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.[1]

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.[1] From the age of 22 to 27, she competed nationally as a track cyclist with her younger 2 brothers.[2]

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.[3] In 2018, she had an exhibition named "Asobokane?" (transl. "Shall We Play?") at the Shinjuku.[1] As of March 2020, Nishimoto had developed a social media presence, with over 220,000 followers of her Instagram account.[4]

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.[1] As of May 2018, Nishimoto resides in Kumamoto Prefecture.[3] In reference to her longevity, Nishimoto stated that she is a daily cigarette smoker and drinks a tall glass of Bourbon whiskey every day.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 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.
  2. ↑ Sasaki, Sayo (December 18, 2017). "89-year-old photographer Kimiko Nishimoto debuts in Tokyo with funny selfies". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  3. 1 2 Clark, Nicole (May 29, 2018). "This Insta-Famous 89-Year-Old Japanese Woman Takes Amazing Self-Portraits". Vice. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  4. 1 2 Airth, Johanna (March 30, 2020). "What the Japanese can teach us about super-ageing gracefully". BBC. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
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