Comedian Declares Yukina Kinoshita Is His

When the pressure’s mounting, something’s gotta give.

Some Japanese weeklies had already been running stories of Japanese gravure idol / fashion model turned talent Yukina Kinoshita being romantically involved with Japanese comedian Toshifumi Fujimoto.  On the 7th of last month on a regional variety show airing on Kansai TV the 38 year old half of the Japanese comdey duo FUJIWARA finally fessed up and blurted out, “Yeah, we’re going out!”

During one segment of the show which focused on its guests, the title read, “There are so many rumors involving FUJIWARA.”  After being heckled by both fellow panelists and audience, the Osaka native had no choice but say, “Oh, you’re referring to that?  We’re dating.”  After the show recording was completed Toshifumi felt a little disappointed as he said, “I wanted to announce this on a nationally televised show.”

Yukina Kinoshita (L) and Toshifumi Fujimoto (R)

Yukina and Toshifumi met when they both appeared as regular guests on a popular Fuji TV quiz show Quiz! Hexagon II (クイズ!ヘキサゴンII).  I take it the sexy and leggy Tokyo native likes having her funny bone tickled.

The couple’s mutual friend Hello!Project idol turned talent Mai Satoda (里田まい) made things even more difficult for the Japanese funny man by calling into the show during recording and revealing more detailed info.  Mai told the show, “They went to Disney Sea recently!”  When asked for the identity of the female companion Mai playfully replied, “She’s full of energy and a good girl!”

FUJIWARA’s Toshifumi Fujimoto Dating Yukina Kinoshita

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”.