Hitomi Sato

Hitomi Sato is a Japanese actress. She was born on October 10, 1979 in Midori-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. She is currently represented by Horipro.

Sato’s television debut came when she appeared under her own name in an NHK Nagoya program called “Chuugakusei Nikki”, which centered around the lives of junior high school students.

In 1995, while still attending Keimei Gakkan High School in Aichi, Sato won the Grand Prix of the 20th Horipro Talent Scout Caravan. Later that year, she made her drama debut in TV Asahi’s “Ocean Waves”. It was around this time that she transferred to Tokyo’s entertainment industry-focused Horikoshi High School.

In 1997, Sato made her film debut by starring in Masato Harada’s “Bounce Ko Gals”.

Sato’s voice has gotten increasingly raspy in recent years. It’s been speculated that this is an example of “sakeyake”—the result of heavy alcohol use on the voice—but she claims it’s the cumulative effect of wearing her voice out on stage year after year.

Links: Blog, Wikipedia (jp)