Nanami Sakuraba

Nanami Sakuraba (桜庭ななみ), left, Miss Magazine 2008 winner poses with 2007 winner Yayoi Shikatani who came on stage to congratulate her

This past Sunday the final round selection for the winner of Miss Magazine (ミスマガジン) 2008 gravure idol was held at Sunshine City (サンシャインシティ) shopping mall in Ikebukuro district of downtown Tokyo. And 15 year old Nanami Sakuraba (桜庭ななみ) from Kagoshima Prefecture at the southern tip of Japan was crowned as the winner! It seems like idols in Japan are getting younger every year yet they’re fully embraced by the society. Hey, who am I to complain!

An U-15 (under 15) idol has won Miss Magazine gravure contest this year!

Miss Magazine 2008 gravure contest finalists (from L to R): Mio Otani, Miki Nakagawa, Nanami Sakuraba, Sakura Sato and Shizuka Umemoto

Winning the coveted Miss Magazine gravure idol title is a huge deal, as it is seen as a sure-thing stepping stone for the Japanese teen to enter into some other opportunities in showbiz. Running since 1982, past Miss Magazine winners have been Hollywood actress Youki Saito (斉藤由貴) and OG Japanese idol later turned actress Yoko Minamino (南野陽子). More recent winner / entrant include super popular gravure idol Misako Yasuda (安田美沙子), Kii Kitano (北乃きい) and everyone’s favorite cutie pie otaku Shoko Nakagawa (中川翔子) aka “Shokotan”! As a matter of fact, the gravure idol contest received about 17,000 entries this year.

After being announced as the winner, the baby faced Nanami Sakuraba said, “I still can’t believe I’ve won. I will work hard with lots of smile and courage!” Nanami belongs to the same entertainment production agency “Sweet Power” (スウィートパワー) as the red hot U-19 Japanese teen idol Kii Kitano. Nanami has set her sight on catching up to the beautiful Kii because “she’s got really good acting skills”.