Ayaka Nagate facts for kids

Ayaka Tanihara (谷原 絢香, Tanihara Ayaka), born Ayaka Kimura (木村 絢香, Kimura Ayaka) on October 30, 1981, is a Japanese actress and former singer. She is professionally known as Ayaka Nagate (長手 絢香, Nagate Ayaka). For ten years, from 1998 to 2008, Ayaka was a member of a Japanese girl group called Coconuts Musume. This group was part of a larger music project known as Hello! Project.

Ayaka Nagate's Early Career

Ayaka Nagate joined Hello! Project in 1999. She was discovered by a musician named Makoto [ja]. Ayaka and four other girls then formed the group Coconuts Musume.

Ayaka spent most of her teenage years living in Hawaiʻi. She also went to English schools in Japan. Because of this, she is very good at speaking both Japanese and English. Many international fans know her best from her TV segment called "Ayaka no Totsugeki Eikaiwa". This means "Ayaka's Surprise English Lessons". In this show, she would test how well members of the famous group Morning Musume could speak English.

On April 30, 2008, Ayaka Nagate decided to leave Coconuts Musume and Hello! Project. She wanted to focus on becoming an actress instead of a singer. The very next day, it was announced that she had joined a company called Tristone Entertainment. She started using the stage name Ayaka Nagate for her acting career.

Personal Life

On July 14, 2008, it was shared that Ayaka Nagate had married. Her husband is Hideto Tanihara, a professional golfer.