Miki Nakatani

Miki Nakatani
中谷 美紀
Nakatani 2015 at the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival
Born	(1976-01-12) 12 January 1976 (age 48) Higashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation(s)	Actress, singer
Years active	1991–present
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Spouse	Thilo Fechner ​ (m. 2018)​
Japanese name
Kanji	中谷 美紀
Hiragana	なかたに みき
Katakana	ナカタニ ミキ
Transcriptions Romanization Nakatani Miki

Miki Nakatani (中谷 美紀, Nakatani Miki, born 12 January 1976) is a Japanese actress and singer who began her professional career as a member of the girl group Sakurakko Club. Nakatani focused on acting after her departure from the band, making her debut on the popular television drama Under One Roof.

She relaunched her music career under the tutelage of producer Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1996, releasing three albums: Shokumotsu Rensa (1996), Cure (1997) and Shiseikatsu (1999). Her best known songs include "Mind Circus" and "Suna no Kajitsu", which peaked at number ten on the Oricon charts.

As an actress, Nakatani has received six Japan Academy Awards for her roles in When the Last Sword Is Drawn (2002), Memories of Matsuko (2006), and Zero Focus (2009), among others. She is most known internationally for her role as Mai Takano in the Japanese horror film franchise Ring. Nakatani played Jun Shibata on the television drama Keizoku, which spawned a special and a film.

Biography

From 1998 to 1999, Nakatani starred in a trio of horror films – Ring, Rasen, and Ring 2 – followed by a lead role in Hideo Nakata's Chaos in 2000.^[1] That same year, she reprised her television role as Jun Shibata in the mystery film Keizoku.

In 2005, she co-starred in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's horror film Loft with Etsushi Toyokawa,^[2] and portrayed the love interest Hermes in Densha Otoko.

For her performance in the title role of Matsuko Kawajiri in Tetsuya Nakashima's 2006 film Memories of Matsuko, she won the Best Actress award at the 31st Hochi Film Award,^[3] the Asian Film Award for Best Actress, and the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

Nakatani appeared in François Girard's Silk.^[4] She co-starred in Isshin Inudo's Zero Focus with Ryōko Hirosue and Tae Kimura.^[5]

As a singer, she collaborated several times with Ryuichi Sakamoto from 1996 to 2001.

As a spokesperson and model, she has appeared in several promotion campaigns, including over 70 television commercials for Ito En's Oi Ocha green tea.^[6] Nakatani speaks Japanese, French, and English.^{[citation needed]}

In 2018, Nakatani announced her marriage to German musician Thilo Fechner, a viola player with the Vienna Philharmonic.^[7]

Filmography

Film

• Berlin (1995) – Kyoko
• Daishitsuren (1995)
• Ring (1998) – Mai Takano
• Rasen (1998) – Mai Takano
• Ring 2 (1999) – Mai Takano
• Chaos (2000) – Satomi Tsushima
• Keizoku (2000) – Jun Shibata
• When the Last Sword Is Drawn (2003) – Nui
• River of First Love (2004) – Satuki Kato
• The Hotel Venus (2004) – Wife
• Rikidozan (2004) – Aya
• Strings (2004) – Zita
• Thirty Lies or So (2004) – Takarada
• Train Man (2005) – Hermes
• Loft (2005) – Reiko Hatuna
• Dead Run (2005) – Akane
• Memories of Matsuko (2006) – Matsuko Kawajiri
• Christmas on 24 July Avenue (2006) – Sayuri Honda
• Silk (2007) – Madame Blanche
• Happy Ever After (2007) – Yukie Morita
• Flavor of Happiness (2008) – Takako Yamashita
• Zero Focus (2009) – Sachiko
• Sweet Little Lies (2010)
• Hankyu Railways: A 15-Minute Miracle (2011) – Shoko
• Genji Monogatari: Sennen no Nazo (2011) – Shikibu Murasaki
• Himawari & Puppy's Seven Days (2013)
• Real (2013) – Eiko Aihara
• The Kiyosu Conference (2013) – Nene
• Ask This of Rikyu (2013) – Souon
• The World of Kanako (2014) – Rie Azuma
• A Stitch of Life (2015)
• First Gentleman (2021) – prime minister Rinko Sōma^[8]
• The Legend and Butterfly (2023) – Kagamino^[9]

Television

• Under One Roof (1993) – Aiko Mifune
• Oda Nobunaga (1998) – No-Hime
• Woman Doctor (1999)
• Unsolved Cases (1999) – Jun Shibata^[10]
• Eien no Ko (2000) – Yuki Kusaka
• Manatsu no Merry Christmas (2000) – Haru Hoshino
• Prince Shotoku (2001) – Tojiko no Iratsume
• R-17 (2001)
• Otosan (2002)
• Believe (2002)
• Jin (2009) – Miki Tomonaga/Nokaze
• Beautiful Rain (2012) – Akane Nishiwaki
• Gunshi Kanbei (2014) – Teru^[11]
• Ghostwriter (2015) – Risa Tono
• IQ246 (2016) – Tomomi Morimoto
• Kataomoi (2017)
• Followers (2020) – Limi Nara
• One Day: Wonderful Christmas Ado (2023) - Kikyo Kurauchi

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

All produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		JPN Oricon [12]
Shokumotsu Rensa (食物連鎖)[13]	Released: 4 April 1996 Label: For Life Formats: CD, digital download, streaming	5
Cure[14]	Released: 4 April 1997 Label: For Life Formats: CD, digital download, streaming	7
Shiseikatsu (私生活)[15]	Released: 10 November 1999 Label: Warner Music Japan Formats: CD	11

Remix albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		JPN Oricon [12]
Vague[16]	Released: 4 April 1997 Label: For Life Formats: CD	-

Compilation albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		JPN Oricon [12]
Absolute Value[17]	Released: 21 August 1998 Label: For Life Formats: CD	18
Pure Best[18]	Released: 27 August 2001 Label: For Life Formats: CD	-
Miki[19]	Released: 12 November 2001 Label: Warner Music Japan Formats: CD	50

Singles

Single	Year	Label	Chart[20]
"Anata ga Wakaranai" (あなたがわからない)	1993	BMG Rooms	-
"Mind Circus"[21]	1996	For Life	20
"Strange Paradise"[22]			30
"Suna no Kajitsu" (砂の果実)[23]	1997		10
"Tengoku yori Yaban-Wilder Than Heaven" (天国より野蛮)[24]			28
"Ibara no Kanmuri" (いばらの冠)[25]			36
"Chronic Love" (クロニック・ラヴ)[26]	1999	Warner Music Japan	14
"Fronties" (フロンティア)[27]			18
"Kowareta Kokoro" (こわれたこころ)[28]	2000		22
"Air Pocket" (こわれたこころ))[29]	2001		26

Videography

Live albums

No.	Release	Title	Formats
1st	21 May 1997	Butterfish	DVD, VHS

Video-clip albums

No.	Release	Title	Formats
1st	21 August 1998	Completeness	DVD, VHS
2nd	25 October 2000	Kowareta Kokoro	VHS
3rd	27 February 2002	Air Pocket	VHS

References

1. Phipps, Keith (12 March 2003). "Hideo Nakata's Chaos – Film – Movie Review – The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club.
2. Hirschkron, Sky (15 March 2006). "Loft – Movie Review – Stylus Magazine". Stylus Magazine.
3. 報知映画賞ヒストリー [Hochi Film Award History] (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. 21 December 2006. Archived from the original on 31 January 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
4. Holden, Stephen (14 September 2007). "Silk - Movies - Review". The New York Times.
5. Chang, Dustin (11 July 2010). "JAPAN CUTS 2010: ZERO FOCUS Review – Twitch". Twitch Film. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
6. ザテレビジョン. "「お～いお茶」がギネス世界記録 CM70本以上出演の中谷美紀「我が事のようにうれしい」 | 芸能ニュースならザテレビジョン". ザテレビジョン (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 June 2019.
7. "中谷美紀さんが結婚 ウィーンフィルのビオラ奏者と |" (in Japanese). 27 November 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
8. "田中圭と中谷美紀が夫婦役でダブル主演、原田マハ「総理の夫」映画化". Natalie. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
9. "THE LEGEND & BUTTERFLY". eiga.com. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
10. "ケイゾク". TBS. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
11. "軍師官兵衛". allcinema. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
12. "中谷美紀の作品". Oricon (in Japanese). 30 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
13. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Shokumotsu Rensa". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
14. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Cure". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
15. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Shiseikatsu". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
16. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Vague". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
17. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Absolute Value". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
18. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Pure Best". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
19. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Miki". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
20. "中谷美紀の作品". Oricon (in Japanese). 30 December 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
21. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Mind Circus". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
22. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Strange Paradise". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
23. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Suna no kaijitsu". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
24. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Tengoku yori yaban Wilder than heaven". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
25. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Ibara no kanmuri". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
26. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Chronic Love". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
27. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Frontier". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
28. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Kowareta Kokoro". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
29. Nakatani, Miki. "Miki Nakatani – Air Pocket". mikinakatani.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 January 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Miki Nakatani at IMDb
• Miki Nakatani at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)
• Miki Nakatani discography at Discogs

Awards and achievements
Preceded by None	Asian Film Award for Best Actress 2007 for Memories of Matsuko	Succeeded by Jeon Do-yeon for Secret Sunshine