Asahina Aya is a 31-year-old actress, model, and YouTuber from Sumoto, Japan. She is notable for her appearances in Alice in Borderland(2020), Girl Gun Lady(2021), and the Japanese drama Sekai no Owari Kara(2023). Also, she has appeared at several fashion events for the Kobe Collection and Tokyo Girls Collection.
The Japanese actress has received a few awards including the 2014 DHC Cinderella Award as well as the 2015 Sanai Swimsuit Image Girl.
As one of the multitalented actresses who is putting the Japanese film industry on the list of global entertainment giants, she has found ways of managing her career and marriage. She is married to the Japanese actor and radio presenter, Kenjirô Yamashita.
The 31-year-old was Born in Sumoto, Japan
These days, many are captivated by Aya’s fascinating screen roles, however, she started life in Sumoto which is located on the beautiful Awaji Island. She was born Aya Matsuse on October 6, 1993, to parents whose identity she has not revealed.
Considering her year of birth, 1993, Aya was born in one of the most notable years in Japanese History. In that year, a catastrophic earthquake struck off the shore of Kushiro and killed about two people while leaving many injured. Though Kuchiro lies more than 4 thousand miles away from Sumoto, it was a national tragedy.
Moving on, her place of birth is important to her life story as she attended schools within the area. Remarkably, she was very active in sports during her elementary school till her third year of High school. Due to her passion for athleticism, she joined the track and field club.
She graduated from the Hyugo Prefectural Sumoto Jitsugyo High School.
She is a UNESCO ambassador of Awaji Island and as part of her campaign, she works hard to promote the people’s culture and history through entertainment.
Asahina Aya Used to Work as a Midwife’s Assistant
Following her graduation from high school, the actress worked as a midwife’s assistant at the local women’s department. She spent a year and a half there and gained experience that she later used when portraying the character of Manami in Red Shoes. In the movie, she was expected to act the part of a boxer who lost her daughter and has to struggle to gain her back after an accident.
The Sumoto native revealed that she did not have experience raising children but used her work experience to translate her role. Though she collapsed for three consecutive days during the production of the work, her experience as a midwife’s assistant was a highly commendable one.
She Moved to Tokyo to Build a Career in Modeling
Known as the Nine-Headed Beauty due to her great looks, it was only necessary that such a description fit into a modeling career. On her own, she had a dream of becoming a model right from elementary school.
At first, she was inspired by the singer Maki Goto who featured in Morning Musume. Reportedly, she even wrote about wanting to join the show at her elementary graduation collection.
Another source of inspiration for her came after watching Paradise Kiss, a manga based on a girl who wanted to become a top model. Like the story, Aya would one day reach such heights and even win prizes.
But first here is how she was able to do this. Aya started doing event modeling at a young age and was later scouted. She moved to Tokyo, the country’s capital to get more work.
Thankfully, the decision paid off, and by 2014, she found herself working at the Ikushima Planning office. While there, she participated in the Cinderella Awards organized by the cosmetic brand, DHC. Aya made quite an impression and this earned her the Grand Prize. She has made many notable modeling appearances whether as a runway model, event model, or in advertisements.
- Swimsuit Show at Tourism Expo Japan(2015)
Aya Has Released Photo Albums
As mentioned earlier, Aya wrote about her dream of becoming a model in her elementary school yearbook and years later, this has come to pass. This time around she has added to this dream by making her photo albums.
Her first photo book Aya Darake-Aya Asahina’s First Photo Book was released on October 28, 2016. This was followed two years later with the self-titled Aya which Wani Books released on February 3, 2018.
She made her acting debut in 2017
Aya is a woman who wears many career hats and one of them is acting. After years of working as a model, she made her acting debut in 2017 when she appeared in Tokyo Alice. She appeared in 12 episodes of the manga series which started streaming on August 17 of the same year. Unsurprisingly, it helped to popularise her to people who did not know her from modeling.
In 2022, she made her movie debut in Red Shoes. Since then she has made several screen appearances. According to IMDB, she had 9 acting credits at the time of writing this report.
Asahina Aya’s Filmography
- Sekai no owari kara(2023)
- Alice in Borderland(2020-2022)
- Red Shoes(2022)
- Girl Gun Lady(2021)
- Grand Blue(2020)
- Tokyo MPD-From Zero to Hero(2020)
- Runway 24(2019)
- We Are Rockets(2017)
- Tokyo Alice(2014)
She is also a YouTuber
Aside from the screen roles that Aya takes and photo shoots involved with modeling, she loves to share other details about her lifestyle on her YouTube channel. The Sumoto native started the channel on her 27th birthday and has since attracted thousands of followers.
Mostly she shares shopping hacks, cuisine, makeup, and travel experiences. To stay connected with her followers, Aya is said to have built a room for streaming in her home.
Asahina Aya has been married to Kenjirô Yamashita since 2021
Aya is quite the captivating beauty that is sure to make many admirers wish to be in her life. Sadly for this growing number of admirers, the actress is taken. She is married to her heartthrob, Kenjirô Yamashita. The pair got married sometime in July 2021.
Yamashita has an impressive career record as a dancer, singer, and radio personality. He is a member of the Japanese Pop group Sandaime J Soul Brothers. Aside from this, he is passionate about fishing, DIY projects as well as collecting sneakers.
Focusing on his relationship with Aya. The pair are said to have met through a mutual friend and soon found out that they were deeply attracted to each other. Their relationship was still going strong when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. While it was a trying moment for many people around the world, the lovers saw the positive side of remaining together and decided to build their relationship even stronger through common interests.
Prior, Yamashita had revealed his intention to start a family when he eventually found the right partner. Unsurprisingly, they quietly got married before making a public announcement about the union on July 26, 2021.
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Asahina Aya does not have children yet
From what we have gathered, the Japanese multi-talented entertainer is not a mother. However, it is not unusual for celebrities to keep such details quiet. Moreso, she may be taking her time before making such a big decision about motherhood.
Considering her husband’s past remarks about starting a family, we may not be surprised if they choose that route as a pair. Moreover, Yamashita has hinted that he is going to be a great dad because he was alone for a long time during which he cooked and cleaned after himself.
The implication is that these are skills he will use in his family. Moreso, we may not be wrong to say, he may likely also use his passion for DIY if they eventually have kids.
