Nagasawa Nanako (Naako) / Keyakizaka46 1st Generation

Birthday stream live!

if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Wow, Naako looking pretty! I hope things work out for her.

 

By the way, anyone know what she studied in university ?

Also, what do you think was the most likely reason she quit being an idol ? And will she stay in the entertainment industry ? Or will she get a corporate job since she went to university ?

How many pet dogs does she have ?

And does she have any siblings ?

 

It is unknown. In general while stalkers wotas and tabloids are capable of learning the particular university at times, the study subjects are unknown. And she herself has not shared it.

Her graduation came as Keyakizaka was reaching ridiculous levels of stagnation. It had been an entire year since the release of the last single, and there was no sign of anything new happening. She may have felt there were better opportunities for herself. In addition, it is possible she was thinking about marriage with her partner and that influenced her decision to leave.

She has three. Their names are Kanna, Ryo, and Luna. Kanna and Ryo are mame shibas and Luna is a border collie.

She has an older sister. I am unsure if she has more siblings.

 

Does she wear contact lens/spectacles ?

Also, saw that girls there wear traditional outfits when they graduate from college, but guys don't. What's the reason for that ? Wouldn't the girls look more professional in business suits as well ?

 

She has 20/20 vision but apparently wears contact lenses "just in case". There are a couple of photos out there of her wearing glasses, probably from very old blogs. I don't know whether they were real glasses or not.

The thing about contacts is what she said on Keyakitte Kakenai, and it is possible it was entirely invented for the show, so take it with a grain of salt. Of all of the crazy things idols say they do and have done, this is the only one I think is fake because of just how painful such a thing would be. I am skeptical Naako- who is very easily scared of ghosts and cried during the moe line competition thing on Keyabingo- would be able to endure such subtle pain for long periods of time.

Obviously, kimono was much more widespread before the beginning of westernization in the 1870s. The predecessor school to the Gakushuin Girl's/Women's School had their students wear hakama as well. Thus hakama became a symbol of women who can attend school/study. Later during the early stages of Japan's modernization, as a result of the militarization of Japan (as indicated in the "enrich the country, strengthen the army" slogan of the time) school uniforms were westernized, with the uniforms being based on the Imperial Japanese Navy's (girl's uniforms based on low ranking sailor's outfit, boy's uniforms based on that of navy officers), which was the pride of the nation after its stunning victory over the Russian fleet at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905. These uniforms are still common today (obviously) although ones resembling British school uniforms (with tie, blazer, etc.) are also common. But anyways, back when school uniforms were westernized, traditional clothing was not dropped entirely. Kimono and hakama were retained for graduation ceremonies. As to why, it may have been that while the government wished to modernize the roles men played in society- encouraging new jobs in things like factories, new western style companies, etc.- it wished to keep women in their traditional roles as was believed to be required to both keep the economy strong (raising new children, taking care of the household while the husband works, etc.) and preserve Japanese culture (or what they believed to be Japanese culture). Thus such a mindset influenced what the men who were in charge of various institutions at the time- including schools- thought their students should wear for their graduation ceremony.

As to the second part of your second question (whether a suit would be more professional), just from a purely logical standpoint, although most of the people who wear kimono and hakama don't even realize it (they might wear it because it is just what women wear when they graduate, and therefore it is something "adult-like" and cool + it is something everyone looks up to as part of becoming an adult. Likewise, 99% of Western college students probably don't understand why they wear a gown and that square cap, but still think it is a cool symbol of becoming an adult), kimono and/or hakama are just as professional as a business suit (based on the association it had with educated (and thus high class) women during the Meiji era, and its meaning as a symbol of becoming an adult it has acquired after over 100 years of use as graduation ceremony clothing).

Source for the kimono history- https://kyotokimono-rental.com/column_hakama/hakama_imi.html

EDIT- If you are that curious, I can ask my cousin, who wore a kimono for her graduation from nursing school, the next time I talk to her.

 

^ Thanks for taking the time to reply.
If some girls want to wear business suits for graduation, will they be afraid to look out of place especially among other girls ? For most college graduations, there seems to be no particular dress code, and people can even wear smart casual.

Also, what is she currently doing in showbiz ? Will she be appearing in events and variety shows ? Or maybe be an actress like many other idols ?

And how's her relationship with Mr A going ? According to the tabloid, there have been squabbles lately.

 

According to this website- http://lovetalk-info.com/sotsugyoshiki-josei-suit/ -yes, there is pressure to not look out of place. No source is given though so I'm not sure how accurate it is. That said, it is only at women's colleges, at mixed universities, the website claims the number of girls wearing suits is rising.

She does a variety of activities. She uploads regularly on her YouTube channel. She holds "online talk events" which are like Sakamichi meet and greets. Earlier when the virus cases were low, she even held a live (real life) meeting where she met fans and signed stuff. She is currently working on hand-crafted accessories (earrings, rings, and the like) and is in the process of creating a website to sell them on (although it is likely her staff, not her doing the coding lol). She is also releasing a digital photobook on June 13th.

I am unaware of whether she will attempt to go for TV appearances or a role in a drama. The latter was never a shining point for her so I think it unlikely. Whereas she seems to be doing good with the relatively small scale idol activities she is doing now, so a TV appearance might be a little much.

Something that I think indicates her intention to keep to activities created by herself is that she has not done any sponsorships at all since returning to entertainment after graduation, whereas every other ex-Keyaki member who returned to show biz has. On the other hand, that might be explained by her relationship. Her fiancee is an IT CEO and the owner of a marriage hunting website, so she may not really have to worry about money too much and can kind of do as she pleases.

The status of her relationship is unknown. The Bunshun article states that her fiancee is requiring her to allow him to track her smart phone location to see where she is going, and that when she comes home late he gets angry, and that as a result fighting between them is "constant". The author of the article thinks they will call off the engagement soon.

 

GPS tracking your fiancée really is kinda off-putting, to tell the truth. Insecure much?

 

A sign of mild paranoia and a sure sign for INSTA "disengagement"...

 

Err.. who's tracking who actually

Also, is it likely she took arts/design in college rather than business/science ? Since she is making hand-crafted accessories rather than working in an office.

 

The IT CEO is tracking her.

You never know, her presentation during the hometown location shoot contest on Keyakitte Kakenai was very professional. Business skills would be useful, she seems to be coordinating her own activities, and does not have a manager doing it for her. Definitely not science though.

 

@Torigoya-San --I certainly don't know for sure, but when she was posting all those images of her cooking, back in late 2016-2017, I somehow got the impression (I read it or inferred it) that she was studying/had studied home economics or nutrition, maybe in a two-year college. She turned 18 in April 2015, just before the group formed.



But her manga ability was shown in how she wrote identifications on the images, describing ingredients, etc. Sometimes the photos could be used like recipes. So maybe she studied art. That was around the time she started her cartoons for Ribon magazine. Does anyone know if those are still going?

(Words on left-hand photo are "pork and boiled brown rice," middle photo "butter," right-hand photo "dried fruits + brandy.")

 

If this is to be believed: https://resumedia.jp/28856.html

School: 実践女子大学 (Jissen Women's University)
Faculty: 生活科学部 (Faculty of Human Life Science, aka "Home economics", mainly found in women universities)
Department/program: 食生活学科 (Department of dietary habits?)

 

Thanks very much! Perhaps my vague impression had some basis. The site you link to says she confirmed in April 2018 that she was attending a college teaching about food. If the details are correct, she may have graduated in the spring of 2020, since this is a four-year college. Or she may still be studying -- she said on her Insta last April that she was doing homework.

The "Jissen" in the school's name means "practical": "Women's University of Practical Studies." Its site says students in the nutrition department (?食生活学科) study basic cooking, nutritional science, marketing, and public nutrition, and study can lead to becoming a registered dietician, a food scientist, or a specialist in sports nutrition, among other things.

The campus appears to be at Hino, a few stops west of Shinjuku on the Chuuou line, fairly easy to access from the SME building that I believe is Seed & Flower's HQ. Beautiful big kitchens in the photos on the site.

Many thanks also for the resumedia site, which seems interesting.

I have nothing to say about Naako's marriage/no marriage. All relationships are complicated and personal. I somehow believe that, weird as she may sometimes seem, Naako can look out for her own interests.

 

Unfortunately they are not (still going).

She did make some cute drawings to adorn goods like sweatshirts and tote bags though.

They can be bought from her official website's store- https://nanako04230104.fensi.plus/page/store although I don't know whether the company responsible for distribution (fensi) does overseas shipping or not.

 

https://lunana.jp/

Nanako's handmade accessory website has opened! Both female oriented and male oriented items are available. All are handmade by Naako herself.

Bad news though- shipping overseas is not available.

 

Anyone have any latest info about her ?