Ever since her return, I’ve been thinking about Akina Nakamori all over again.

To my embarrassment, I knew very little about Akina Nakamori’s appeal until she made her comeback.

In 2025, Akina Nakamori began her return to the spotlight by performing at a music festival and holding a fan-club-exclusive 60th birthday concert. Wouldn’t you say that 2026 marks her true, full-scale comeback?

I don’t believe I’ve brought this up under this specific category before, though I may have touched on it somewhere in this blog: I frequently watch the news show WBS. Ever since her song “Casablanca” was selected as the ending theme, Akina Nakamori has been on my radar much more.

And unlike during her peak idol days, the internet is now highly developed, with so many videos being shared on platforms like YouTube. Watching her performances from her younger years before her comeback through these videos, I feel like I’m falling for her all over again, even if I’m a bit late to the party.

Reflecting on all of this—and wishing I had appreciated her in real time—I decided to gather my thoughts and feelings about Akina Nakamori into a blog post, better late than never.

Chapter 1: I Misunderstood Akina Nakamori and Thought She Was a Bit Intimidating

It’s no secret that Akina Nakamori is a phenomenal singer, but when it comes to her music… well, I’ve actually written about her on this blog before, and as I mentioned in that post, I might be a bit lacking in sensitivity. I’m the kind of person whose heart rarely gets moved by songs or music—a rather tragic trait, in a way. That’s why I never paid much attention to music in general, not just to Akina Nakamori.

However, unlike nowadays, groundwave TV used to broadcast many music programs such as The Best Ten. Even though I didn’t watch it religiously, whenever I happened to watch, Akina Nakamori was clearly a major star. I wonder if it was records back then, or already CDs? In any case, her sales were so high that her new releases were constantly at the top of the charts, leading to frequent TV appearances. I also recall seeing idols on comedy shows like The Drifters, so I surely caught her on variety shows too. Somehow, though, she just never left a lasting impression on me at the time.

Intimidated by a Cool Beauty?

When Akina Nakamori made her debut, it was during the absolute peak of the idol era. Seiko Matsuda was a bit senior to her, and while there were so many cute idols back then being labeled as burikko (playing cute), Akina Nakamori always felt like she stood apart from them. Or at least, that was my own personal impression of her.

It was a phrase I didn’t hear very often until Shizuka Arakawa won the gold medal in figure skating at the Olympics. But there was something about Akina Nakamori that gave me the impression of a “cool beauty,” and somehow she seemed different from other idols. I wonder what it was? Since “cool beauty” probably wasn’t a term people used to describe women back then, I wonder what expression they would have used instead. Perhaps something like “mature-looking”? It’s not as though I had ever seen Akina Nakamori genuinely angry or anything like that. Nevertheless, I somehow had the impression that she was a little intimidating. I certainly thought she was beautiful and wasn’t uninterested in her, but I never went so far as to buy her CDs or make a point of watching the TV programs she appeared on.

Chapter 2: What I Never Knew About Akina Nakamori

As noted above, the widespread use and remarkable progress of the internet over the last ten-plus years have changed everything. It may take a little digging, but we can easily watch classic videos today in ways that were unthinkable two decades ago. With my curiosity about Akina Nakamori sparked at this late stage, I started looking up and streaming her videos online.

Initially, I searched for her videos myself on streaming sites. However, after searching for the same topic just twice, the platform began suggesting various Akina Nakamori videos in my recommended and related feeds, making it effortlessly easy to binge-watch them one after another.

At first, mostly videos of Akina Nakamori’s singing were displayed, but gradually, plenty of videos featuring her past talk show appearances also began showing up.

“I Never Knew She Could Be This Playful!”

　While it’s hard to tell from comedy sketches since they follow a script, the facial expressions, conversations, and voice tone Akina Nakamori shows in talk segments are just ridiculously cute compared to when she’s singing, aren’t they!!? I’m not sure if “playful” is the right word, but having viewed her as a distant “cool beauty” like I mentioned in Chapter 1, I was completely blown away—even if I’m late to the party.

Honestly, even on music shows like The Best Ten, singers didn’t just jump straight into their songs—there was always a brief talk segment beforehand where they shared recent updates. So I must have seen her talking on TV back then, too. Yet for some reason, those moments never made an impression on me. Why was that? I suppose my very first impression of her—as someone mature and somehow aloof—created a preconception that prevented me from truly seeing that adorable side of her.

On top of that, seeing her little thoughtful gestures and how much she cares about the atmosphere on variety shows, the more I watch her, the more adorable she becomes. It really makes you think, “No wonder she was so incredibly popular.”

Since I’m in my mid-50s now, I actually could have been an Akina Nakamori fan in real time. It almost makes me feel like I’ve wasted a bit of my life by missing out, which is pretty disappointing. If time travel were possible, I’d love to go back nearly 40 years and become her fan back then—though on a personal note, I’m a bit hesitant about going back to my middle or high school years… Anyway, I’m getting off track! Sorry about that.

Chapter 3: After All These Years, Akina Nakamori Sings Again

At the absolute peak of her popularity, Ms. Nakamori faced a barrage of media reports. Since it’s impossible to tell how much of it was actually true—and as someone who wasn’t even a fan back then, it wouldn’t feel right for me to bring up such sensitive matters based on rumors—I’ll leave those details out. However, due to health issues, she ultimately had to take a hiatus.

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure how long her hiatus lasted. It probably wasn’t quite twenty years, but she did perform on the Kohaku Uta Gassen about ten years ago. Apparently, she was already on leave before that appearance and returned to her hiatus afterward, so it really was an extended period away from the spotlight.

However, she didn’t remain completely silent the whole time. It seems she has an official fan club and occasionally sent messages out to her dedicated supporters. Naturally, many fans were eager for her return, but at the same time, their top priority was her health. They didn’t want her to rush back only to fall ill and go on hiatus again, so many fans found themselves caught in a heartbreaking dilemma.

In the midst of all this, she performed at a music festival and released new music in 2025. Then in 2026, there were even more signs pointing to a full-scale comeback. We’ve been seeing much more of her across various media, including TV shows, and she appears to be working tirelessly—even holding a concert to coincide with her birthday.

After all these years, the songstress has finally returned!

Regrettably, I completely missed the broadcast (…seriously, what is wrong with me…?), but rumor has it that fans were hit with a wave of deep emotion and brought to tears seeing her on Music Station after three decades. For those dedicated supporters who watched her journey unfold in real time—from her absolute idol prime to her hiatus and eventual return—it must have been infinitely more touching than it was for a newcomer like myself.

Now that I see just how deeply loved Akina Nakamori is, I want to cheer her on from here on out.

I wasn’t an active fan of Akina Nakamori back in the 1980s.
If anything, I used to find her a bit intimidating.
That is precisely why, watching old footage of her now, I feel a hint of regret, thinking, “How did I miss out on her charm for so long?”
But when you think about it, maybe it’s never too late to fall in love with someone’s work.
A song from forty years ago can resonate deeply with us for the first time today.
And seeing her perform again now after all these years, we can simply think, “What a wonderful person she is.”
Her singing voice over the WBS ending credits—”So even if hatred breaks this world, flowers will bloom. Stay alive.”
I don’t know if these words reflect Akina-san’s own life journey.
However, right now, these lyrics linger deeply in my heart.
Akina Nakamori.
Though I never truly got to know you until now, I would like to listen to your songs, step by step, from here on out.

Afterword

Usually, for articles in this “Bi-Muse” category, I leave most of the writing to AI and use this afterword section to pour out my own thoughts. However, for this post, while I did get some advice from AI, I wrote more than half of it myself. Because of that, there might be a few typos or missing words here and there, so please bear with me!

Also, since I utilize AI for gathering information and drafting articles, there is a chance the output may include AI hallucinations or inaccuracies. While I do my best to fact-check the content, errors can still slip through. For any critical information, please be sure to verify with official websites or primary sources.

I missed the chance to cheer her on back then, but…

I mentioned in the post that I regret it, and to be frank, that isn’t a lie. However, if you’re asking whether it’s the kind of profound regret that would make me depressed, it really isn’t that serious.

Looking back, if I had been a fan since my high school days, I might have been tossed around by all the media coverage and emotionally exhausted.

I don’t want to elaborate too much since bringing spirituality into this might make readers cringe or back away, but watching Akina Nakamori’s return—along with all the recent group breakups and agency issues coming to light in show business—truly gives me a sense that times are changing.

Given everything that happened, maybe “rise and fall” isn’t quite the right phrase. But precisely because Akina Nakamori experienced the absolute height of popularity as well as immense personal struggles, I want to say, “Just enjoy yourself and don’t push too hard from now on.” Then again, showbiz is a unique world, so a little bit of hardship might just come with the territory. Even so, I sincerely hope she can enjoy her career to her heart’s content, without ever having to suffer or take another long hiatus again.

And with her kind nature, she could easily become a guiding light for younger artists who are struggling. Although I’m late to the party, I look forward to seeing her continue to shine, and I also want to make time to explore her legendary musical legacy.

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Please note that this article was originally drafted in Japanese and translated into English with the help of translation software and AI tools.

Therefore, this post might contain unclear wording or expressions that could unintentionally cause offense. I kindly ask for your patience and understanding.

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The original article in Japanese can be found [here].