The last 10-15 years, I lived with the uncomfortable feeling that I had forgotten something very important from my distant past. What could it be? I had no idea, except that it had to do with my Okinawa years (I lived there for 7 glorious years between 1965 and 1972). Then, one day, just recently, I heard the name Natsume Masako and that name immediately triggered another: Akikawa Risa (Lisa). How could I have ever forgotten?! I knew I still had “it.” What is “it”?
“It” is perhaps my most cherished possession. When I die I will have “it” placed in my coffin. I can’t think of anything more fitting to accompany me on my eternal journey. “It” refers to a half dozen pages torn out of a Japanese magazine called Shonen Sunday. I wish I had kept the entire issue. There is no year on any of the pages, but there is a hint. Two of the photos are captioned “Akikawa Risa (16).” Risa was 16 in 1968, so the magazine must be from 1968. However, a source indicates that Risa modeled for Teijin from 1970 to 1973. This coincides with my memory, so I don’t know what to think. My suspicion is that this pictorial is from 1970, the year of the Osaka Expo. I was 16 that year. I got to go to Expo 70; it was an exciting year for me.
The photos on the half dozen pages show swimsuited models. They are the official summer campaign photos of the Japanese textile and cosmetics manufacturers, such as Teijin, Tore, Kose, Unitika, and Kanebo (and Japanese subsidiaries of US companies, such as Max Factor). They are meant to sell swimsuits and water-resistant makeup to Japanese consumers, but they had me sold, too. To a 16-year-old, the photos are all that’s good in life. I was enraptured by them when I was 16; they are no less powerful to a 54-year-old.
Akikawa Risa, in particular, stands out. One of the two, which shows her lounging diagonally upside down in shallow waters comes with a caption saying that Risa was sunburned getting the tan required for the photo and had to be comforted by the staff afterwards. Obviously, modeling is no piece of cake. However, you couldn’t tell that, looking at her expression in the two photos. She’s looking as though she’s having the time of her life.
I am moved by my epiphany and have decided to form my own unofficial Akikawa Risa fan club. If you have anything you’d like to contribute about Akikawa Risa or about anything similar, please contact me at machinato@hotmail.com. Please contact me, too, if you have posters or books about Akikawa Risa for sale. Oneesama, moshi kore ga ome ni tomarimashitara, email o kudasai. Anata no koto wa, isshou wasuremasen!
My dream is to have an actual Teijin summer campaign poster of Akikawa Risa.
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