Hinatazaka46’s Miku Kanemura just dropped preview shots from her second photo book, and one image is doing most of the work.
She’s in a black teddy that makes her look a lot more femme fatale than the usual slim idol silhouette. The bust is pushed, the pose is sharp, and the whole thing is a pretty clear step away from “cute group member” toward fashion-model sensual.
Then there’s the part everyone is talking about. The crotch of the lingerie has people convinced she’s gone paipan — fully shaved or at least very tightly groomed. Fans are doing the usual zoom-and-speculate thing, which is crude, but that’s the conversation right now.
It’s also part of a bigger shift. Japanese women historically didn’t shave or wax as much as the Western trend. That’s been changing, especially when idols and gravure models show a hairless look in shoots. Whether that’s her everyday style or just a photo-book choice is another question. A shoot is never a “natural” look.
On the other side of the industry, hair-nude photo books still exist specifically because of pubic hair, and some models are going the opposite direction and showing more of it. So the trend isn’t one-way.
Kanemura is 24. She’s been with Hinatazaka46 since 2017 (back when it was still Hiragana Keyakizaka46), put out her first photo book in 2022, and had her first photography exhibition in 2024. She’s also been working fashion jobs for Bis and Voce since 2025, and she graduated from Nihon University College of Art.
The new book is called subtleties. Kodansha puts it out on October 20.
Whether you care about the lingerie shot or the grooming debate, the previews make one thing obvious: this is not a safe, smiling handshake photobook. She’s leaning into a more adult look, and people noticed immediately.
