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About an hour ago, I was watching NHK's "News at 9" live when in the middle of the broadcast, I saw the screen behind the anchor showing Miho Nakayama's（中山美穂）smiling visage with the anchor seriously saying "A very popular aidoru from the 1980s, Miho Nakayama was...". I just went "Oh, no...not her".
To say that I was shocked and saddened of her death at the age of 54 is an understatement. It's still very early hours in the situation but apparently, she was found in the bathroom of her house on December 6th by a friend who had come visiting with some concern after not showing up for work. As of this writing, the cause of her death has yet to be identified but she had been scheduled to give a concert later that day which was cancelled because of health concerns. Not surprisingly, on hearing of her sudden passing, some of those fans arrived at the venue to mourn.
My memories of Miporin not only include her many hits from the middle of the 80s well into the 90s, but also my impression that she along with a few other aidoru in the latter half of that decade spearheaded a new look during that time. The early 1980s were led by Seiko Matsuda（松田聖子）, Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）and Naoko Kawai（河合奈保子）as the cutest-of-the-cute teenybopper singers running along the beach or skipping through fields of flowers, but with those singers either taking a hiatus or evolving into pop superstars approaching 1985, there was a next generation from the mid-80s which included Miho Nakayama as aidoru who came off as more street-smart and not-suffer-fools-gladly young women; perhaps ladies who were just as willing to hit the dance clubs of Tokyo as they were to head to the beach. In fact, I had even placed Nakayama, Shizuka Kudo（工藤静香）and Momoko Kikuchi（菊池桃子）into my own imagined Gosanke as aidoru representing this slightly harder-edged group of singers.
I hadn't planned to start the usual Friday round of KKP articles until later this afternoon, but on hearing of her death, I felt that I had to write down some thoughts as soon as possible. My condolences go out to her family, friends and her many fans everywhere. This will be a sad day but perhaps all of us can get together and appreciate the music that she left behind along with her many acting roles over the past few decades. Below I'm leaving some of the songs that she performed on her 7-year run on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen.
(1989) Virgin Eyes
(1990) Aishiterutte Iwanai! （愛してるっていわない！）
(1991) Rosa
(1994) Tada Nakitakunaruno （ただ泣きたくなるの）
Wow, such shocking news today. Her death even reached international news outlets like the BBC, Variety, CNN, etc. I loved her music output in the late 80's especially when she leaned into New Jack/Jill Swing. One of my favorite songs from her is "Mermaid." And while she wasn't the greatest single, I really loved her ballad, "You're My Only Shinin' Star."
ReplyDeleteOf course, that's just her music side. She was a great actor too. Of course, probably her most famous movie is 1995's "Love Letter," especially the final scene. I saw a tweet from the director, Shunji Iwai that said she had promised to go to Otaru for both the 30th anniversary of the film and the 40th anniversary of her debut. Just a sad day overall.
Yeah, the news is hitting all of us with shock and sadness today. I had no idea that she was that ill. I've also been reading a lot of tweets in mourning about Miho.
DeleteIt's terrible to realize that she was found dead in her bathroom, similar to what happened to the late great Whitney Houston in 2012.
ReplyDeleteMiho was a really nice popstar and also a versatile actress. I remember watching some of the late 80s episodes of the Drifters' annual Fuji TV special Dorifu Daibakusho on YouTube in 2017 before they were taken down by Fuji TV from the site where she was one of their guests, being involved in some comic skits with Kato-chan and the late Ken Shimura. So sad. My deepest condolences to Miporin's beloved fans.
Hello, Kyle. Yes, it's terrible to read and hear such news especially when she was still a relatively young person. In the days to come, we'll hopefully hear some more news about what exactly happened.
DeleteFireminer here. Some people in my circle aren't necessary J-Pop fans, but they all knew Miho Nakayama as the star of a very strange Famicom dating simulator called Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School. Apparently you could play the game and then call a number to hear pre-recorded messages from the idol. It was one of those titles Japanese retro game nerds speak in the same breath with TM Network: Live in Power Bowl.
ReplyDeleteHi, Fireminer. Yeah, I did hear something along those lines about a dating sim featuring Nakayama but I was never sure if it had been an urban legend or not. Maybe it was inspired by a J-comedy-drama that she had starred in where she was basically playing a meta version of herself getting married and becoming a stepmother.
DeleteHi, J-Canuck. Just heard about this (a bit late, but that's what you get for not being very active on social media) and came here figuring you had mentioned it already.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say I'm also deeply saddened about this, as it is so sudden and some of my favorite Showa idol songs are from her. I associate her discography to a specific period where it very much helped me enjoy my life at the time.
I hope Miporin rests in peace and wish my condolences to her friends, family, and fans like us. May we find solace in knowing that her legacy and songs will last for years to come.
Yeah, it was very surreal when I found out. Even my parents literally gasped in surprise when NHK announced it. She just left us way too early but hopefully, she's in a much better place with a happy legacy for us to enjoy.
DeleteAs soon as I woke up yesterday, I saw that two friends had sent me a message asking how I was feeling about the news. What news? I didn't know anything until I opened the link posted by one of them, saying that Miho Nakayama had died. What a shock! I didn't know how to react and immediately the world stopped around me.
ReplyDeleteIn the last five years, Nakayama has been the singer I've listened to the most. I've known most of her work for over ten years, but it was only in the last five years that she became a constant presence on my daily playlists or those moments when I sit in my living room to listen to a CD in its entirety.
It's very strange to think about Miho Nakayama and then immediately remember that she died, because she was part of my daily life, whether with her songs, dramas ("Mama wa Idol!" makes me happy whenever I watch it) or with posts from her staff on social media, always talking about her concerts and professional activities she was involved in.
At the same time, yesterday, when I listened to one of her CDs from the 80s, I didn't feel any sadness, perhaps because that Miho from the late 80s, my favorite period of her career, was overflowing with youth, showing off that beautiful smile and those big, mysterious eyes, almost like a character forever stuck in that time and space. In other words, for me, she is not the same Miho Nakayama who, with a mature, sometimes tired, vulnerable, fragile, woman's voice, left us yesterday. Perhaps this dissociation will help me to move on without her.
Hi, Marcos. I was thinking about how you were feeling because I knew that you were a big fan of hers. Yeah, it was terribly shocking to hear about her passing. However, as I've mentioned above, she leaves behind a body of work of songs and performances that will continue to be enjoyed for years and decades.
DeleteHi, J-Canuck.
DeleteLast week she released her latest Blu-ray, containing a concert recorded in June. I hope to receive it before Christmas, so I can watch it and send all my positive energy to this great artist who has always brought me, and will continue to bring, so much happiness.
Hello, Marcos. I'm sure that you will cherish it even more once you get it. I've also read that she may have filmed some footage for a J-Drama early in 2025 but I don't know what will happen now that she has left this mortal coil.
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