Ayami Nakajo

1.1. Birth and Family

Ayami Nakajo was born on February 4, 1997, in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan. She comes from a mixed heritage family, with a Japanese mother and a British father, who is originally from Hull, Yorkshire, England. She is the younger of two daughters, with an older sister who is twelve years her senior. Her full birth name is Pauline Ayami Nakajo; "Pauline" is her given first name, inherited from her paternal grandmother, while "Ayami" serves as her middle name. Due to her distinctive birth name, she is often called "Pauline," which has also led to affectionate nicknames such as "Pō" or "Pō-chan" among her acquaintances.

1.2. Education

During her junior high school years, Nakajo was an active member of the badminton club, demonstrating her athletic abilities. Her early exposure to physical discipline also included karate lessons during her childhood, influenced by her father, who was a karate instructor. She initially attended a public high school in Osaka, where she enrolled in a performing arts program. This curriculum allowed her to study various aspects of stage production, including backstage work and technical elements like stage transitions. However, as her entertainment career began to demand more of her time, her schedule became increasingly challenging to balance with her studies. Faced with the possibility of having to repeat a school year, she made the difficult decision to transfer to a high school in Tokyo to better accommodate her burgeoning career commitments, despite her initial desire to graduate from her local Osaka school.

2.1. Modeling Career

Nakajo's journey into the entertainment industry began serendipitously at the age of 14 when she was scouted by her current talent agency, Ten Carat, at Guam airport during a family vacation. In 2011, while in her third year of middle school, she entered the highly competitive "Miss Seventeen" exclusive model audition for the popular female fashion magazine Seventeen. She emerged as one of the Grand Prix winners, joining other notable models such as Yua Shinkawa, Nozomi Bando, and Ai Hashizume.

In 2012, during her first year of high school, Nakajo made her debut as a runway model at the Tokyo Girls Collection 2012 Spring/Summer event. Her growing popularity led to her first solo cover for Seventeen in the magazine's June 2015 issue, released on May 1, 2015. A significant international recognition came in 2016 when she became the youngest Japanese guest ever to attend the Chanel Spring/Summer Haute couture show in Paris, where she was seated in the prestigious front row. This marked the beginning of her association with the luxury brand, eventually leading to her role as a Chanel ambassador. Nakajo graduated from her position as an exclusive model for Seventeen with the magazine's June 2017 issue. Shortly thereafter, in September 2017, she officially joined CanCam magazine as an exclusive model, immediately gracing the cover of its November 2017 issue as her first solo appearance for the publication. She continued to be a prominent figure at Tokyo Girls Collection, frequently opening the show as the top model for its Spring/Summer events in 2018, 2019, and 2020. On December 22, 2023, Nakajo announced her departure from CanCam as of the February 2024 issue, concluding a six-year tenure with the magazine.

2.2. Acting Career

Nakajo's acting debut occurred in 2012, during her first year of high school, when she portrayed Yu Umehara in the television drama Miss Double Faced Teacher (also known as Kuro no Onna Kyōshi or Kuro no Jokyoshi), which aired on TBS. In 2014, she secured her first starring role in a film, appearing as Aya Tsukimori in Fatal Frame: The Movie (Gekijōban Zero), released on September 26.

Her acting career continued to flourish with a diverse range of roles in both television and film. In 2017, she ventured into music as the vocalist and guitarist for the fictional band "in NO hurry to shout;" featured in her starring film Anonymous Noise, releasing the song "Close to me" through Sony Music Records. She took on her first lead role in a television series in April 2019, co-starring with Asami Mizukawa as Haruka Tachibana in Nurse in Action! (Hakui no Senshi!). In October 2020, Nakajo achieved her first solo lead role in a television drama with The Mystery Collection of Enmadou Sara (Enmadō Sara no Suiri Kitan).

2.3. Other Ventures

Beyond her successful modeling and acting careers, Nakajo has diversified her presence in the entertainment industry through various other roles. In October 2016, she was appointed as the fifth female MC for the popular Nippon Television program another sky, a position she held until March 2019, and later reprised from October 2022 to October 2023. From January 21 to December 30, 2021, she was a regular cast member of the "Gourmet Chicken Race Gochi ni Narimasu!" segment on Nippon Television's Gūtan Nūbō, having previously appeared as a guest in December 2018. In April 2024, she also became a regular on NHK General TV's Tsurube's Kazoku ni Kanpai, featuring in a segment where she visited Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture.

Nakajo has also appeared in several music videos, including Sakanaction's "Good-Bye" (January 2014), TVXQ's "TREE OF LIFE" (March 2014), and Man With a Mission's "Find You" (November 2017). She has maintained a consistent presence on the runway, participating in numerous fashion shows such as the Tokyo Girls Collection (from 2012 to 2024, often as the opening model) and Girls Award (2015). Additionally, she served as a navigator for WOWOW's "TOUCH!WOWOW2014 x 27th Tokyo International Film Festival" in 2014. Her public engagements have also included performing ceremonial first pitches at baseball games, notably at the SMBC Japan Series 2022 (October 23, 2022) between the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Orix Buffaloes at Meiji Jingu Stadium, and at Koshien Stadium for a Hanshin Tigers vs. Hiroshima Toyo Carp game (April 11, 2024), where she gained attention for a humorous "balk" before successfully throwing a strike.

3.1. Television Series

3.2. Films

3.3. Short Films

Nakajo has participated in the following short film project:

• How To Identify The Right Bus (2019) - starring as Sameshima. This film was shot in 2015 and was also screened at the 30th Takasaki Film Festival in 2016.

6.1. Marriage

On May 1, 2023, Ayami Nakajo publicly announced her marriage to Sogo Ichihara, who serves as the representative director of AViC, a company specializing in digital marketing. She shared the news via her Instagram account, conveying her comfort and sense of security upon their first meeting. Nakajo expressed her desire to build a "fun and warm family" with her husband, while also affirming her continued dedication to her career in the entertainment industry.

6.2. Hobbies and Interests

Nakajo is an avid reader, a passion she developed under the influence of her grandmother. She particularly enjoys exploring old bookstores in Jinbōchō, Tokyo. Among her favorite literary works is the poetry collection "Baumkuchen" by Shuntarō Tanikawa, with the poem "Sukikirai" (Likes and Dislikes) holding a special significance for her, noting its exploration of how elements of dislike can sometimes be intertwined with liking.

She is also a devoted film enthusiast, frequently visiting cinemas or watching films at home whenever her schedule permits. While she enjoys a wide range of genres and films from various countries, her favorite genre is fantasy. Initially, her viewing habits leaned towards Western films, but her acting career motivated her to explore Japanese cinema more extensively as a means of studying acting. She is a dedicated fan of actor Ryan Gosling, having watched all his films since seeing The Place Beyond the Pines. Additionally, Nakajo holds a nostalgic fondness for sento (public baths), a habit she has enjoyed since childhood. She particularly enjoys saunas and has a favorite local sento in Osaka.

6.3. Relationships and Friendships

Ayami Nakajo maintains close friendships with several notable figures in the entertainment industry, many of whom she met during her formative years as a model for Seventeen. Her close circle of friends includes Sachi Fujii, with whom she forms a popular duo affectionately known as "Sachipō," and Ayaka Miyoshi, who is referred to as "Miyopō" when they work together. She also shares a strong bond with Suzu Hirose, with whom she forms the "Suzupō" combination, delighting fans with their interactions. Beyond her modeling colleagues, Nakajo is also a very close friend with actress Yuina Kuroshima, to the extent that she has visited Kuroshima's family home in Okinawa.

6.4. Personal Anecdotes

Nakajo has shared several personal anecdotes that highlight her journey of self-improvement and unique experiences. Despite an initial strong aversion to public singing and dancing, often feeling uncomfortable even at karaoke, she bravely confronted and overcame these fears. Through a year of intensive training for her roles in the films Let's Go, Jets! (Cheer☆Dan) and Anonymous Noise, both released in 2017, she diligently practiced, ultimately conquering her anxieties about performing. This experience left her feeling a profound sense of empowerment, stating she had "nothing to fear."

Her athletic prowess has also been a subject of interest. During the filming of Flight on the Water, Nakajo demonstrated an extraordinary natural aptitude for competitive canoeing. On her very first day of training, she managed to control the highly difficult boat without capsizing, a rare feat that her director noted was comparable only to that of athlete So Takei in terms of rapid mastery. In fact, for a specific scene in the film, the director had to ask her to intentionally capsize, as her natural ability prevented accidental falls.

A poignant memory from her youth involves her high school days in Osaka. When she informed her classmates that her burgeoning career necessitated a transfer to a high school in Tokyo, her entire class reportedly broke into tears, illustrating the deep friendships and connections she had forged. In an episode of Nippon Television's another sky that aired in October 2022, Nakajo publicly expressed a desire to apprentice with comedian High Heels Momoko, hinting at an ambition to explore new facets of her talent beyond her established fields.

7.1. Books

Nakajo is set to release her first photo essay, titled Tomorrow's Words (明日へのことば_{Asu e no Kotoba}^Japanese), which is scheduled to be published by Gentosha on February 4, 2025. This publication is expected to offer a more personal glimpse into her life and thoughts. Additionally, she appeared on the cover of the novel Yawane Note -Himitsu no Hokago, Koi no Hajimari.- (弱音ノート -ヒミツの放課後、恋のはじまり。-_{Yawane Nōto - Himitsu no Hōkago, Koi no Hajimari.-}^Japanese, "Whispers Notebook -Secret After School, Love Begins.-"), which was published by Shueisha's Pinky Bunko imprint on August 23, 2013.

7.2. Magazine Features

Throughout her modeling career, Nakajo has been a consistent and prominent presence in several of Japan's leading fashion magazines. She served as an exclusive model for Seventeen from the publication of its October 2011 issue until her graduation from the role in June 2017. Following this, she became an exclusive model for CanCam magazine, a position she held from its November 2017 issue until her departure, which was announced with the February 2024 issue, concluding a significant six-year tenure.