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 the Same 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. 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, 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, 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. She co-starred in Isshin Inudo's Zero Focus with Ryōko Hirosue and Tae Kimura.

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. Nakatani speaks Japanese, French, and English.

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

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
  • The Legend and Butterfly (2023) – Kagamino

Television

  • Under the Same Roof (1993) – Aiko Mifune
  • Oda Nobunaga (1998) – No-Hime
  • Woman Doctor (1999)
  • Unsolved Cases (1999) – Jun Shibata
  • 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
  • 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

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:19em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:19em;" | Album details

! scope="col" | Peak chart positions

|-

! scope="col" style="width:2.9em;font-size:90%;" | JPN<br>Oricon<br />

|-

! scope="row" |

|

  • Released: 4 April 1996
  • Label: For Life
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming

|5

|-

! scope="row" | Cure

|

  • Released: 4 April 1997
  • Label: For Life
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming

|7

|-

! scope="row" |

|

  • Released: 10 November 1999
  • Label: Warner Music Japan
  • Formats: CD

|11

|-

|}

Remix albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:19em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:19em;" | Album details

! scope="col" | Peak chart positions

|-

! scope="col" style="width:2.9em;font-size:90%;" | JPN<br>Oricon<br />

|

  • Released: 4 April 1997
  • Label: For Life
  • Formats: CD

| -

|-

|}

Compilation albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:19em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:19em;" | Album details

! scope="col" | Peak chart positions

|-

! scope="col" style="width:2.9em;font-size:90%;" | JPN<br>Oricon<br />

|

  • Released: 21 August 1998
  • Label: For Life
  • Formats: CD

|18

|-

! scope="row" | Pure Best

|

  • Released: 27 August 2001
  • Label: For Life
  • Formats: CD

| -

|-

! scope="row" | Miki

|

  • Released: 12 November 2001
  • Label: Warner Music Japan
  • Formats: CD

|50

|-

|}

Singles

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"

! rowspan="1&quot;" | Single

! rowspan="1&quot;" | Year

! rowspan="1&quot;" | Label

! rowspan="1&quot;" | Chart

|-

!scope=row|

|1993

| BMG Rooms

| -

|-

!scope=row|"Mind Circus"

|rowspan=2|1996

|rowspan=5|For Life

|20

|-

!scope=row|"Strange Paradise"

|30

|-

!scope=row|

|rowspan=3|1997

|10

|-

!scope=row|

|28

|-

!scope=row|

|36

|-

!scope=row|

|rowspan=2|1999

|rowspan=4|Warner Music Japan

|14

|-

!scope=row|

|18

|-

!scope=row|

|2000

|22

|-

!scope=row|

|2001

|26

|-

|}

Videography

Live albums

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:small;"

|-

! No.

! Release

! Title

! Formats

|-

| 1st

| 21 May 1997

| Butterfish

| DVD, VHS

|-

|}

Video-clip albums

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:small;"

|-

! 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