Horikita Maki takes the train!

In mid-July, at around 6pm, Horikita Maki was spotted at Shibuya Station dressed casually in a long-sleeved shirt, loose-fitting jeans and sneakers. Maki was with a woman who seemed like her manager. They got off a train on the Saikyo Line and headed to the fare-adjustment machine before exiting the station, most likely to NHK where she is currently filming 'Umechan Sensei'. A witness commented,"Never in my dreams did I even think a top-notch actress like Horikita-san would use the train to get around." So why is a leading actress in movies and dramas travelling in this manner? "This is an effect from Kuroki Meisa's shotgun marriage to Akanishi Jin. After the shock announcement, planned events were cancelled and sponsors started cancelling commercial contracts. These amounted to losses of several hundred million yen. Because of that, the agency has been trying to find ways of saving money, even if it's a little. It seems that there has even been occasions when Horikita rode a bicycle to the set of Umechan Sensei," explains a writer for a weekly magazine.

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and also making headlines, Ayase Haruka shops for her own groceries on 3rd August.

Source

Ayase Haruka takes over downtown Tokyo in Akko-chan promotion

Posters of Ayase Haruka as Akko-chan dressed in 13 outfits have taken over trains and the premium advertising space in Shinjuku Station as a run-up to the opening of movie 'Himitsu no Akko-chan'. Thirteen media outlets online also each covered the promotion with a different photo. HImitsu no Akko-chan is a manga by Akatsuka Fujio but the movie version is an original story. In the movie 10-year-old Kagami Atsuko uses a magic compact, which can transform her into anything she wants, into a 22-year old university student. Her love interest is played by Okada Masaki. The movie opens on 1st September.

Current ranking of top-earning actresses

Nikkan Gendai has released a ranking of the top-earning actresses in Japan. The list covers the recent estimated earning of an actress for one episode of a drama and the potential viewer ratings she could garner. Matsushima Nanako topped the list with 2.5 million yen per episode (US$31700, SGD$40000). With plans to participate in only 2 dramas for Nippon TV next year, there are rumours that she might even command 4 million yen per episode.

Top-earning actresses
Name/Estimated fee per episode(円)/Potential viewership ratings(%)

 1. Matsushima Nanako 2.5 million (US$31700) 12.4%

 2. Ayase Haruka 2.2 million (US$28000) 12.1%

 3. Ueto Aya 2 million (US$25400) 11.9%

 4. Nagasawa Masami 2 million 9.7%

 5. Amami Yuki 2 million 8.9%