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Fujiwara Norika (Hyogo Prefecture, 1971- )
 She can safely be described as the female face of the late '90s.
It was impossible to walk the streets, read a magazine or watch
TV without seeing the chipmunk features of this former Miss Japan
beaming at you. The most ubiquitous advertising was for the mobile
phone company J-Phone but Fujiwara's marketing power has boosted sales for countless
other products over the last few years.
She was scouted while still in high school and pursued a modeling
career through her university years, gracing the covers of several
national magazines. After the huge break of winning the Miss Japan
contest in 1992, she moved to the capital and started on expanding
her resume. Her looks landed her prime TV roles opposite such
heart-throbs as Takahashi Katsunori and Inagaki Goro of SMAP. Her biggest Tv hits include Okuman-choja to Kekon Suru Hoho (How to Marry a Millionaire) and Naomi. In the latter, she played a predatory high school teacher whose
sexual exploits with her students led to complaints from viewers
about her 'immoral behavior'.
Something of a 'daikon yakusha' (ham actor) she needs to rely on her looks rather than her dramatic
skills to survive. A strategic change of hairstyle is enough to
send the gossip shows into a frenzy and put her on the front page
of the tabloids. Perhaps in order to live up to the figure of
her very own Barbie-style 'Norika' doll, Fujiwara keeps in shape
by regularly working out. She is also known as a keen fan of the
martial arts and was a friend of the late Swiss K-1 fighter Andy Hug. This less than cutesy side to her character indicate that there
may be more to this woman than her PR machine let us see. But
the always image-conscious Japanese geinokai (entertainment world) will no doubt have the last say so she
is a prime candidate for Celebrity Bride of the Year should such
an event come about. Reports of her relationship with US-based
actor Kato Masaya are routinely denied but the rumor mills keep
churning.
Fujiwara has a better than average English ability and appeared
in the Hong Kong action movie China Strike Force in 2000. We may be seeing more of her on the international stage
yet.
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