Naomi Zaizen’s Beauty & Wellness | Hair Care, Amazake & Farm Life

Japanese actress Naomi Zaizen has been a familiar face on television and in film for more than four decades. Known for popular dramas such as Okane ga Nai!, Omizu no Hanamichi, and Stewardess Deka, she has also appeared in the NHK morning dramas Gochisousan and Scarlet, as well as the historical drama Hikaru Kimi e. From spirited, independent women to caring mothers, Zaizen has brought a remarkable variety of characters to life throughout her career.

Born on January 10, 1966, Zaizen celebrated her 60th birthday in 2026. While she continues to enjoy a successful acting career, she has based her everyday life in her home prefecture of Oita since 2007, balancing professional commitments in Tokyo with a quieter lifestyle surrounded by nature.

What makes Zaizen's approach to beauty and wellness particularly interesting is her preference for habits that suit her own way of life. In 2023, she attracted attention after revealing that she generally washed her hair with water rather than shampoo, following a practice known in Japan as yu-shan, or water-only hair washing.

Her food habits are equally distinctive. Her family's table features amazake, a traditional Japanese fermented rice preparation made with sixteen-grain rice, homemade miso, and preserved vegetables and fruits harvested throughout the year. She also enjoys homemade kabosu citrus syrup, diluted with sparkling water in summer and hot water in winter.

Beyond the kitchen, Zaizen grows vegetables, participates in rice planting and harvesting with family and neighbours, and helps preserve traditional recipes and crafts. During her intensely busy thirties, she turned to calligraphy as a personal outlet. Following the birth of her son at 40, she moved back to her hometown. In her fifties, she pursued new qualifications, and at 60 she remains actively involved in protecting local vegetable varieties and regional traditions.

In this article, we explore Naomi Zaizen's beauty and hair care habits, fermented foods, favourite homemade drinks, physical activity through farming, emotional well-being, family relationships, and her approach to growing older. Her story offers a fascinating glimpse into both the accomplished actress and the woman who finds joy in the everyday rhythms of rural Japan.

1. Naomi Zaizen's Approach to Beauty and Wellness: Embracing Life at 60

More Than 40 Years of Acting and the Joy of Growing Older

Naomi Zaizen entered the entertainment industry in 1984 after being selected as a promotional representative for a Japanese airline.

She began acting in 1985 and gained wider recognition during the 1990s, including an appearance in Okane ga Nai!, starring Yuji Oda. In 1999, she played the lead character Akina in Omizu no Hanamichi, portraying the lives of women working in Japan's nightlife industry with warmth, humour, and determination.

She went on to appear in the long-running Stewardess Deka series and numerous other productions. More recently, she has been seen in Gochisousan, Scarlet, and Hikaru Kimi e. She also appears as Midori Baba in the NHK late-night drama Ao no Hana Utsuwa no Mori, beginning on October 26, 2026.

Over the years, Zaizen has portrayed ambitious professional women, devoted mothers, and characters shaped by a lifetime of experience. Each stage of her career has brought opportunities to explore different personalities and perspectives.

When she turned 60 in 2026, Zaizen spoke about the difference between the image she once had of reaching that age and the way she actually felt.

As a younger woman, she had imagined 60 as a much older stage of life. Yet reaching that milestone brought fresh interests and opportunities. Alongside acting, she continues to enjoy farming and participating in local community projects.

For Zaizen, growing older offers the opportunity to build on what she has already experienced while discovering new interests.

This outlook is also reflected in her approach to beauty and wellness. She enjoys her everyday life, keeps physically active, and remains curious about the world around her. That relaxed yet energetic attitude is an important part of her appeal.

From Her Hectic Thirties to a Lifestyle at Her Own Pace

The fulfilling lifestyle she enjoys today emerged from a significant change in her life.

Zaizen has described her thirties as an extraordinarily busy period filled with television and film work. Looking back, she has said that some memories from those years are surprisingly hazy because of the intensity of her schedule.

Acting requires performers to immerse themselves in the emotions and experiences of other people. With one role following another, Zaizen sometimes felt that her own sense of self was becoming difficult to separate from her work.

Her everyday life changed considerably after the birth of her son. In 2007, she established her home base in Oita Prefecture, travelling to Tokyo whenever her acting commitments required it.

Back in her hometown, people who had known her for years continued to treat her as the person they had always known rather than as a famous actress. Sharing meals with family, helping on the farm, and spending time with neighbours offered a different kind of fulfilment from working on a film set.

At home, there are seasonal farming tasks to complete and freshly harvested produce to preserve. Weather may change the day's plans, but the process of watching vegetables grow and eventually appear on the family table brings its own rewards.

By working in Tokyo and spending much of her everyday life in Oita, Zaizen has found a way to make room for different aspects of her identity.

The people and stories she encounters through acting enrich her professional life, while the changing seasons and experiences of her hometown give her fresh perspectives. Both worlds have become important parts of who she is.

2. Naomi Zaizen's Hair Care: Water-Only Washing and Shampoo Twice a Month

Brushing and Rinsing with Water

One of the most memorable details about Zaizen's personal beauty routine concerns her hair care.

Appearing on the Japanese television programme Ueda to Onna ga Hoeru Yoru on February 15, 2023, she revealed that she often washed her hair using water alone rather than shampoo.

At that time, she said she used shampoo approximately twice a month.

The revelation surprised host Shinya Ueda, who had assumed that an actress would shampoo much more frequently.

Zaizen explained that her usual routine involved brushing her hair first, then rinsing it thoroughly with water.

However, she also explained that she used shampoo on days when her acting work involved hairspray or other styling products.

Film and television productions frequently require actors to change their hairstyles and use products to achieve a particular look. Zaizen therefore adjusted her washing routine according to whether she had been working on set or enjoying an ordinary day at home.

During the programme, actress and beauty personality MEGUMI showed particular interest in her approach.

When asked whether she experienced concerns such as scalp odour, Zaizen explained that she personally did not experience noticeable issues with dandruff.

Other guests, including actress Aiko Sato and television presenter Riina Motokariya, also shared their own approaches to washing their hair. The conversation offered an entertaining glimpse into the very different personal routines of women working in the entertainment industry.

Zaizen's comments describe her individual practice in 2023. Hair texture, scalp condition, use of styling products, and seasonal conditions vary from person to person, so different approaches may suit different individuals.

What stands out in Zaizen's account is the way she adapted her routine to her own circumstances and professional responsibilities.

On set, she embraces the hair and styling required for a particular character. At home in Oita, she enjoys a simpler, more relaxed routine. Her approach reflects the contrast between her professional and everyday lives.

3. Amazake, Homemade Miso and Kabosu Syrup: Everyday Foods and Drinks

Sixteen-Grain Amazake and Fermented Foods Passed Down by Her Mother

Food is central to understanding Zaizen's approach to everyday wellness.

In a 2022 interview with the Japanese magazine Croissant, she introduced two familiar items from her family's breakfast table: Japanese pickles and a thick preparation known as "eating amazake."

Amazake is a traditional Japanese sweet fermented rice preparation. Zaizen's family makes a version using sixteen-grain rice, retaining the texture of the grains so it can be enjoyed almost like a food rather than a thin drink.

Fermented foods have been familiar to her since childhood.

Her mother, Katsuko, holds a professional cooking qualification and has spent many years preparing meals for the family. When Zaizen was young, her mother even made fermented milk drinks at home.

Zaizen also remembers eating aged black garlic as a child. Foods that have become increasingly popular in modern discussions of fermented cuisine were already part of her family's everyday meals.

Today, Zaizen continues learning her mother's recipes and hopes to pass those familiar tastes on to the next generation.

Even when using the same ingredients, she sometimes finds it difficult to reproduce her mother's dishes exactly. Years of experience have given her mother an intuitive sense for seasoning and timing that can be difficult to express in a written recipe.

That is why Zaizen has made an effort to ask about cooking methods and record them for the family.

For her, preparing food is also a way of preserving family memories and practical knowledge.

Homemade Miso Twice a Year and Seasonal Recipes

The family's love of fermented foods extends to miso, the traditional Japanese seasoning made from fermented soybeans and other ingredients.

On the BS Nippon Television programme Naomi Farm, viewers have seen the family prepare homemade miso, a task they undertake twice a year.

They use both homemade and commercially prepared miso, choosing different varieties depending on the dish.

In 2025, the programme followed the family as they opened a batch of miso that had been prepared several months earlier and checked how it had developed.

The episode also featured six original miso-based preparations incorporating ingredients such as sea bream, bonito, butterbur, and garlic.

One particularly interesting example is the family's version of miso-flavoured mackerel.

Traditional Japanese saba no misoni is usually made by simmering mackerel in a seasoned miso sauce. Zaizen's family takes a different approach, steaming the fish first and then coating it with miso.

This small change in preparation reflects the family's willingness to experiment with familiar ingredients.

In a 2026 interview, Zaizen also spoke about making seasonal miso condiments, including fukinoto miso with spring butterbur buds and myoga miso with the fragrant Japanese ginger buds harvested in summer.

The distinctive bitterness of early spring greens and the aroma of summer herbs create different flavours to enjoy throughout the year.

In a 2025 interview connected with one of her books, she even described using yuzu-flavoured miso as a topping for pizza.

Her family's table combines traditional fermented foods with playful ideas for everyday meals.

In 2026, Katsuko also demonstrated dishes on Naomi Farm, including celery salad and pickled vegetables. Recipes that had long been shared within the family were now reaching a wider audience through television.

Kabosu Syrup: Sparkling in Summer, Warm in Winter

Zaizen has also spoken about making her own seasonal fruit drinks, especially kabosu citrus syrup.

In a 2025 interview with the Japan Food Journal, she described how she uses kabosu, a citrus fruit closely associated with Oita Prefecture.

Kabosu changes as it ripens. It is typically small and green during summer, then grows larger and develops a more yellowish colour in autumn.

Zaizen makes a syrup by combining kabosu and rock sugar in a one-to-one ratio and leaving the mixture for approximately one month.

During summer, she mixes the finished syrup with sparkling water for a refreshing drink. In winter, she adds hot water to enjoy it as a warm citrus beverage.

Making syrup allows her to enjoy the flavours of seasonal fruit well beyond the harvest itself.

She also likes preparing syrups with other fruits, including yuzu and kiwifruit, depending on what is available.

Harvesting fruit, preparing it, waiting for the syrup to mature, and enjoying it in different seasons are all part of the pleasure.

For Zaizen, even an everyday drink can be an opportunity to appreciate the produce of her family's land.

4. Seasonal Preserved Foods: Plums, Persimmons and the Family Kitchen

At the Zaizen family farm in Oita, certain seasons bring enormous harvests of vegetables and fruit.

Plums are a particularly memorable example. The family can harvest several crates at a time, turning the season into a busy period of food preservation.

The plums are prepared in many different ways, including traditional salted umeboshi, crunchy pickled plums, honey-preserved plums, soy sauce preserves, brown sugar preserves, and plum liqueur.

Preserving the harvest allows the family to enjoy these flavours long after the season has ended.

They also have their own twists on familiar recipes. When making pickled red onions, for example, they sometimes use umeboshi in place of vinegar to provide acidity.

During an August 2026 episode of Naomi Farm, the family also prepared nagashi somen, a traditional Japanese summer meal in which thin noodles flow along a bamboo channel filled with running water.

They began by cutting bamboo selected by Zaizen's father, then fashioned not only the noodle channel but also bowls and chopsticks from the bamboo.

The freshly prepared noodles were enjoyed with the family's homemade plum-infused soy sauce.

Gathering materials, building the equipment, and sharing the finished meal made this summer tradition a memorable family project.

The family also prepares sweet-and-sour pickled rakkyo, small Japanese shallots, starting with harvesting them from the ground.

After harvesting, the roots must be trimmed and the bulbs peeled, cleaned, and prepared before pickling. Each step takes time, but the finished preserves can be enjoyed for months.

Green shiso leaves are preserved with ingredients such as soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and chilli. They can then be mixed into rice or used to wrap rice balls.

Kabosu also appears in savoury dishes, including a salted preparation used as a seasoning.

These traditions allow the family to make the most of abundant seasonal produce, while creating ingredients for future meals.

In spring, the family enjoys fresh greens such as rapeseed blossoms, mustard greens, spring onions, and spinach. Seasonal dishes also include tempura made with tender butterbur shoots and rice cakes prepared with fresh mugwort.

As autumn arrives, chestnuts and persimmons take centre stage.

In a 2026 interview, Zaizen described a particularly abundant persimmon harvest the previous year. The family peeled the fruit individually and dried it to make traditional Japanese dried persimmons.

Well-shaped pieces were frozen for later use, while less evenly shaped pieces were chopped and coated in kinako, roasted soybean flour, to make a simple snack.

Chestnut season brings another homemade treat: small chestnut balls made by steaming and kneading the cooked nuts.

The family's meals change with whatever the land provides. Rather than following an identical menu throughout the year, they decide what to cook according to the vegetables and fruit ready for harvesting.

The kitchen is also a place where well-loved tools receive careful attention.

In a September 2026 episode of Naomi Farm, the family visited a long-established shop in Kitsuki to have their bamboo steamer repaired.

They also purchased seasoned miso from a traditional local miso shop and chose a new lunchbox before returning to the farm to prepare a meal.

By maintaining useful household tools and supporting local craftspeople, Zaizen's family keeps practical traditions alive alongside their cooking.

5. Farming and Physical Activity: Moving with Nature and Connecting with Others

The Physical Work of Farming Throughout the Seasons

Farming is an important part of Zaizen's everyday life in Oita.

Planting seedlings, monitoring growth, removing weeds, and gathering produce all bring different kinds of work as the seasons change.

In an October 2026 interview, she described weeding as one of the most demanding jobs. If an area is left unattended, weeds can quickly take over, making it a substantial task to restore the field.

Wild boars and badgers sometimes damage crops, while insects and changing weather create further challenges.

Despite the work involved, Zaizen enjoys the satisfaction of gathering vegetables and fruit that the family has spent time growing.

Naomi Farm has also shown her joining family members and neighbours in rice planting and harvesting.

Traditional hand planting involves stepping into a muddy rice paddy and working in a line, carefully placing young seedlings into the soil one by one.

The task requires physical effort, but it also creates opportunities for conversation and teamwork. After the work is finished, everyone can gather to enjoy food together.

In 2026, the family continued with their second year of rice cultivation. An episode showed participants sharing dishes after planting and enjoying fireworks in the garden later that evening.

For Zaizen, agricultural work is about growing food, staying engaged in everyday physical activities, and building relationships with the people around her.

Making Soba with Her 86-Year-Old Father

Zaizen finds inspiration in the active lifestyles of her parents.

Her father has worked with the family's land for many years, while her mother has transformed the harvest into countless home-cooked meals.

In a 2026 interview, Zaizen spoke about watching her parents remain active into their eighties. Their example has encouraged her to imagine continuing to move and enjoy daily activities when she reaches that stage of life herself.

In a September 2026 episode of Naomi Farm, the family celebrated her father's 86th birthday by making soba noodles together.

Cutting the noodles into even strands proved more difficult than expected, resulting in a charmingly irregular batch. The experience became another enjoyable family gathering.

The celebration included fried soba and an unusual variation of vegetable fritters incorporating a surprising snack ingredient.

The episode showed how the family continues to find new activities to enjoy together across generations.

Zaizen's father has also become increasingly comfortable in front of television cameras during the filming of Naomi Farm.

In a February 2026 interview with BS Nippon Television, Zaizen laughed as she explained that her father had begun suggesting farming activities for the programme to film. One example involved work on the roots of a papaya plant.

Tasks that had once been ordinary daily chores had become opportunities to share the family's enthusiasm with viewers and the production team.

The family also enjoys cooking for visitors and crew members at the farm.

When people come to visit, Zaizen and her family often want them to try several different dishes. Seeing guests enjoy the food becomes part of the pleasure of preparing it.

Neighbours also exchange vegetables and wild mountain greens, continuing a tradition of sharing whatever is in season.

Growing food, preparing meals, and gathering around the table all contribute to the strong community relationships Zaizen values.

6. Calligraphy and Emotional Well-Being: Finding Her Own Rhythm

During the demanding years of her thirties, Zaizen found a personal activity that helped her reflect on her feelings: Japanese calligraphy.

When her acting schedule became intense and she felt increasingly absorbed in different roles, she sometimes wrote encouraging words to herself using a calligraphy brush.

Choosing words, preparing the paper, and carefully forming each character gave her an opportunity to concentrate on her own thoughts.

In a 2026 interview with CHANTO WEB, she looked back on those busy years and the role calligraphy played in her everyday life.

After establishing her home base in Oita, she began experiencing time and daily routines differently.

In Tokyo, professional commitments and filming schedules had often determined the shape of her days.

Farming, however, follows the growth of plants and the changing weather.

When rain is scarce, crops need attention. When a typhoon approaches, the fields must be checked and protected. Growing vegetables requires an awareness of conditions that cannot always be predicted by a calendar.

Through this way of life, Zaizen began to appreciate following the rhythms of nature.

She also became more aware of the valuable things already surrounding her.

The farm produces seasonal vegetables and fruits. Her mother holds a wealth of traditional cooking knowledge. Old buildings carry family memories, and familiar tools can continue to serve a purpose when properly maintained.

Taking care of these things and finding new ways to use them has become an important source of enjoyment.

After turning 60, Zaizen also spoke about focusing on small plans for the near future.

Watering vegetables, saving seeds from fruit, and deciding what to plant next season are all modest activities that give her something to anticipate.

By enjoying these small projects, learning new skills, and spending time with others, she continues to shape a lifestyle that feels meaningful to her.

7. Marriage, Motherhood and Family: A New Chapter Through Learning

Becoming a Mother at 40 and Returning Home

Zaizen married a man working in Japanese television in 2003 and gave birth to their son in 2006. She publicly announced their divorce in 2012.

The birth of her son prompted her to reconsider the environment in which she wanted to raise a family.

In a 2026 interview, she recalled wanting her son to eat the vegetables grown by her father.

After returning to Oita following childbirth, she found living with her parents more comfortable than she had expected and decided to establish her home base there.

Oita offered the fields she had known since childhood, seasonal vegetables and fruits, her mother's cooking, and the everyday sight of her father working on the land.

She wanted her son to grow up experiencing these parts of family life.

He could see vegetables growing in the soil, help with harvesting, and enjoy meals made from produce grown by his grandparents.

Zaizen continued acting while making time for motherhood and family life at home.

Studying Alongside Her Son and Gaining New Qualifications

One particularly memorable story from Zaizen's experience of motherhood concerns her decision to study while her son was preparing for school entrance examinations.

Rather than simply encouraging him to study, she decided to learn alongside him and demonstrate the value of continuing education.

That decision led her to pursue six qualifications during her fifties.

Her studies covered subjects such as mental health counselling, advanced psychological counselling, behavioural psychology, and later-life planning.

Learning about planning for later life encouraged her to consider how to organise important information and communicate her wishes to her family.

After using commercially available end-of-life planning notebooks, she began considering a format better suited to her own family's needs.

In 2019, she published Jibun de Tsukuru Arigatou File, a book designed to help readers organise information and messages they want to leave for loved ones.

She later published Naomi Kobo: Zaizen-san Chi no Shunkashuto no Gohan to Kurashi in 2021, followed by Naomi Kobo 2: Sorekara no Koto in 2025.

These books share elements of the family's cooking, food preservation, agricultural activities, and everyday experiences.

What began as a desire to study alongside her son eventually developed into new projects and opportunities to share what she had learned.

Her son entered university in 2025, marking another important change in family life.

With her son becoming more independent, Zaizen has devoted further attention to agriculture, local culture, and projects that connect different generations.

Zaizen also has an older sister, Miyuki, who lives in Australia.

In a 2025 episode of Naomi Farm, Miyuki returned to Oita with her daughter.

Miyuki also enjoys home gardening in Australia. Although the sisters live in different countries, their shared interest in growing plants is a distinctive family connection.

Food, gardening, and an appreciation of nature continue to connect family members wherever they live.

8. Naomi Farm and Life at 60: Preserving Oita's Nature and Traditions

Restoring an Old Farmhouse and Creating a Place to Gather

Zaizen's rural lifestyle is featured in the BS Nippon Television programme Naomi Farm.

The programme began as a special in December 2024 and became a regular series in April 2025.

Episodes feature rice planting, harvesting vegetables, making preserves, and celebrating seasonal events with family members and neighbours.

Zaizen has spoken about enjoying the spontaneous conversations and unexpected moments that occur while filming everyday family life.

Unlike a scripted drama, the farm offers situations that unfold naturally. Weather, animals, crops, and the personalities of family members all contribute to what happens.

These ordinary moments are part of the programme's charm.

Zaizen has also participated in restoring a farmhouse more than 130 years old on the family's land in Kitsuki, Oita.

The property had belonged to previous generations, but the building had deteriorated over time. Zaizen wanted to turn it into a place that the family could continue to use.

With a television project helping to bring the idea to life, the family worked together on the restoration.

Useful materials from the original building, including old wooden beams and smoked bamboo, were incorporated into the renewed space alongside more practical modern facilities.

The aim was to retain memories of the old home while creating a building suitable for future generations.

Zaizen hopes it can serve as a welcoming space where relatives and people from the surrounding community can gather.

Her approach to the farmhouse reflects a broader family philosophy: preserving valuable things, adapting them thoughtfully, and allowing them to remain part of everyday life.

Protecting Heritage Vegetables and Traditional Oita Crafts

One of Zaizen's major interests at 60 is growing and preserving traditional vegetable varieties native to Oita Prefecture.

She has been involved with crops such as white eggplant, mochi-tokibi corn, Sorin pumpkin, and mitorimame beans.

Some of these varieties are grown by relatively few people and are rarely seen in ordinary supermarkets.

Zaizen wants to grow them, collect their seeds, and share the knowledge needed to cultivate them with future generations.

In an October 2026 episode of Naomi Farm, viewers also saw dishes made with ao-naga-jibai-kyuri, a traditional long cucumber variety from Oita, as well as edible luffa.

Traditional crops are closely connected with the climate, farming practices, and food culture of the regions where they have been grown for generations.

Zaizen is interested in preserving not only the plants but also the stories and knowledge associated with them.

Her interests extend beyond food crops to a traditional plant known as shichitoi, cultivated on Oita's Kunisaki Peninsula.

Shichitoi has historically been used to make tatami mat surfaces and other craft products.

In 2026, Zaizen joined local farmers and craft workers in planting the crop. Later, in October, she also tried making traditional sandals from the harvested material.

Through these experiences, she has been learning both how regional plants are grown and how they have been transformed into useful household objects.

She has also explored local food traditions, including jigoku-mushi, a cooking method associated with Beppu that uses natural hot-spring steam.

Combining vegetables from the family's farm with locally sourced seafood, she experienced another distinctive aspect of Oita's culinary heritage.

Since April 2024, Zaizen has also served as an Honorary Visiting Professor in the College of Sustainability and Tourism at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.

She participates in university events and discussions, sharing experiences from her acting career, rural lifestyle, agricultural activities, and community involvement.

Naomi Farm has also featured her working alongside university students to harvest potatoes and plant traditional local crops.

Her years in entertainment and her life in Oita have given her two different perspectives through which to introduce the region's natural and cultural heritage.

Zaizen has described her ambitions at 60 in terms of becoming someone who connects people and generations.

The recipes she learned from her mother, the land cultivated by her father, and the traditional crops and crafts of Oita are all things she hopes to pass on.

What began as a family lifestyle has grown into a series of projects involving neighbours, craftspeople, students, and the wider community.