Miho Nakayama

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Miho Nakayama (中山 美穂, Nakayama Miho, born 1 March 1970) is a Japanese singer and actress. She made her debut in the 1985 drama Maido Osawagase Shimasu, where her performance lead to instant stardom. Nakayama released her debut single, "C", shortly after, and finished the year with her film debut in the blockbuster Be-Bop High School. She became one of the most popular idols during its "Golden Age" in the 1980s.

Nakayama's early releases as a teen pop artist were moderate sellers, with the singles compilation Collection (1987) becoming her first of three chart-topping studio albums on the Oricon chart. By this point, Nakayama had pivoted towards a dance-oriented sound and achieved five consecutive number one singles. Her best known songs from this period include "Waku Waku Sasete", "50/50", "Catch Me" and "You're My Only Shinin' Star".

By the 1990s, her artistry began to mature as she penned lyrics and recorded ballads, resulting in several platinum singles and her biggest sales: "Tōi Machi no Doko ka de..." (1991), "Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto" (1992) with Wands, and "Tada Nakitaku Naru no" (1994).

Nakayama received positive reviews for her lead roles in Love Letter (1995) and Tokyo Weather (1997); the former remains as her most recognizable credit internationally.

Since 1985, she is represented by Big Apple Co., Ltd.^[3][4] Nicknamed Miporin (ミポリン), Nakayama occasionally uses the pseudonyms Mizuho Kitayama (北山 瑞穂, Kitayama Mizuho) or Issaque (一咲, Issaku) when she writes song lyrics.^[5][6]

Nakayama was born in Saku, Nagano, Japan. After her mother remarried, her family moved to Koganei, Tokyo, where Nakayama attended Koganei Municipal Junior High School.^[1]

After a talent scout discovered her in Harajuku, Nakayama debuted on 21 June 1985 with her single "C", and with her starring role in the film Be-Bop High School. Throughout her career as a singer and actress, she recorded 22 studio albums and scored eight No. 1 singles on Oricon charts, two of which sold over one million copies each. She also starred in a Famicom Disk System dating sim produced by Nintendo titled Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School, in which she played a high school student who tries to conceal her actual identity.^[6]

In 1995, director Shunji Iwai cast Nakayama in the starring dual roles of Hiroko Watanabe and Itsuki Fujii in the film Love Letter. The film was a huge box-office success, and Nakayama won Best Actress awards for her role in the film at the 38th Blue Ribbon Awards,^[7] the 17th Yokohama Film Festival^[8] and the 18th Hochi Film Awards.^[9][6]

Nakayama was nominated for a Best Actress Japanese Academy Award in 1998 for her role in Tokyo Biyori,^[10] and has appeared in numerous TV series including Love Story (2001).^[11]

On 8 November 2021, Nakayama starred alongside King & Prince member Yuta Jinguji in the stage play Aoi no Ue/Yoroboshi (『葵上』『弱法師』, Lady Aoi/Weak Lawyer) at The Globe Tokyo. The play ran until December 5.^[12][13]

Nakayama's younger sister is Shinobu Nakayama, also an actress and retired pop singer.^[6] She also has a younger brother named Tomoaki.^[1]

Two years after her friend Yasuko Endō died by suicide, Nakayama wrote the lyrics and composed the music for the song, "Long Distance to Heaven," that she performed during a 1988 concert tour. A requiem for Endō, the song commemorated Endō's cancelled debut single "In the Distance." It was included in her July 1988 album Mind Game, and mentioned in her 1991 essay collection P.S. I Love You. Without specifying Endō's name, Nakayama wrote about her in her 2009 photo essay collection Nazenara Yasashii Machi ga Atta Kara.^[14]

Nakayama married musician Hitonari Tsuji in 2002 after an eight-month relationship. They moved to Paris, where they had a son a year later.^[6] In 2014, Nakayama and Tsuji divorced, and Nakayama moved back to Japan, with Tsuji retaining custody of their son.^[2][1]

Studio albums

• C (1985)
• After School (1985)
• Summer Breeze (1986)
• Exotique (1986)
• One and Only (1987)
• Catch the Nite (1988)
• Mind Game (1988)
• Angel Hearts (1988)
• Hide 'n' Seek (1989)
• Merry Merry (1989)
• All for You (1990)
• Jeweluna (1990)
• Dé eaya (1991)
• Mellow (1992)
• Wagamama na Actress (1993)
• Pure White (1994)
• Mid Blue (1995)
• Deep Lip French (1996)
• Groovin' Blue (1997)
• Olive (1998)
• Manifesto (1999)
• Neuf Neuf (2019)

• Issho Kenmei Nakayama Miho Photo Collection (1985, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionIssho Kenmei Nakayama Miho Photo Collection. Wani Books. 1985. ISBN 9784847020247.
• Toumei de Iru Yo, Meippai Onna no Ko (1985, Wani Books) - Essay CollectionToumei de Iru Yo, Meippai Onna no Ko. Wani Books. 1985. ISBN 4847010310.
• Miho Ganbaru (1986, Shueisha) - Photo CollectionMiho Ganbaru. Shueisha. 1986.
• Docchi ni Suru no. (1989, Shueisha) - Photo CollectionDocchi ni Suru no. Shueisha. 1989.
• Ambivalence Nakayama Miho Shashinshu (1989, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionMysterious Book. Wani Books. 1901.
• SCENA miho nakayama pictorial (1991, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionAmbivalence Nakayama Miho Shashinshu. Wani Books. 1991.
• P.S. I LOVE YOU (1991, Nippon Hassou Shuppan and Fusosha Publishing) - Essay CollectionP.S. I LOVE YOU. Fusosha Publishing. 1991.
• LETTERS in Love Letter (Nakayama Miho Photo Collection) (1995, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionLETTERS in Love Letter. Wani Books. 1995.
• Nakayama Miho in Eiga Tokyo Biyori (1997, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionNakayama Miho in Eiga Tokyo Biyori. Wani Books. 1997.
• Atashi to Watashi (1997, Gentosha) - NovelMiho Nakayama (1997). Atashi to Watashi. Gentosha.
• ANGEL (1998, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionANGEL. Wani Books. 1998.
• Nazenara Yasashii Machi ga Atta Kara (2009, Shueisha) - Photo Essay Collection^[18]

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Miho Nakayama at IMDb
• Miho Nakayama at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)
• Miho Nakayama discography at MusicBrainz
• Miho Nakayama discography at Discogs
• Miho Nakayama at Oricon
• Miho Nakayama at Idol.ne.jp