Born into a shattered family, Noriko Sakai's childhood was full of turmoil and unrest, which were the shadows of her life. The mother could not stand her father's domestic violence and eventually eloped with a temple monk.
Leaving the young Sakai Noriko alone in the temple, her gangster-turned-father was never seen, as if the world had evaporated.
Noriko Sakai, 7, was adopted by her aunt in this situation. But fate doesn't seem to be kind to her, and soon after, her father takes her back home and has to face her grumpy stepmother.
At her stepmother's house, Noriko Sakai would be punched and kicked if she was not careful, which made her yearn for a warm home even more.
In the harsh living environment, the young Sakai learned to read words and feelings. She found that as long as she didn't ask for anything, her stepmother would be a little softer with her. As a result, Sakai gradually developed a people-pleasing personality, a personality trait that had an important impact on her later marriage and life.
However, the wheel of fate began to turn quietly when Sakai was 15 years old, and in 1986, she officially stepped into the brilliant entertainment industry and started the journey of her acting career. The company was optimistic about her aura and appearance, and specially sent her to the Arts Department of Horikoshi High School to receive professional training.
This experience made Noriko Sakai the last artist in Japan to receive specialized training in performing arts.
In 1989, Noriko Sakai officially debuted as a singer, and her first single was a huge success upon release, and won the Best New Artist Award at the 18th Japan Song Awards.
Subsequently, she held her first concert and in just two years, Noriko Sakai released 6 albums and held a tour "White Girl" in 19 places in Japan.
On her 20th birthday, Noriko Sakai held a small concert at the Hoke Theater. At that time, she had already become popular from Japan and abroad, and was popular throughout Asia. The little girl who used to tremble at her stepmother's house has now become a much-anticipated idol of "Showa Girls".
Her posters can be found everywhere from the streets to where she lives, and have even been used to prototype well-known manga characters such as Saint Seiya and Movie Girl.
Noriko Sakai's success is not limited to the music world, she has successfully transformed into a powerful actor with her superb acting skills. The success of the TV series "Star Gold Coins" saved her from the fate of Japan artists and became a powerful actress.
Since then, Noriko Sakai's career has entered a new golden age.
In the early 90s, Noriko Sakai's career reached its peak. She has achieved extraordinary success in the music industry and has also successfully changed careers and starred in a large number of movies and TV series. In 1991, on her 20th birthday, Noriko Sakai held a small concert at the Hoka Theater, which fully demonstrated her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia.
However, under her glamorous appearance, Sakai is under tremendous pressure on her inside. In order to maintain a perfect public image, she has to keep her nerves on her feet and carefully maintain her "idol" persona, and the people-pleasing personality she formed in her childhood resurfaces, making it difficult for her to express herself authentically.
At the same time, Noriko Sakai's desire for love and family grows stronger. In an interview, she said with great hope, "I hope to be like Michael · Jackson and have my own estate and live there with my mother."
This phrase reflects her desire for a peaceful life and also hints at her making up for the good things that were missing in her childhood.
In 1993, Noriko Sakai, who had reached the peak of her career, ushered in her first love. The gold medal screenwriter Shinji Nojima, who became popular with "The 101st Marriage Proposal", became her secret lover. However, the romance was soon exposed by the media.
The reporter took a photo of Noriko Sakai going to Shinji Nojima's house with a love lunch, and the relationship between the two instantly became the focus of public attention.
However, the relationship lasted only four years before it ended. Sakai's emotional damage makes her often go to the beach alone to relax, and her inner loneliness becomes more and more intense. It was at this time that she met her future husband, Ko Sang-wooichi.
Yuichi Takao is an avid surfer who became Noriko Sakai's surf instructor through a friend's introduction. Facing the tall and handsome Yuichi Takasangi, the sadly troubled Sakai Noriko found a trace of comfort in him.
Under the fierce pursuit of Yuichi Takasami, although the previous love still hurts her heart, Sakai Noriko does not hesitate to devote herself to a new relationship, hoping to find the warmth and support that her heart has longed for in him.
In 1998, Noriko Sakai made a decision that shocked the firm and fans: to marry Yuichi Takao. At the press conference, Noriko Sakai, who was full of joy, whispered, "I hope to build a warm family full of laughter."
She also revealed that she was three months pregnant, a decision that surprised many people, because Ko Sang-wooichi was just an ordinary playboy in the eyes of the public.
However, Noriko Sakai portrays Yuichi Takao as a complete gentleman. She looked forward to a happy life in the future with hope, as if she had finally seen the family of her dreams.
A few months later, the two held a wedding in Hawaii, and their son also landed.
Two years passed in a blink of an eye, and there was a rift in their marriage. Noriko Sakai openly admitted in her autobiography "Atonement" that she had quietly peeked at Yuichi Takao's mobile phone and suspected him of having an affair.
The two had sparks of conflict, but each time they were able to quickly cold war and reconcile.
Sakai, who knows the hard-won method of the family, does not want to see his marriage full of setbacks, and does not want his son to repeat his mistakes. Therefore, she began to gradually relax her requirements for her husband, and even tolerated Yuichi Takao to maintain an ambiguous relationship with her friend.
In Sakai's view, as an idol, she should be a role model for the public, and she has always shown her perfect image, and she must not admit the failure of her marriage.
However, a fortuitous discovery shattered Sakai's illusions. She found out that her husband was actually taking drugs, and at first she tried to persuade Ko Sang-wooichi to give up taking drugs, but this led to domestic violence.
Driven to the point of no way out, Sakai Noriko finally broke out, and she yelled at her husband with drugs: "If you want to suck me, I will suck."
That sentence became the fuse that pushed Sakai Noriko into the abyss. After that, Ko Sang-woo started inducing her to take drugs, trying to pull her to the same boat with drugs. At first, Sakai was able to sternly refuse, but in her husband's words of "if you love me, you will suck it with me", she finally gave in.
Noriko Sakai believes that the two of them can forge a common secret by taking drugs together, thus strengthening the marital bond. She put aside fame, flowers, and applause, and the only thing she wanted to do was to save her precarious marriage.
However, she didn't notice that this decision would change her life and push her into a catastrophe step by step.
On August 2, 2009, the gears of fate began to turn relentlessly. On that day, Noriko Sakai took her son to a friend's house for a drink, and the rare party made her feel relaxed, and the celebratory champagne was placed on the table.
Just as she raised her glass and prepared to talk about family life with her friends, a phone call shattered all the silence.
On the other end of the phone, Yuichi Gao happened to meet a police officer patrolling the streets. After hearing this, Sakai Noriko panicked, hung up the phone in a hurry, left her son at a friend's house, and immediately drove away in the direction of Shibuya.
When Noriko Sakai arrived at the scene, she saw the picture of Yuichi Takao pulling with the police. The police tried to search Takaka's coat, but he loudly defended: "This is my personal medicine."
Sakai felt a chill on her back and realized the seriousness of the situation.
Sakai Noriko quickly hid her husband behind her, and pretended to be calm and said to the police: "Hello, this is my husband Sakai Noriko, can you let him go first today?" I'll take care of him.
However, the police did not release the water because of her star status Eventually, the police seized 1.5 grams of stimulants on Ko Sang-yuichi.
Faced with everything that was about to collapse, Sakai Noriko hurriedly said "I'm going to pick up the child" and left the scene. However, instead of picking up the child, she returned home and fled in a hurry with a few clothes stuffed.
The arrest of Noriko Sakai's husband for drug use soon became a major event of national concern in Japan. The media was caught in a frenzy of reports, including claims that a female corpse suspected to have been found near Lake Mashu in Hokkaido, which led to a lot of speculation about her whereabouts.
However, in fact, Noriko Sakai hid at her stepmother's residence and watched the international news with a numb face. When she saw reports from around the globe, she knew she had nowhere to run.
The stepmother, who was sitting on the side, looked at her haggard face and asked almost certainly, "Are you also taking drugs?"
During her escape, Sakai's heart was filled with fear and self-blame. She is most concerned about her 10-year-old son and is afraid that her actions will cause harm to the child. A few days later, persuaded by her stepmother, she finally made up her mind to turn herself in.
On August 7, 2009, the police formally opened a case and arrested Noriko Sakai on suspicion of drug possession. After being imprisoned in the detention center, she finally met her son, who had been separated for many days. When her son ran to her while crying, Noriko Sakai could no longer control her emotions.
The son whispered, "Mom, you can't do bad things in the future" This sentence was like a sharp blade, stabbing Sakai's heart, and she cried bitterly, repeating "I'm sorry" constantly.
In October of the same year, the final sentence of Noriko Sakai was announced: one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years. In addition, she has to pay nearly 500 million yen in liquidated damages and compensation. Overnight, this once glamorous "goddess of Japan" fell off the altar, lost years of hard work and reputation, and lived up to the trust and expectations of countless fans.
The moment she walked out of the courtroom, Noriko Sakai suddenly felt ten years older all of a sudden. She is determined to break off relations with her husband, Ko Sang-woo, and start a new life.
However, the cruelty of reality is far beyond her imagination.
In order to repay huge debts and compensation, Sakai Noriko is eager to return to the entertainment industry, but the film and television companies that once pursued her are now avoiding her, her drug history has become a lingering shadow, and the public can hardly forgive her past.
Once the "goddess of Japan", now she can only hover on the edge of the entertainment industry.
When she was desperate, Sakai tried to shoot large-scale films, hoping to make a comeback. However, in the end, the film was not released as scheduled, and the burden of life and huge debts were like a mountain oppressing her, leaving her with nowhere to escape.
In order to survive, the former diva Sakai had to be relegated to the lowest level of the entertainment industry, and she began to sing for gamblers in low-level venues known as "bullet rooms", where even the lowest-level artists were reluctant to go.
Some people even saw her singing and making money on the cruise, from the high-profile idol singer to singing for strangers in a dark corner, this huge gap makes people sigh.
In 2019, the news of Sakai Noriko's online begging once again attracted public attention. She has gone from being a glamorous goddess to the point where she needs to raise money online. This news made many people sad, and it also put Sakai Noriko in an embarrassing situation again.
However, despite the low point, Sakai did not give up. In her autobiography, "Atonement," she wrote: "The storm has faded away, and that sunny day will come again."
This sentence is both a summary of the past and an expectation for the future.
The story of Noriko Sakai reflects the cruel reality of the Japan entertainment industry to some extent. Once a star has a stain, especially when it comes to drugs, it's hard to get a second chance.
Even an idol like Noriko Sakai, who was once a smash hit, can't escape such a fate.
Despite the difficult comeback, Noriko Sakai is still trying to rebuild her life. She is actively recovering from drugs and is confident that she will return to a normal life, although it will take hard work and tenacity.
For her, staying away from drugs is a victory, and her experience is a reminder to cherish their bodies and lives, and to stay away from the dangers of drugs.
Over time, reports about Noriko Sakai have gradually decreased. Once the "goddess of Japan" sought after by everyone, she now chooses a low-key life. From the drug abuse incident in 2009 to the present, Sakai's name seems to have been sealed in that era and rarely appears in the public eye again.
Although Sakai's comeback was extremely difficult, she didn't give up hope. She bravely tried to quit drugs and did her best to get back to a normal life. For her, being able to get rid of the dangers of drugs is a victory.
The girl who once suffered so much in the pursuit of a perfect image has learned to accept her true self.
Although Sakai's current Noriko is no longer as brilliant as it used to be, she seems to have found inner peace. As she said in her autobiography "Atonement": "A life of frustration may no longer be gorgeous, but it must always return to peace."
This sentence is not only a summary of her own experience, but also an expectation for her future life.
Noriko Sakai's life story is both a warning of fame and failure, as well as a revelation of humanity for redemption and rebirth. From an unhappy childhood to the peak of her career, to a low point in her life caused by a drug scandal, her life is full of twists and turns.
Now, she has chosen to stay out of the public eye, perhaps in search of inner peace, and in the process, she reminds us to cherish the present and keep hope, no matter what the situation.