"Okenggidesuka" Received Great Love... Suddenly Departed Nakayama Miho [Japanese Side]

Film 'Love Letter' Boosts Recognition in and out of Japan
Top Star Spanning Idols and Actors
Appeared in Numerous Korea-Japan Joint Productions

"Ogenki desu ka. Watashi wa genki desu."

The line spoken by the female protagonist desperately calling out her greetings while looking at the snowy mountain. Every Korean knows this line; it is a scene from the movie Love Letter. The news of the death of Nakayama Miho, the lead actress of Love Letter, has plunged Japan into sorrow. As the news spread to our country, many fans expressed their condolences. Today, we bring you the news of Nakayama Miho.

Love Letter poster starring Miho Nakayama. The Movie Database.

Nakayama was born on March 1, 1970, in Nagano Prefecture. Although her profile states she was born in Tokyo, she moved to Tokyo with her younger sister after her mother divorced when she was three years old. She often shared stories of hardship, such as being so hungry as a child that she ate sugar from the kitchen. When she was in the fourth grade of elementary school, her mother remarried, and her stepfather was also someone who had moved to Tokyo aiming to become a singer. Perhaps influenced by this, Nakayama naturally began to admire entertainers. She started with a simple motivation: "I can appear on TV, get attention, and receive applause when standing in front of people," and she kept auditioning for theater troupes and movies. Then, in the first year of middle school, she was scouted.

At that time, her stepfather was still holding on to his dream of debuting as a singer, and the story that he was surprised and said, "Are you debuting in the entertainment industry before me?" is well known among fans. No one around her discouraged her from entering the entertainment world. She debuted as a magazine model, gained recognition through various dramas, and also flourished as an idol. She was chosen as a campaign model for Shiseido, and the CM song she sang, "rose color," reached number one on the Oricon charts. She also performed at the Kohaku Uta Gassen with "Virgin eyes," which became a movie theme song. In the 1980s, her total single sales ranked fifth among female idols. She was active as a top idol comparable to Nakomori Akina and Matsuda Seiko, who are considered the essence of Japanese city pop at the time.

Album cover of 'Virgin eyes' released by Nakayama Miho. Amazon.

Originally, from the 1990s, idols tended to transition to movie actors, but Nakayama did not give up her singing career even while acting. Nakayama also sang songs that Koreans would recognize just from the intro. She sang the original version of The Nuts' "Love Fool," famous for the chorus "Until the good person I want appears~," titled "Sekai juu no dare yori kitto (Surely More Than Anyone in the World)" together with the rock band WANDS. It became a million-seller and was known in Korea as a translated song.

In 1995, she starred in director Iwai Shunji's movie Love Letter. Nakayama played two roles simultaneously, "Hiroko" and "Itsuki," leaving a deep impression on the audience. She won Best Actress awards at various film festivals. The snowy scene where she shouts "Ogenki desu ka" made Hokkaido, the setting of the work, a must-visit travel destination. In the 2000s, she continued to take leading roles in dramas and was so popular that she was called the only actress who guaranteed an average viewership rating of 20%.

Then, in June 2002, she suddenly announced her marriage to musician and novelist Tsuji Hitonari. Tsuji Hitonari is the original author of Things That Come After Love, which was recently adapted into a drama in Korea. It is a novel co-written with Korean author Gong Ji-young. Following the marriage, she lived in France and gave birth to a son in 2004. She became an object of admiration once again by serializing essays in magazines.

Nakamiya is singing at a concert held in Japan last year. Photo by Miho Nakamiya Instagram.

Like her husband, she also worked on several Korea-Japan joint projects. In 2010, she starred in the movie Sayonara Itsuka (Goodbye, Someday), which was based on her husband's novel. Director Lee Jae-han, known for A Moment to Remember, directed and adapted it into a film. However, her entertainment activities were quite sparse, and instead, she focused on songwriting and novel writing.

Her return to the entertainment industry came after her amicable divorce in 2014. In 2018, she appeared in the movie Butterfly Sleep, directed by Jung Jae-eun, alongside actor Lee Jae-wook, regaining public attention and continuing her activities. At the press conference for her first work after returning, she said, "Since my debut, I have always approached things with momentum. I came here without anyone teaching me," and expressed enthusiasm by saying, "I always feel like a student when facing new challenges."

Just as she was announcing active activities and preparing for this year's Christmas concert, the sad news was delivered. After contacting her agency staff at 11 p.m. the previous day and arranging to meet the next day, they could not reach her at the scheduled time. Upon visiting her home, Nakayama was found dead in the bathtub. The agency announced it was "an unfortunate accident during bathing." The autopsy found no evidence of foul play or accident. Since she was also scheduled for a concert in Osaka that day, the shock to fans was even greater. Major media outlets such as NHK simultaneously reported the news.

Nakayama attending the Busan International Film Festival. Photo by Yonhap News.

Attention was also drawn to the news from her ex-husband Tsuji. Tsuji revealed his current feelings on the web magazine Design Stories, where he serves as editor-in-chief. He has been serializing French Food Diary, documenting his life in France, daily, but skipped a day and posted the next day. He said, "There was sad and unexpected news, so I took a break from the diary yesterday and spent the day praying," and "I was worried about my son, so I stayed with him all day yesterday." He shared that they prepared a French-style stir-fried squid meal together, and his son finished eating while recalling that Nakamiya-san always said, "Son, on tough days, just stir-fry it wildly and gobble it up." Tsuji concluded his post with, "I will live each day valuing it. Life goes on despite many things."

The late actress's social media still contains posts from a few days ago, and fans continue to leave condolence comments. Given the many works that moved audiences, she will surely be an unforgettable actress.