR-based AV's as well).
Apart from performing in adult films, Mikami also remained active as a singer and idol. She is a member of the idol groups
Ebisu Muscats
is the name of a series of J-pop groups mainly consisting of Japanese gravure idols and AV idols, under the Pony Canyon record label. The original group was established in 2008 as part of the TV Tokyo's variety show which first aired in April 2 ...
since 2015 and
Honey Popcorn
Honey Popcorn (Hangul: 허니팝콘) is a girl group based in South Korea formed by Kyun Create, consisting of Yua Mikami, Moko Sakura, Ruka Tajima, and Sara Izumi. The group debuted on March 21, 2018 with album ''Bibidi Babidi Boo''.
History
In ...
since 2018. She also appears in the video games ''
Yakuza 6
''Yakuza 6: The Song of Life'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega for PlayStation 4. The game is the seventh main entry in the ''Yakuza'' series and the final main game to feature Kazuma Kiry ...
'' and ''
Yakuza Kiwami 2
''Yakuza Kiwami 2'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is a remake of the 2006 video game '' Yakuza 2'' for the PlayStation 2, and is the ''Yakuza'' series' second remake title following ...
''.
Career
2006–2014: Early life and traditional idol debut
Mikami was born as Momona Kitō on August 16, 1993 in
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...
. At the age of 13, Mikami auditioned for
Morning Musume
, formerly simply and colloquially referred to as , are a Japanese girl group, holding the second highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon charts as of February 2012, with the Oricon record of most top ten singles with an ...
's 8th generation in 2006, but was eliminated during the first round.
In March 2009, she debuted as a second generation member of the idol group
SKE48
SKE48 (S.K.E. Forty-eight) is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SKE48 is named after the Sakae district in Nagoya of Aichi Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at SKE48 Theater on 2F of Sunshine Sakae, a s ...
on Team E. Her career in SKE48 saw numerous setbacks, including a demotion to ''kenkyuusei'' (trainee) status in December 2010, as well as an underage drinking/dating scandal that broke out in July 2013. On March 16, 2014, she announced her graduation from the group and her last performance with the group was on April 9, 2014. During her tenure, she appeared in eight B-side singles with SKE, as well as an appearance on the sister group
AKB48
AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with it ...
's B-side single "
Ano Hi no Fūrin".
2015–present: AV debut and return to music
On June 1, 2015, she debuted in the adult entertainment industry under the name Yua Mikami with her first video, ''Princess Peach'', produced by
Muteki
Muteki is a Japanese adult video company which specializes in casting mainstream entertainers, usually gravure idols or mainstream actresses, in their adult video debuts. It is part of the Hokuto Corporation's roster of companies. The label's fir ...
, a label that specialized on the adult film debuts for former
gravure
Rotogravure (or gravure for short) is a type of intaglio printing process, which involves engraving the image onto an image carrier. In gravure printing, the image is engraved onto a cylinder because, like offset printing and flexography, it ...
idols and minor celebrities. While Mikami originally planned it as a one-film career, ''Princess Peach'' turned out to be a huge success, becoming one of Muteki's highest selling film and one of the highest selling AV's of 2015.
The unexpected positive reaction of her debut motivated Mikami to remain in the industry as an active performer.
On November 12, 2015, she launched her official website. Her Twitter, and
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
accounts were also created on the same day. In an interview, Mikami stated: "I entered the world of AV without consulting with anyone. It is my life, so I have to choose for myself."
Her second AV, ''Pleasure'' was released on January 1, 2016. Mikami's first titles were under the Muteki label (becoming one of a few AV actresses who done more than one title under the studio), before transferring to
S1 No. 1 Style
or just S1 (エスワン) is a Japanese producer of adult videos (AV) which has its offices in Tokyo's Meguro Ward. The company is best known for retailing its adult videos under the Fanza brand, an affiliate of DMM.
In the past 15 years since ...
in November 2016. On May 13, 2016, Mikami won her first major award at the 2016 DMM Adult Awards at the "Best New Actress" category presented to her by fellow AV actress Moe Amatsuka. On April 13, 2016, she joined the Ebisu Muscats as a second-generation member. She was the
poster girl for the
2016 AV Open along with and
Rika Hoshimi
is a Japanese former AV idol, gravure model and actress.
Life and career
Rika Hoshimi was born on September 20, 1990 in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. She was first active as a centerfold model, and she debuted on video in May 2010 with the gravur ...
. She was the event campaign girl for the ''National Fan Thanksgiving Festival 2016'' along with
Hibiki Ōtsuki
is a Japanese AV actress and an idol singer. Active since 2008, Otsuki became one of the AV industry's most well-known and prolific performers with more than 2100 credited AV appearances. Currently represented by the AV agency T-Powers, she i ...
.
Mikami's popularity continued to grow, as she became one of S1's "flagship" actresses, with her films regularly appearing on the best selling charts. In 2018, when Fanza did a research on the Top 10 highest selling AV actresses of the year, Mikami came out at No. 8 at digital downloads and No. 5 at physical DVD/Blu-Ray sales. Mikami won her second major award, at the "Best Actress" category in the 2017 DMM Adult Awards. She also presented the "Best New Actress" award to former gravure idol and debuting AV actress Shoko Takahashi. With both of them debuting at Muteki and being Nagoya-based, Mikami and Takahashi formed a close friendship and started to appear in the variety show "SHOW YOUR ROCKETS". For Muteki's tenth anniversary, the pair appeared in their first joint AV-title, ''These Two Have No Equal'' released on December 1, 2018. The four-hour-long film was also accompanied by a two-hour-long VR-based adult release. It also became the second best-selling Japanese adult film of 2018.
Mikami also appeared in S1's 15th-anniversary special, along with the studio's other exclusive performers:
Tsukasa Aoi
is a Japanese gravure idol, actress, television personality, AV idol, and idol singer. Considered one of the most popular AV idols of her generation, Aoi has starred in over 700 adult films since the start of her career from 2010. Once a lead ...
, Ayami Shunka, Moe Amatsuka, Arina Hashimoto, Usa Miharu, and Nene Yoshitaka. Mikami currently continues her AV career at S1 and appeared in over 200 titles so far. In 2019 and 2020, according to Fanza, she became the second highest selling AV actress of the year next to
Yui Hatano
is a Japanese AV idol, model, actress and idol singer. Boasting one of the longest and most prolific careers in Japanese pornography, Hatano has made appearances in over 3000 adult films so far, thus making her one of the most popular and recog ...
and popular industry newcomer Ichika Matsumoto. In 2021, she reached the number one position, solidifying Mikami's status, as Japan's most popular adult performer.
Despite mainly being an adult performer, Mikami stayed close to her musical roots. On November 22, 2016, she released a solo single, "Ribbon". In 2018, she debuted as a member of the South Korean-based idol group
Honey Popcorn
Honey Popcorn (Hangul: 허니팝콘) is a girl group based in South Korea formed by Kyun Create, consisting of Yua Mikami, Moko Sakura, Ruka Tajima, and Sara Izumi. The group debuted on March 21, 2018 with album ''Bibidi Babidi Boo''.
History
In ...
with AV idols Moko Sakura and Miko Matsuda.
The group was funded by Mikami herself as a passion project. However the group's debut proved to be controversial due to the member's line of work which went against the "pure" image associated with Korean idols. The group was forced to cancel their debut concert due to the outrage
and a petition with over 50,000 signatures was passed to the
Blue House
Cheong Wa Dae ( ko, 청와대; Hanja: ; ), also known as the Blue House, is a public park that formerly served as the executive office and official residence of the president of South Korea from 1948 to 2022. It is located in the Jongno distri ...
, demanding the group's ban.
Due to the intense backlash Matsuda left Honey Popcorn in December 2018, but Mikami managed to revive the group with three new members, and they released their second EP,
''De-aeseohsta'' in July 2019.
In 2017, she was crowned the Best Actress at the
DMM Adult Awards, which marked her last appearance at a major industry-related event.
In the same year, Mikami also started her own clothing brand, "YOUR'S" (later rebranded as "miyour's"), a career choice largely inspired by her close friend and AV idol
Kirara Asuka
is a Japanese model and former adult video (AV) actress.
Career
It is unknown when it started, but before her debut, Kirara Asuka was a female waitress working at a Kyabakura (Hostess club) in Roppongi. One day, a scout from an adult video co ...
. On June 27, 2020, Mikami guest starred in Malaysian singer-songwriter
Namewee
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's new music video titled "I Shot You" (). The video gained 1.4 million views in just over a day.
In June 2022 on the seventh anniversary of her debut, Mikami announced her separation from her representative office One's Double and the establishment of her own "Miss Co., Ltd." in January of the same year, allowing management independecy for Mikami. Her AV activities will continue in a business alliance with One's Double with the possibility of collaborating with other studios.
Personal life
In July 2013, while she was a member of
SKE48
SKE48 (S.K.E. Forty-eight) is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SKE48 is named after the Sakae district in Nagoya of Aichi Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at SKE48 Theater on 2F of Sunshine Sakae, a s ...
, ''
Shūkan Bunshun
is a Japanese weekly news magazine (Shūkanshi) based in Tokyo, Japan, known for its investigative journalism and frequent clashes with the Japanese government. It is considered one of the most influential weekly magazines in the country.
Histo ...
'' published pictures of her kissing
Yuya Tegoshi
is a Japanese singer, actor, and television personality. He debuted as a member of Japanese boy band NEWS under Johnny & Associates and was also part of its sub-group, Tegomass.
Career
2002–2019: NEWS, Tegomass
Tegoshi entered Johnny & ...
, while being allegedly drunk, and staying overnight at his house in May 2013. It caused an uproar, as Mikami was pictured with alcohol and had been under the legal drinking age at that time.
Filmography
Television
* She was a regular cast member of from April 14, 2016 to March 30, 2017.
* On April 6, 2017, she became a regular cast member of .
* On October 2, 2016, she became a cast member of variety show, ''Show Your Rockets'', along with .
*She has produced over 150 adult films to date, a large number of them under
S1 No. 1 Style
or just S1 (エスワン) is a Japanese producer of adult videos (AV) which has its offices in Tokyo's Meguro Ward. The company is best known for retailing its adult videos under the Fanza brand, an affiliate of DMM.
In the past 15 years since ...
.
Adult films
Discography
Singles with SKE48
Singles with AKB48
Awards
* On May 7, 2016, she received the Best New Actress Award from .
* On March 3, 2016, she received the Best Works and FLASH award from
Adult Broadcasting Awards
The Sky PerfecTV! Adult Broadcasting Awards are given for performances in adult video programs shown on SKY PerfecTV! satellite TV channels in Japan. The awards complement those presented by the AV Open / AV Grand Prix contests which are given fo ...
.
* On April 23, 2017, she received the Best Actress Award from DMM Adult Award.
References
External links
*
Ebisu Muscats ProfileYua Mikami Official Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mikami, Yua
1993 births
People from Nagoya
Japanese pornographic film actresses
Living people
Japanese idols
Ebisu Muscats
SKE48 members