Kimiko Nishimoto (西本 喜美子, Nishimoto Kimiko, born 1928) is a Brazilian-born Japanese photographer and internet celebrity. She was previously a hairdresser, track cyclist, and homemaker.
Early life and education
Kimiko Nishimoto was born in Brazil in 1928. Her parents taught agriculture to locals. She was the second daughter of 7 siblings. At the age of 8, her family moved to Kumamoto. She graduated from beauty school.
Career
Nishimoto worked as a hairdresser in her father's salon where she specialized in bridal and Japanese coiffure. After 4 years working as a hairdresser, Nishimoto attended cycling school and became licensed as a professional cyclist. From the age of 22 to 27, she competed nationally as a track cyclist with her younger 2 brothers.
In 2001, Nishimoto began her career as an amateur photographer after taking a photography and image processing course taught by her eldest son. In 2011, she had her first solo exhibit at the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art. In 2018, she had an exhibition named "Asobokane?" (transl. "Shall We Play?") at the Shinjuku. As of March 2020, Nishimoto had developed a social media presence, with over 220,000 followers of her Instagram account.
Personal life
At the age of 27, Nishimoto married Hitoshi, a tax official, and they raised their 3 children in Kyushu. She was a homemaker for over 45 years. Nishimoto's husband died in 2012 of lung cancer. As of May 2018, Nishimoto resides in Kumamoto Prefecture. In reference to her longevity, Nishimoto stated that she is a daily cigarette smoker and drinks a tall glass of Bourbon whiskey every day.
References
- ^ Ito, Masami (2018-02-10). "'Insta-gran' Kimiko Nishimoto discovers that it's never too late to experiment with inventive photography". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- Sasaki, Sayo (December 18, 2017). "89-year-old photographer Kimiko Nishimoto debuts in Tokyo with funny selfies". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ Clark, Nicole (May 29, 2018). "This Insta-Famous 89-Year-Old Japanese Woman Takes Amazing Self-Portraits". Vice. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ Airth, Johanna (March 30, 2020). "What the Japanese can teach us about super-ageing gracefully". BBC. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- Living people
- 1928 births
- Brazilian people of Japanese descent
- Brazilian emigrants to Japan
- Sportspeople from Kumamoto Prefecture
- Japanese Internet celebrities
- Japanese track cyclists
- Japanese female cyclists
- 21st-century Japanese artists
- 21st-century Japanese women photographers
- 21st-century Japanese photographers
- Japanese hairdressers
- Social media influencers
- 20th-century Japanese sportswomen