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Japanese Idol

A Japanese idol is a celebrity who achieves widespread popularity and fame in Japan largely by virtue of their looks and propaganda techniques intended to work for them. The term usually refers to female performers in their teens and early twenties who are considered cute and pretty and achieve fame through publicity in the mass media. Male performers, such as Takuya Kimura and Masahiro Nakai (aka "Nakai-kun"), both from a singing group SMAP, are also commonly referred to (and refer to themselves as) "idols." Japanese idols are predominantly singers and actors, as well as models (in the case of females) for weekly men's magazines such as "Friday" and "Shikan Gendai". Some of them may also appear as TV personalities (tarento).

Sabra Magazine
is published by Shogakukan. It features beautiful Japanese models and articles geared toward young men. The magazine is published bi-weekly.

Sabra is a men's magazine. You could compare it to Maxim FHM, Stuff magazine in the United States. It does not have nudity. All models featured are Japanese av idols and Race Queens. It also features articles on music, movies, cars etc.

Sabra could be quite cheap (around 360 yen) or expensive (570 yen) when it includes a DVD with making of videos of their photo sessions. They are recorded in very high quality audio and video.

Gravure idols are Japanese models who primarily pose in bikinis and other provocative clothing for photo spreads in magazines and photobooks aimed largely at men. Gravure idols range from as young as age 9 to as old as 35. However, they do not pose nude or perform sexually explicit acts in their work. The term comes from photogravure, a type of printing process. Interesting enough, Idols with large chests do not necessarily gain the most popularity. Masami Nagasawa and Aya Ueto, both former gravure idols, have small chests and were ranked #1 most popular in Japan for 2007 and 2006 respectively. Aki Hoshino, an active gravure idol with a large chest, only ranked in the top 25.

Recently there is also a trend of the increasing popularity of child gravure idol in Japan, some being as young as 10 years old.
List of Japanese gravure idols
* Yuko Aoki * Sayaka Ando * Haruka Ayase * Leah Dizon * Fuko * China Fukunaga * Shoko Hamada * Miri Hanai * Ourei Harada * Yui Hasumi * Ayumi Hamasaki * Mizuki Horii * Aki Hoshino * Fumie Hosokawa * Yui Ichikawa * Waka Inoue * Saaya Irie * Miku Ishida * Sayaka Isoyama * Reon Kadena * Yukie Kawamura * Moe Kirimura * Emi Kobayashi * Mao Kobayashi * Eiko Koike * Asaka Kubo * Risa Kudo * Yoko Kumada * Mirei Kuroda * Chiaki Kyan * Aya Kiguchi * Yuka Kosaka * Lyrian * Mariko Mori * Yoko Matsugane * Mami Matsuyama * Megumi * Yoko Mitsuya * Chisato Morishita * Yuri Morishita * Shoko Nakagawa * Kasumi Nakane * Kasumi Nakamura * Jun Natsukawa * Rio Natsume * Harumi Nemoto * Chieko Noguchi * Yuko Ogura * Mariko Okubo * Nana Ozaki * Maiko Osawa * Miwa Oshiro * Natsume Sano * Risa Shimamoto * Yukina Shirakawa * Yuriko Shiratori * Fumika Suzuki * Akane Suzuki * Saki Seto * Nozomi Takeuchi * Nonami Takizawa * Ami Tokito * Yumi Uno * Haruna Yabuki * Erina Yamaguchi * Erika Yamakawa * Azusa Yamamoto * Saori Yamamoto * Mami Yamasaki * Yinling