Shima Iwashita's Beauty & Wellness Routine | Skincare, Tai Chi, Diet

From the films An Autumn Afternoon and Double Suicide to Orin the Blind Woman and the Yakuza Wives series, Shima Iwashita has portrayed an extraordinary range of women. Her characters have included graceful and refined figures, women driven by powerful emotions, and commanding personalities with an unmistakable presence. With her elegant kimono style, beautifully upright posture, and composed manner, she has captivated Japanese audiences for decades.

Born on January 3, 1941, in Tokyo, Shima Iwashita turned 85 in 2026. Her father, Kiyoshi Nonomura, and her mother, Miyoko Yamagishi, were both involved in the performing arts. Growing up in a family closely connected with theatre, Iwashita made her acting debut at the age of 17 in the 1958 NHK television drama Bus-dori Ura. She joined Shochiku in 1960 and expanded her career into cinema, appearing in films such as Keisuke Kinoshita's The River Fuefuki and Masahiro Shinoda's Dry Lake.

In 1962, she appeared in An Autumn Afternoon, the final film directed by Yasujiro Ozu. She went on to distinguish herself in works including Goben no Tsubaki, Onimasa, and The Suspicion. Her performance in Shinoda's Orin the Blind Woman earned her the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. In 1986, she created another defining role in Yakuza Wives, portraying a formidable woman whose strength and presence left a lasting impression. Her achievements were recognised with Japan's Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2004 and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, in 2012.

In her personal life, Iwashita married film director Masahiro Shinoda in 1967. They raised one daughter while working together on numerous film productions. Their marriage lasted 58 years, until Shinoda's death in March 2025.

Although Iwashita spent much of her life in the public eye, her approach to beauty changed significantly when she was 31. During her twenties, exhausting work schedules sometimes left her falling asleep without removing her makeup, and she experienced problems with her skin. She eventually established a routine centred on thorough cleansing and morning and evening skincare, which she has maintained for more than five decades.

In her sixties, a trip to Beijing introduced her to tai chi, which became a regular part of her life for more than 20 years. At 85, she continues to incorporate qigong and stretching into her routine, adapting her exercise habits as her body changes. Her diet has included familiar favourites such as tofu and mozuku seaweed, while mantra meditation and enthusiastically cheering for the Hanshin Tigers have brought enjoyment to her days.

Alongside her acting career, Iwashita balanced work with raising her daughter. Later in life, she also renovated her home and organised treasured kimonos and film memorabilia to make everyday living more comfortable. Pottery, her appreciation of traditional clothing, and time spent with her daughter and grandchildren reveal a warm, approachable side of the actress beyond the screen.

Drawing on interviews with Iwashita herself and published reference materials, this article explores her beauty philosophy, skincare routine, favourite cosmetics, food choices, exercise habits, hobbies, family relationships, and approach to wellbeing at the age of 85.

1. Shima Iwashita's Beauty Philosophy: More Than 50 Years of Daily Care

How skincare became a priority at the age of 31

Shima Iwashita's attitude toward beauty changed dramatically when she was 31 years old.

In a 2023 interview with BiST, the actress recalled how demanding her work had been during her twenties. There were evenings when she fell asleep without removing her makeup, and she struggled with blemishes and other skin concerns. At the time, her routine was far less consistent than the one she would later develop.

Having entered the entertainment industry at a young age, Iwashita spent much of her early career moving between film and television sets. After returning home from a long day of shooting, exhaustion sometimes took priority over skincare. It is a surprisingly relatable detail about an actress known for her immaculate appearance on screen.

The turning point came when she became an image model for the Japanese cosmetics company Menard.

Representing a beauty company encouraged her to pay closer attention to her own skin. She reconsidered her everyday habits and began practising double cleansing, together with consistent morning and evening skincare.

She made a point of removing her makeup thoroughly, even after tiring days at work, and preparing her skin before starting each morning. Over time, she personally noticed changes in how her skin looked and felt.

What began as a professional responsibility gradually became something she enjoyed for herself. Daily skincare found a permanent place in the rhythm of her life.

In the 2023 interview, she also explained that the company's annual calendar and New Year greeting-card photo shoots helped motivate her to continue caring for herself. Having regular opportunities to appear in front of the camera encouraged her to maintain her routine throughout the year.

Remaining curious and making good habits last

While Iwashita has remained loyal to familiar skincare products, she has also enjoyed exploring new developments in cosmetics.

In 2023, she recalled looking forward to trying new products as they were introduced.

Seeing the company she represented develop new products and techniques inspired her to continue improving her own approach to beauty. Her curiosity has extended well beyond skincare.

When she encountered tai chi during a visit to Beijing in her sixties, she returned to Japan and actively searched for a class. She has repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to try something interesting and incorporate it into daily life when it feels right for her.

The same approach can be seen in her beauty routine, exercise habits, and practical decisions about her home.

Iwashita has also spoken openly about growing older. In her 2023 interview, she acknowledged the concerns that can accompany ageing while expressing her desire to remain healthy and find enjoyment in everyday life.

Her approach is grounded in caring for herself at each stage of life. Rather than focusing exclusively on her younger appearance, she continues to appreciate the routines and experiences that suit the person she is today.

That combination of personal care, curiosity, and acceptance gives her beauty philosophy a particularly thoughtful quality.

2. Skincare and Favourite Cosmetics: Cleansing, Moisturising and Facial Massage

Her morning and evening skincare routine

The foundation of Iwashita's longstanding skincare routine is thorough makeup removal followed by consistent morning and evening care.

In 2023, BiST published a detailed account of the products and steps she was using at the time.

In the morning, she applied a medicated pre-lotion with a cotton pad, moving gently upward, before layering additional skincare products. Among the Menard products identified in the interview were Yakuyo Beauness, Authent Liquid, and a medicated base essence.

In the evening, she used a massage cream to care for both her face and neck. She then applied her other skincare products and finished with a cream shortly before going to bed.

Working as an actress often involves elaborate makeup and long hours on set. For Iwashita, taking time to cleanse and care for her skin after work became a regular part of winding down.

Her routine reflects years of familiarity with products she enjoys using. Each step has a place in her everyday life, whether or not she has been filming that day.

The night cream she will get out of bed to apply

One of the most memorable details of Iwashita's skincare routine is her commitment to applying her night cream.

During her 2023 interview, she revealed that if she climbed into bed and realised she had forgotten the final cream, she would sometimes turn the light back on and get up to apply it.

By that point, skincare had become an essential part of her bedtime ritual.

One of the products identified as a personal favourite was Menard Authent Cream II. For Iwashita, applying the cream was a pleasant moment of self-care as she brought the day to a close.

After a busy day of work and other responsibilities, having a little time devoted to herself gave the routine a comforting quality.

It is a small but revealing example of how a habit begun more than 50 years earlier became part of her everyday sense of wellbeing.

A skincare favourite dating back to 1989

One product Iwashita has used for many years is Menard Yakuyo Beauness, which was introduced in 1989.

In her 2023 interview, she explained that she had been using it since shortly after its launch.

Her skincare products had also become familiar items in the family home.

Speaking about her husband, Masahiro Shinoda, who was then in his nineties, Iwashita shared a glimpse of how skincare had become part of their household routine.

What originally began through her involvement with a cosmetics company eventually became something woven into their long marriage and everyday life together.

The same interview also described her habit of applying face powder after sunscreen. Menard Fairlucent Medicated Pressed Powder was among the products identified in connection with her routine.

These details come from an interview describing products she personally used at the time. They offer a useful picture of her habits rather than an endorsement of any particular product for every reader.

For Iwashita, choosing familiar products and taking pleasure in a consistent routine have been important parts of her approach to skincare.

Her relaxed attitude toward hair and body changes

In a 2021 interview with Shukan Josei PRIME, Iwashita was asked about the relatively small amount of grey hair she had at the age of 80.

She recalled that her mother had also begun to show more noticeable grey hair after reaching her eighties. Iwashita spoke naturally about the possibility that her own hair would change with age.

Her response reflected a calm appreciation of family characteristics and the physical changes that occur over a lifetime.

In the same interview, she mentioned that her body shape and weight had remained relatively stable for approximately 40 years. She also described herself as someone who was naturally less inclined to gain weight.

These were observations about her own body, rather than claims that a particular skincare product, diet, or exercise routine was responsible.

As her skin, hair, and body have changed with age, Iwashita has continued to value the beauty habits that feel comfortable and appropriate for her.

3. From Tai Chi to Qigong: An Exercise Habit That Began in Her Sixties

Discovering tai chi in a Beijing park

Shima Iwashita first became interested in tai chi when she was in her sixties.

During a family trip to Beijing, she was walking through a park early in the morning when she noticed people practising a series of slow, flowing movements.

The exercises appeared gentle, yet there was something strikingly beautiful about the participants' posture and the way they moved their arms and legs. The scene made a lasting impression on her.

After returning to Japan, she looked for a tai chi class and began attending lessons once a week.

She soon discovered that the movements required more concentration and control than she had expected.

Slowly lifting one leg or transferring weight from one side of the body to the other demanded careful attention to balance. Performing movements at a measured pace brought its own challenges.

As she continued, Iwashita noticed changes in her sense of physical stability and stamina.

For an actress accustomed to communicating character through the way she stands, walks, and moves, tai chi offered an interesting new way to pay attention to the body.

When Ryoko Yonekura tried tai chi with her

Her enthusiasm for tai chi also led to a memorable experience with fellow actress Ryoko Yonekura.

While they were working together on a television drama, Yonekura noticed Iwashita sitting or standing with her back beautifully straight, even during breaks.

When Yonekura asked about her posture, Iwashita explained that she regularly practised tai chi.

Yonekura became interested, so Iwashita spoke with her instructor and arranged for her colleague to attend a trial lesson.

Yonekura arrived in stylish clothes, and the two actresses enjoyed tea together after the session. At the time, Yonekura appeared perfectly comfortable, leaving Iwashita wondering whether the class had been challenging enough for her.

Later, however, Iwashita learned that Yonekura had experienced muscle soreness the following day.

The story illustrates how even gentle-looking movements can require considerable physical effort. It also offers a charming glimpse into the easy rapport between the two actresses.

Online lessons during the pandemic and qigong at 85

For many years, tai chi remained part of Iwashita's weekly routine. That changed when the COVID-19 pandemic forced her class to close in 2020.

Rather than letting the lessons stop entirely, she suggested to her instructor that they might continue online. Other participants agreed, and classes began using Zoom.

In a 2021 interview, Iwashita explained that she had already used communication services such as Skype. This familiarity with technology made it easier for her to adapt to online exercise classes.

During the pandemic, she also began practising qigong. For a time, she attended both tai chi and qigong sessions each week.

As she grew older, she reconsidered the demands of maintaining both activities and decided to concentrate on qigong.

According to her account published in Bungeishunju in 2026, she was continuing to take a 90-minute online qigong class at home once a week.

Iwashita has described qigong as a way of paying attention to her body and breathing.

Her journey from tai chi in her sixties to qigong at 85 reflects a thoughtful willingness to adapt the activities she enjoys to her current circumstances.

4. Morning Stretching and Everyday Movement: Staying Active at 85

Starting the day with exercise in bed

Alongside her weekly qigong lessons, Iwashita has made a habit of moving her body at home.

In a 2023 interview with BiST, she described getting up at around 7 a.m. and spending approximately ten minutes exercising while still on her bed.

Her movements included stretching her arms and legs, lifting parts of her body, and gently shaking her hands and feet. Although the routine sounded simple, she felt that it involved a surprising amount of movement.

In a 2026 interview, she also described drinking warm water in the morning and continuing to stretch in bed.

Taking a few moments to become aware of her body before beginning the day's activities had become a familiar part of her morning routine.

The ten-minute duration was reported in 2023, while her 2026 interview confirmed the continued habit of morning stretching. The exact exercises and time involved may naturally vary according to how she feels.

Iwashita has also spoken about doing light movement before bed, creating opportunities to pay attention to her body at both ends of the day.

In 2026, she spoke openly about having fallen and injured her knee. She explained that she had subsequently recovered and continued exercising in ways that suited her condition.

Even with decades of experience in physical activities, she has had to accommodate changes in her body. Her approach emphasises paying attention to how she feels and adjusting her daily habits accordingly.

Renovating her home in 2019 with the future in mind

One particularly interesting example of Iwashita's practical approach to everyday wellbeing is the renovation of her home in 2019.

At the time, the house was approximately 33 years old. It had originally been designed for a large household that included her parents, her daughter, and live-in domestic help. As the family changed over the years, some rooms were used less frequently and the house began to feel larger than necessary.

Her husband, Masahiro Shinoda, was approaching his nineties.

With his comfort in mind, Iwashita arranged to move his study to the ground floor, reducing the need for him to climb the stairs repeatedly.

She made a different choice for herself, keeping her own room upstairs because she regarded the stairs as an opportunity for everyday movement.

In a 2021 interview, she explained that she sometimes deliberately divided household errands into several trips so she could use the staircase more often.

For example, if she needed to bring several things downstairs, she might collect them on separate visits instead of carrying everything at once.

It was a distinctive way of building physical activity into an ordinary day.

The contrast between the arrangements she made for her husband and those she chose for herself shows how carefully she considered their individual needs. Her husband's daily life became easier, while she found a way to incorporate movement into her own.

Sorting around 100 kimonos and a lifetime of film memorabilia

The renovation also involved the enormous task of organising belongings accumulated over many years.

Iwashita owned approximately 100 kimonos, along with their accompanying obi sashes, footwear, handbags, and accessories. Deciding what to keep and what to pass on required considerable thought.

She kept particularly meaningful pieces, including kimonos associated with memorable film-festival appearances. Other garments were given to people who would enjoy wearing them.

There was also an extraordinary collection of material from the couple's film careers: scripts, production photographs, posters, programmes, and recorded footage.

As they sorted through these items, Iwashita would sometimes discover an old photograph or document and call Shinoda over to see it.

They would reminisce about productions they had worked on together, recalling details that had faded from memory over the years.

Some materials were retained in their office, while film-related documents were donated to the Shochiku Otani Library.

Organising their home became an opportunity to revisit decades of shared creative work. What began as a practical renovation also gave them time to reflect on the remarkable life they had built together.

5. Diet and Eating Habits: Tofu, Mozuku Seaweed and Family Meals

How her husband's favourite food became one of her own

Tofu has been one of the most familiar ingredients in Shima Iwashita's diet for many years.

In a 2021 interview, she explained that her husband, Masahiro Shinoda, had always enjoyed tofu. After eating it with him so often, she developed a great fondness for it herself.

The couple enjoyed tofu in a wide variety of dishes, including yudofu, chilled tofu, fried tofu, tofu with thick sauces, mapo tofu, and stir-fries.

Over the course of their long marriage, tofu naturally became a regular feature of the family table.

In a 2023 interview, Iwashita mentioned that she ate tofu daily, confirming that it had remained an enduring part of her eating habits.

Another ingredient she frequently enjoyed was mozuku, a type of edible seaweed popular in Japan.

In BiST, she described combining mozuku with finely chopped ginger and vinegar and sometimes serving it over rice. She had also mentioned tomatoes as one of her favourite foods in an earlier interview.

Her meals reflect a longstanding enjoyment of familiar ingredients prepared in different ways.

Much of her food story is inseparable from her marriage. A dish her husband loved gradually became one of her own favourites, creating another small connection in their shared everyday life.

Planning the family's meals even after long days on set

Iwashita's approach to food also reveals something about the way she balanced her career and family responsibilities.

After their marriage, Shinoda supported her decision to continue acting and wanted their home to be somewhere she could rest between demanding productions.

Other people sometimes helped with the actual cooking, but Iwashita took responsibility for planning the household's meals.

Even when she returned home late from filming, she would think about the next day's menu and leave a note on the refrigerator.

She considered how to include fish, meat, and vegetables, aiming to provide variety in the family's meals.

In a 2021 interview, she explained that planning the menu was a responsibility she particularly wanted to handle herself.

For a working actress with a demanding schedule, choosing what her family would eat was a meaningful way to remain involved in the household's daily life.

In 2023, she also mentioned that she made a habit of eating three meals a day.

Her approach to food has consistently centred on enjoying familiar ingredients, planning balanced menus, and treating shared mealtimes as an important part of family life.

Body changes and memories of meals with her husband

In her 2021 interview, Iwashita said that her weight and body shape had remained relatively stable for around 40 years.

She also noted that she had a natural tendency not to gain weight easily.

At the same time, she spoke warmly about everyday meals, including tofu, vegetables, fish, and meat prepared in different ways.

Her eating habits were closely connected with her life alongside Shinoda.

They enjoyed the same favourite foods, discussed the household menu, and shared meals throughout their marriage.

After Shinoda died in 2025, Iwashita spoke about the sadness of sitting down to eat without the person who had been beside her for so many years.

Meals that had once seemed like an ordinary part of daily life were now deeply connected with memories of her husband.

Looking at Iwashita's food habits therefore reveals more than her preferences at the table. It also tells the story of the domestic life she and Shinoda shared for nearly six decades.

6. Meditation, Hobbies and Acting: The Everyday Joys Behind Her Wellbeing

Mantra meditation and her enthusiasm for the Hanshin Tigers

Alongside physical exercise, Iwashita has valued moments of quiet reflection.

In a 2023 interview with BiST, she explained that she practised mantra meditation before meals.

Different thoughts sometimes came into her mind during meditation. Rather than becoming preoccupied with them, she allowed them to pass and continued her practice, appreciating the calmer feeling that could follow.

For an actress who has spent a lifetime working with other people on demanding productions, these quieter moments offered a chance to turn her attention inward.

She has an equally enthusiastic approach to another activity: supporting the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.

In 2023, she described the pleasure of watching games alone in her room and cheering energetically at the television.

When a Tigers player hit a home run, she sometimes watched the moment again on her smartphone later that evening.

Reliving a happy sporting moment before bedtime was one of the simple pleasures she enjoyed.

Her smartphone was also a regular part of daily life. In the same interview, she joked about searching through the house whenever she misplaced it and described checking the news before going to bed.

Quiet meditation and exuberant baseball cheering might seem very different, yet both have given Iwashita opportunities to enjoy her day in her own way.

Pottery, kimono design and the pleasure of creating things

Pottery has been one of Iwashita's longstanding hobbies.

In a May 2026 interview with Josei Jishin, she offered her interviewer tea in a cup she had made herself.

Film production involves collaborating with directors, performers, and crew members. Pottery offers a different form of creativity, allowing her to work directly with clay and shape an object with her own hands.

Her appreciation for traditional Japanese clothing has also extended beyond wearing beautiful garments.

After many years of modelling kimono, she launched the Kimono Shima brand in 1999 and became involved in designing garments herself.

Her experience includes both presenting traditional clothing and thinking creatively about how it should look.

During the renovation of her home in 2019, she also had to decide what to do with her large kimono collection. Particularly meaningful pieces were carefully preserved, while others were passed on to people who would appreciate wearing them.

Her decisions reflected a deep affection for treasured belongings combined with a practical approach to the changing needs of everyday life.

Reading, speaking and writing lines to prepare for acting roles

Another revealing aspect of Iwashita's daily habits is the way she approaches her work as an actress.

In a 2021 interview with Bunshun Online, she described how her method of memorising dialogue had changed over time.

When she was younger, reading a script two or three times was often enough for the lines to settle naturally in her memory.

As she grew older, she began to devote more time and attention to learning dialogue.

One of her methods was to read her lines aloud repeatedly.

She would first read the entire script to understand the story, its emotional rhythm, and the relative importance of different scenes.

Once the filming schedule had been decided, she concentrated on the scenes she needed to prepare.

Before shooting, she sometimes asked someone from her office to read the other characters' lines so she could rehearse the exchanges as a conversation.

When a phrase was particularly difficult to remember or say naturally, she would write it out as another way of learning it.

She explained that some lines take time to settle into her own speaking rhythm. Repeating them until they feel natural has remained an important part of her preparation.

Her approach illustrates the care she brings to her craft. Decades of acting experience have given her a deep understanding of performance, while her willingness to adapt her preparation methods has helped her continue approaching each role with concentration and commitment.

It is another example of how Iwashita responds to changes in her life with practical adjustments, patience, and curiosity.

7. Husband, Daughter and Grandchildren: Balancing Family Life with Acting

Meeting Masahiro Shinoda at 19 and a memorable mambo dance

Shima Iwashita first met film director Masahiro Shinoda through their work on the 1960 film Dry Lake.

She was 19, while Shinoda was gaining attention as a promising young director. Their relationship began through the shared experience of filmmaking.

A particularly memorable incident occurred at a celebration following the 1964 film Assassination.

Iwashita and Shinoda danced the mambo together.

In a 2024 interview with Fujinkoron, Iwashita recalled suddenly having a premonition that she would marry him.

She told him what she was thinking, and Shinoda was so surprised that he returned to his seat.

At the time, Iwashita had little desire to marry, and her feelings for Shinoda were closer to admiration than conventional romance. That made the sudden premonition all the more surprising to her.

They married in 1967 and later established their independent production company, Hyogensha.

They went on to collaborate on films including Double Suicide, Himiko, and Orin the Blind Woman.

Their relationship combined marriage with a shared commitment to cinema. For nearly six decades, they built a life together as both spouses and creative partners.

Continuing her acting career through marriage and motherhood

During the 1960s, it was less common for married actresses in Japan to continue working as extensively as Iwashita did.

Shinoda, however, respected her desire to remain an actress.

Iwashita has reflected that his willingness to support her career may have been one of the reasons she chose to marry him.

In a 2024 Fujinkoron interview, she recalled his belief that their home should be a place where they could rest from the demands of work.

On set, they approached filmmaking seriously as a director and an actress. At home, they valued the time they spent together as husband and wife.

Their daughter was born in 1973.

In her 2024 interview, Iwashita recalled being handed the script for another production just ten days after giving birth.

At the time, expectations surrounding motherhood and employment were very different from those of today. Continuing to work while raising a young child presented emotional and practical challenges.

Someone helping to care for her daughter even suggested that she should leave acting and concentrate on being a mother.

Shinoda continued to support her career, and Iwashita worked to find a way to honour both her professional ambitions and her love for her child.

Her experiences show that the remarkable film career audiences admire was built alongside very personal decisions about marriage, motherhood, and work.

Hugging her daughter after filming and attending school events

Iwashita has spoken warmly about returning home from work and hugging her daughter.

In a 2020 interview with Josei Jishin, she recalled how embracing her child after filming helped her forget the tiredness of a long day.

As her daughter grew older and reached the upper years of primary school, she began to feel embarrassed by her mother's enthusiastic hugs.

Iwashita remembered the change with affection.

She also made an effort to attend sports days, school performances, and opportunities to observe her daughter's classes.

Her acting career frequently called upon her to portray characters with powerful emotions, yet at home she devoted herself to being an affectionate and involved mother.

In a 2021 interview, she also described Shinoda as a father who placed considerable importance on manners, including greetings and the proper use of chopsticks.

Iwashita expressed her affection openly, while Shinoda emphasised courtesy and independence. Together, they contributed different qualities to their daughter's upbringing.

Finding happiness in a home shared with her daughter's family

In 2023, Iwashita revealed that she had begun living in a two-generation home with her daughter's family.

She described how seeing the lights come on in her daughter and grandchildren's rooms when they returned home in the evening could fill her with happiness.

After spending so much of her life working on film and television sets, the simple knowledge that her family was nearby had become a precious source of comfort.

In 2020, she also revealed that her two grandchildren called her "Shima-chan," an affectionate and informal nickname.

It is a delightful contrast to the commanding characters she has portrayed on screen.

Family travel has also been important to her.

To mark the couple's 50th wedding anniversary, Iwashita and Shinoda travelled to Kyoto with their daughter's family.

They hoped to revisit Koto-in, a temple within the Daitoku-ji complex where they had held their wedding ceremony. The temple was undergoing restoration at the time, so they were unable to enter.

Even so, the journey brought together different generations of the family in a place filled with memories from the beginning of the couple's marriage.

8. Shima Iwashita at 85: Life, Loss and Continuing to Care for Herself

Losing her husband after 58 years together

On March 25, 2025, Iwashita's husband, film director Masahiro Shinoda, died at the age of 94.

They had been married since 1967. For 58 years, they shared a home, raised their daughter, and worked together on films that became part of Japanese cinema history.

His death was an enormous change in Iwashita's life.

In a 2026 interview with Josei Jishin, she spoke candidly about a period after his death when she struggled to eat properly.

One of the most painful changes was sitting down to meals without the person who had been beside her for so many years.

It was in these ordinary moments that she felt his absence most deeply.

At one point, she explained, she had been eating so little that she went to a medical facility to receive intravenous fluids.

Her words revealed the grief of a wife who had lost her lifelong companion, beyond the composed public image of a celebrated actress.

Many reminders of their shared life remained around her.

Years earlier, when they were sorting film memorabilia during the renovation of their home, she would show Shinoda old scripts and photographs, and the two would reminisce about their work together.

Those conversations were part of the personal history behind their many public achievements.

Their films, home, and family all hold memories of a relationship that lasted for nearly six decades.

Maintaining gentle movement during a period of grief

In a 2026 article for Bungeishunju, Iwashita explained that she had tried to preserve her exercise habits following her husband's death.

During difficult moments, she sometimes noticed that her breathing felt shallow.

Practising qigong and stretching gave her a familiar opportunity to focus on her body and regain a sense of calm.

She also described occasions when moving her body helped her feel more willing to eat something afterward.

These were her personal experiences during a particularly challenging period of life.

Her longstanding habits remained meaningful as she worked through profound changes in her daily routine.

Drinking warm water in the morning, stretching while still in bed, attending weekly qigong lessons, and moving gently before bedtime gave her familiar activities to return to.

At 85, she continues to pay attention to her physical condition and to adapt her routine to how she feels.

A 2026 book reflecting on their life together

In July 2026, Iwashita published As Comrades, As Husband and Wife: The Path I Walked with My Destined Partner, Masahiro Shinoda, a memoir reflecting on their extraordinary life together.

The book looks back on their early encounters, their collaborations as director and actress, their marriage, and the experience of losing her husband.

They were partners in filmmaking, companions in family life, and two people whose personal and professional histories became deeply intertwined.

In 2026, Iwashita also took part in an event devoted to Shinoda's films, sharing memories of her husband and their work with an audience.

Reflecting on the films they made and recording her own experiences in writing became meaningful ways of preserving the story of their life together.

Throughout her later career, she has also continued adapting her working methods. She now approaches learning dialogue with repeated reading, speaking, and writing, just as she adjusted her exercise habits from tai chi to qigong.

Her willingness to respond thoughtfully to changes in her body and circumstances has remained an important part of how she approaches life.

Conclusion: A Lifetime of Beauty, Wellbeing and Meaningful Habits

Shima Iwashita's approach to beauty and wellbeing is shaped by habits she has developed and refined over more than five decades.

After experiencing skin concerns in her twenties, she began taking cleansing and moisturising more seriously at the age of 31. In her sixties, she discovered tai chi in a Beijing park, and at 85 she continues to practise qigong and stretching.

Her food choices have included tofu and mozuku seaweed, enjoyed as part of meals she planned for her family. Mantra meditation has offered moments of quiet reflection, while passionately supporting the Hanshin Tigers has brought excitement and pleasure.

Pottery, kimono design, and time with her daughter and grandchildren have enriched her life beyond acting.

As a performer, she has adjusted how she learns scripts over the years, continuing to approach her work with care and determination. At home, she raised a daughter, collaborated with her husband on films, and enjoyed watching her grandchildren grow.

Following the loss of her husband of 58 years, she has continued to value the familiar routines that give structure to her days.

Iwashita's enduring elegance reflects much more than her celebrated screen appearances. It is also shaped by the care she brings to everyday life, her dedication to acting, her affection for family, and her ability to find meaningful ways forward through the changes that come with age.