Actor Marina Ishikawa

Honing her experience to win the Miss Japan Grand Prix

Actor Marina Ishikawa
(Ferris University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Communication Studies, 2nd year student)

■ Profile
Born August 12, 2005 in Tokyo.
My hobbies are visiting cafes and listening to music.
His special skills are Kyudo and Kendama.
At the age of 16, he made his acting debut in the film "Theatrical Version: True Scary Stories 2020: The Cursed House."
She then expanded her activities to include dramas, commercials, advertisements, and modeling, and won both the Miss Japan Grand Prix and Miss Kimono at the 57th Miss Japan Contest 2025.

Marina Ishikawa participated in the Miss Japan Contest, Japan's highest beauty contest, which aims to hone Japanese beauty and encourage people to play an active role in society, and won the Miss Japan Grand Prix and Miss Japan Kimono. She is currently also active as an actor. We spoke to Ishikawa about her approach to work and her experience as Miss Japan.

Ever since I was little, I was a TV addict and loved watching dramas. I wanted to enter the glittering world on TV. I secretly harbored this desire from a young age. Then, when I was in elementary school, I played the main character in a school performance and felt the joy of expressing myself in front of many people, which made me begin to seriously pursue my dream of becoming an actor.

■The job of "actor" that I have always dreamed of

When I was in junior high school, I auditioned for my first movie. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the audition was online, but I couldn't connect properly and couldn't participate. I remember going to school crying in frustration. However, I was later given the opportunity to try again, so I gave it another go. I passed the audition and was cast, even though it was a small role. After appearing in the film, I got to see the other actors' performances and even acted in them myself, which made me feel even more motivated to work hard at this job. Even now, I watch dramas and movies to study acting. Seeing actors my age doing great things in movies and dramas is very inspiring. I think the appeal of being an actor is being able to become someone other than yourself. It's so much fun to live someone else's life. However, I struggle with creating a character. I can't get into the role if I'm just myself. So, rather than creating a character, I try to become that person. I think it's precisely because I'm not myself that I can get into the role.

■ Miss Japan contestant who gained a lot of experience

I decided to participate in the Miss Japan contest because I wanted to attend a study group. Miss Japan contestants participate in study groups that involve experiencing Japanese culture and visiting infrastructure sites. I participated because I was eager to gain valuable experiences that I wouldn't normally have the chance to. The study group that left the biggest impression on me was the Japanese dance group. I was able to learn from Ms. Fujima Yukari, who is also an accomplished actress. Such opportunities are rare, so it was an incredibly valuable experience. Learning kimono etiquette at the study group also helped me immensely. I went into the competition determined to show the results of everything I'd learned up until then. I wasn't expecting to win, so I was very surprised when I won the Grand Prix. I also won Miss Kimono along with the Grand Prix. I believe this was due to the training I'd received, including how to wear and walk in a furisode. Through the Miss Japan contest, I rediscovered the joy of standing on stage and expressing myself in front of so many people.

■Message to university students

I think there are many things you can only do while you're a student, so I hope you will gain a variety of experiences while you can. I feel the same way every day through my various experiences. The desire to challenge yourself in the things you want to do is very important. This will eventually benefit you and also help others. At the Miss Japan study group, we often heard, "Young people have incredible power." There are many things in the world that you can do precisely because you are young. I believe this too.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on October 14, 2025 by Maruyama Mitomo, a second-year student at International Christian University

Maruyama Mitomo, second-year student at International Christian University / Shirasaka Himari, third-year student at Sophia University / Shoji Haruna, second-year student at Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences / Wakao Mai, second-year student at International Christian University