YOU's Beauty & Wellness Routine | Skincare, Haircare, Diet & Pilates

She has cut her own hair since she was 18, using scissors rather than visiting a salon. She has skipped her morning face wash for decades and prefers a short session with a sheet mask in the evening. Yet when she goes out for drinks with a friend, she might draw words on her face with a brightly coloured eyeliner.

These wonderfully individual beauty habits belong to YOU, the Japanese television personality, singer and actress known for her distinctive voice, relaxed manner and unconventional sense of humour.

With her effortless fashion and refreshingly candid personality, YOU often seems entirely at ease with herself. A closer look at her beauty and wellness habits, however, reveals years of learning what suits her skin, body and lifestyle.

She has spent more than four decades cutting her own hair, developed a skincare routine that reflects her concern about dryness, become more selective about the food she eats and maintained a gym routine for many years. In her sixties, she has also taken up Pilates and experienced a completely different kind of work by helping at a friend's restaurant.

YOU was born in Tokyo on August 29, 1964, and turned 62 in 2026. She made her singing debut in 1985, later attracting attention as the vocalist of the band FAIRCHILD. During the 1990s, she became widely known through the popular Japanese comedy programme Downtown no Gottsu Ee Kanji.

She subsequently established herself as an actress, receiving the Best Supporting Actress award at the 78th Kinema Junpo Best Ten Awards for Hirokazu Kore-eda's film Nobody Knows. Her other screen credits include The Uchoten Hotel, Still Walking, First Kiss 1ST KISS, the NHK morning drama Come Come Everybody and the television dramas 9 Border and Tokyo Tower.

She has also brought her unmistakable personality to programmes such as Nehorin Pahorin and Doyou wa Dame yo!, maintaining a remarkably varied career across music, comedy, television and film.

In her personal life, YOU has experienced two marriages and divorces and raised one son. Her enduring friendships with fellow entertainers, including MEGUMI and Takashi Fujii, are another important part of her life.

Drawing on her own interviews, this article explores YOU's skincare, haircare, food choices, supplements, strength training, sleep, bathing habits, family relationships and changing attitude towards getting older. Along the way, her personal stories reveal just how closely her approach to beauty is connected to the way she enjoys life.

1. YOU's Career and Beauty Philosophy: Enjoying Who She Is Today

A New Chapter as an Actress Around the Age of 40

A major turning point in YOU's acting career came with the release of the 2004 film Nobody Knows, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

She played a mother who leaves her children behind, an emotionally complicated role that differed sharply from the bright, witty personality Japanese audiences were accustomed to seeing on television.

Her performance earned critical recognition and helped introduce her to a wider audience as an actress. She subsequently appeared in more films and television dramas, portraying mothers and women with a variety of backgrounds and experiences.

In a 2025 interview with the Japanese beauty magazine BiST, YOU looked back with characteristic humour on the way similar mother roles came her way after Nobody Knows.

Although she values acting, YOU still describes herself primarily as a television personality and considers variety entertainment an important part of her work. At the same time, she appreciates the opportunities that come with portraying characters at different stages of life.

This perspective on her career has also shaped the way she thinks about beauty and aging.

From Beauty Experiments to a More Individual Approach

YOU has spoken about experiencing skin concerns during her teenage years and experimenting with various beauty treatments and routines.

In her 2025 interview with BiST, she recalled trying methods that had been recommended to her, sometimes discovering that they did not particularly suit her skin. She also visited beauty salons for professional treatments before gradually simplifying her daily routine from her late twenties onwards.

Until her early fifties, she still felt a strong desire to look beautiful. After reaching her sixties, however, she began placing greater importance on looking and feeling appropriate to her present stage of life.

Her experiences as an actress have played a role in this shift.

Wrinkles, pigmentation and changes in skin texture can all be part of the character and expression of a face that has lived through many years. YOU has said she looks forward to the possibility of portraying elderly women as she gets older.

Her attitude towards cosmetic procedures has also evolved. In 2022, she described receiving light-based treatments at a dermatology clinic on a regular basis. By 2025, she explained that she was less inclined to pursue cosmetic procedures, partly because filming and television schedules can make it difficult to allow time for recovery.

Rather than following one fixed beauty philosophy throughout her life, YOU has continued to reassess what suits her age, work and circumstances. That flexibility is a defining part of her relaxed approach to beauty.

2. YOU's Skincare Routine: Cleansing, Moisturising, Sheet Masks and Makeup

Why She Has Skipped Washing Her Face in the Morning for Years

One of the most widely discussed aspects of YOU's beauty routine is her decision to skip washing her face in the morning.

In a 2020 interview, she explained that she had already followed this practice for approximately 20 years. She has mentioned the same habit in subsequent beauty magazine interviews.

YOU considers her skin prone to dryness and pays particular attention to maintaining a comfortable level of moisture, especially during winter.

In the morning, she sometimes takes advantage of the moisturised feeling left by her evening skincare and moves directly on to applying makeup.

Her evening routine is different. Removing makeup is an established part of her day. In a 2025 BiST interview, she explained that she used an oil cleanser while bathing and then rinsed with water.

She has also said that even after staying out drinking with friends until morning, she makes a point of removing her makeup when she gets home.

This is a personal skincare approach developed through years of experience. The most suitable cleansing routine depends on an individual's skin, makeup and lifestyle, but YOU's habit illustrates the importance she places on paying attention to how her own skin feels.

Short Sheet-Mask Sessions, Facial Oils and Care Around the Eyes

Although YOU keeps her cleansing routine relatively simple, moisturising is something she takes seriously.

In a 2022 interview with MAQUIA, she described using a clay-based skincare product in the evening, rinsing it off, following with a short moisturising treatment and finishing with facial oil.

In 2025, she spoke about applying a sheet mask for approximately two minutes after bathing, followed by an ointment around her eye area.

She finds wearing a sheet mask for a long period somewhat inconvenient, so she prefers a duration that fits comfortably into her everyday routine.

At other times, she has used a rinse-off mask and then relaxed with a sheet mask while watching a Korean television drama.

Rather than creating an elaborate beauty ritual, she incorporates skincare into activities she already enjoys, such as bathing or watching her favourite shows.

The ointment she has mentioned should not automatically be understood as an ordinary cosmetic eye cream. Ointments vary in their intended use and permitted application areas, so this is best understood as a description of her personal routine rather than a recommendation for readers to use a similar product around their eyes.

In a 2021 interview, YOU also described applying generous amounts of oil to her body as well as her face after bathing.

Her interest in managing dryness extends beyond skincare products. She has used a humidifier at home because she is mindful of dryness affecting her skin and mucous membranes.

Light Base Makeup and Playful, Colourful Eye Looks

When it comes to foundation, YOU prefers a light application of a formula with a moisturising, oil-rich texture.

In 2022, she explained that she used powder only on areas where she felt it was necessary. In 2025, she also described applying a little oil before foundation and finishing her makeup without an additional layer of powder.

Her eye makeup, by contrast, can be wonderfully adventurous.

She enjoys eyeliners in colours such as white, green, red and purple, sometimes using them to highlight her eyes and occasionally even drawing words on her face.

Inspired by K-pop performers, she also likes incorporating gold and silver shimmer into her makeup.

She has mentioned learning about a Korean lip gloss from KABA-chan, another Japanese entertainer, illustrating how conversations with friends can introduce her to new beauty products.

YOU also occasionally picks up beauty ideas from posts she sees on X, formerly Twitter. If something catches her interest, she may try it and incorporate it into her makeup or daily life.

The contrast is part of her appeal: a restrained, comfortable base paired with a willingness to experiment with colour, sparkle and self-expression.

3. YOU's Haircare: Cutting Her Own Hair Since 18

More Than Four Decades of DIY Haircuts

YOU's soft, tousled hairstyle has been one of her trademarks for decades.

In a 2025 BiST interview, she revealed that she had been cutting her own hair since she was 18 and had not relied on regular salon visits.

Her tools are surprisingly ordinary: scissors similar to those used for elementary-school craft projects and a razor available from a local shop.

Although the tools are simple, YOU believes her particular hair texture makes the approach manageable for her.

Her hair is fine, relatively light in volume and naturally wavy. She has suggested that if she had straight hair, she might have preferred visiting a salon.

When she feels like changing her hairstyle, she may cut more than ten centimetres off at home.

For YOU, changing her hair is another way of following her mood and enjoying her own sense of style.

However, she is careful during television drama filming. Significant changes in hair length could interfere with visual continuity between scenes, so she considers the needs of the production before making a change.

Her casual-looking hairstyle therefore reflects both her independent personality and her professional experience as an actress.

Home Hair Colouring, Conditioning and Scalp Care

YOU also colours her hair at home.

In 2025, she described using a commercial hair-colouring product and adjusting her routine according to how her hair looks and feels.

She has also said that she might enjoy wearing her hair naturally grey when more white hairs appear in the future.

Her preference is to choose a hairstyle that suits the person she is at the time, rather than trying to preserve exactly the same hair colour indefinitely.

Hair dyes have specific instructions and safety precautions, including allergy alert testing where required. YOU's approach is her own personal practice, developed through years of experience.

When choosing haircare products, she has said that she is not particularly attached to one shampoo brand. She does, however, enjoy richer conditioners that leave her hair feeling substantial and well conditioned.

In 2025, she also mentioned using a scalp brush at home.

It is something she can use casually while watching television. She jokingly compared the brush to a back scratcher, explaining that it was useful when her scalp felt itchy.

She tends to appreciate practical items that fit easily into her everyday life rather than requiring a lengthy, dedicated beauty session.

Her interest in useful little products extends beyond haircare. She has also spoken about buying a portable mini toothbrush after seeing information suggesting that model Miranda Kerr used a similar product.

By learning the characteristics of her own hair, choosing tools she enjoys using and adapting to changes that come with age, YOU has developed a haircare routine that is unmistakably her own.

4. YOU's Diet and Supplements: Thoughtful Food Choices and Home Cooking

Becoming More Selective About Food as She Grew Older

YOU has developed her own approach to everyday eating.

In a 2024 MAQUIA interview, she explained that she paid particular attention to what she ate and how she approached meals, sometimes giving those choices more importance than elaborate cosmetic routines.

At home, she likes choosing organically grown vegetables and pays attention to the quality of the oils she uses. She also considers the timing and quantity of her meals according to her schedule and how she feels.

At the same time, she enjoys eating out and spending time over drinks with friends.

Being more selective about food at home while enjoying social meals gives her a balance that suits her lifestyle.

In 2025, she said she particularly liked vegetables and protein-rich foods and had personal preferences when selecting eggs, meat and fish.

She also loves bread. However, she has noticed that she sometimes feels sleepy or puffy after eating it, so she tends to eat it in smaller amounts in everyday life.

She has similarly described eating relatively small servings of rice and rarely preparing pasta at home.

These are personal choices based on how she feels after meals, rather than a general recommendation to restrict particular food groups.

Her approach to breakfast has changed over time as well. In 2021, she spoke about eating breakfast and lunch, whereas in 2025 she explained that she usually skipped breakfast and ate when she felt hungry at work.

The difference reflects how food habits can evolve with working hours, daily routines and changing circumstances.

Clam-Based Kimchi Stew, Steak and Homemade Fried Chicken

Many of the dishes YOU makes at home are familiar and comforting.

One of her favourites is kimchi jjigae, a Korean-style stew for which she makes a stock using clams known as shijimi in Japan. She sometimes adds soy milk to change the flavour.

She also enjoys cooking fillet steak, sometimes seasoning it simply with salt and pepper and at other times preparing a sauce combining sake, butter and soy sauce.

According to YOU, the same sauce works well with swordfish. Her cooking reflects an interest in selecting ingredients while keeping the dishes themselves approachable.

She has also made Japanese-style fried chicken, known as karaage, for her son.

Although she has said she does not usually eat much of it herself, it is one of her son's favourite dishes, and friends have also praised her version. She uses potato starch for the coating.

Cooking what her family enjoys, alongside choosing foods that suit her own preferences, offers a glimpse of YOU's everyday life as a mother.

She enjoys sweet foods too and once often chose desserts made with sweet red bean paste. After a conversation with fellow actress Yo Yoshida, she thought again about the sugar used in those sweets and began enjoying honey as an alternative.

Even casual conversations with friends can become opportunities for YOU to reconsider her food choices.

Her Interest in Supplements and Occasional Body Treatments

In a 2022 MAQUIA interview, YOU said she was taking approximately seven or eight different supplements each day at that time.

They included vitamins and products she had selected with her liver and digestive health in mind.

She also acknowledged that it was difficult to identify precisely what changes, if any, could be attributed to each individual product. She seemed to regard them partly as something that gave her peace of mind within her daily routine.

In a 2023 conversation with MEGUMI, she again mentioned her weekly gym sessions and supplement habits.

She also spoke in 2022 about receiving a body treatment every three or four months.

In addition to the care she provided for herself at home, she occasionally made use of professional beauty services.

These details describe her habits at the time of the interviews and should not be interpreted as evidence of a particular medical outcome or as recommendations for specific products.

When combining supplements, it is important to consider overlapping ingredients, total amounts and potential interactions with medications.

5. YOU's Strength Training and Pilates: Staying Active for Future Adventures

A Long-Running Gym Routine and Pilates in Her Sixties

One of the most striking aspects of YOU's wellness routine is the consistency of her gym attendance over many years.

In 2023, she said she had been going to the gym for approximately 20 years. In a 2022 MAQUIA interview, she described attending once a week, beginning with around 40 minutes of stretching before doing resistance exercises with bands to work on her core and back muscles.

Her motivation is about much more than maintaining a particular body shape.

YOU wants to remain able to travel with friends and walk long distances as she grows older.

She has received advice from her trainer about maintaining strength and mobility and has sometimes chosen to walk home after eating out.

In 2024, she also began practising Pilates.

By the time of a 2025 interview, she had attended approximately 20 private lessons since starting the previous year.

Despite her long history of gym training, Pilates brought new challenges. Some movements were harder than she expected, but she enjoyed learning different ways of using her body.

Interestingly, YOU has also said that she is not someone who enthusiastically goes for walks or stretches at home every day.

She often travels by car and finds that booking a class helps her make time for exercise.

Understanding her own personality and arranging her routine accordingly is part of what makes this habit workable for her.

Taking a Part-Time Restaurant Job Around the Age of 60

On the Japanese television programme Tetsuko no Heya in 2024, YOU revealed that she had started helping out at a friend's restaurant.

After decades in television and film, she found herself doing a completely different kind of work, including serving customers and washing dishes.

Standing for long periods and paying close attention to diners were unfamiliar experiences compared with her usual entertainment work.

She had to learn when to refill customers' water, when to clear plates and how to remain aware of everything happening around her.

She even improved her technique for pouring draft beer, learning how to create a neat head of foam.

YOU enjoyed the challenge of learning something from the beginning, regardless of her age or established career.

There is something particularly appealing about a well-known entertainer discovering the satisfaction of being a beginner again. Her willingness to experience another working environment reflects the curiosity that has stayed with her throughout her life.

6. YOU's Sleep, Bathing and Free Time: A Busy Past and the Things She Loves

Raising a Child and Working on Just Two or Three Hours of Sleep

In a 2025 BiST interview, YOU shared a memorable account of her life during her forties.

At the time, she was juggling work, raising her son and enjoying an active social life.

She would sometimes stay out late, return home early in the morning, prepare her son's packed lunch and see him off to school before sleeping for a few hours and heading to work.

There were days when she slept for only two or three hours. She even served in a role connected with her son's school.

Despite that demanding schedule, she had people around her who helped with childcare.

YOU maintained a good relationship with her former husband's family after their divorce. At one point, her former sister-in-law lived with her and helped look after her son in the evenings.

That family support played a part in making it possible for her to balance work, parenting and her social life.

YOU remembers her forties as an enjoyable period, but the very short sleep she describes was part of her experience at the time, rather than a healthy sleep routine to emulate.

Even today, her schedule can change depending on work. In 2022, she said she sometimes continued watching videos until early morning when she had no commitments the following day.

In 2025, she also observed that she tended to fall asleep more easily after a physically tiring workday, while days with relatively little activity could leave her feeling less ready for sleep.

Short Baths and Korean Drama Marathons

YOU likes relatively hot bathwater and said in 2022 that she often finished bathing in around five minutes.

In 2025, she described sometimes adding magnesium flakes and Japanese sake to her bathwater.

For her, this was a somewhat ritual-like way of changing her mood and marking a transition in the day.

She has also spoken about being influenced by older entertainers she knew when she was younger, including Osugi and Akihiro Miwa, and becoming familiar with ideas such as using salt as part of personal rituals for refreshing one's surroundings.

These are elements of her individual beliefs and lifestyle. Anyone adding products or other substances to bathwater should check the relevant instructions and the compatibility of their bathtub and heating equipment.

One of YOU's favourite leisure activities is watching Korean television dramas.

In 2025, she said she could sometimes watch as many as 15 episodes in succession once she became absorbed in a series.

During a conversation with MEGUMI, she recommended the dramas Chicago Typewriter, The World of the Married and Secret Love Affair.

Her enthusiasm for Korean entertainment has also influenced her interest in makeup, fashion, travel and language learning.

In 2024, she talked about enjoying a trip to South Korea with friends.

For YOU, an interest in one thing often opens the door to something else. Her curiosity continually provides new ways to enjoy her free time.

7. YOU's Marriages, Son and Friendships: The Personal Side of Her Life

Two Marriages, Divorce and Raising Her Son

YOU married Minoru Tezuka, guitarist of the Japanese rock band THE PRIVATES, in 1991. The couple divorced in 1997.

Later that year, she married actor Shunsuke Matsuoka and gave birth to their son. They divorced in 2005, after which YOU raised her son as a single mother.

In a 2025 BiST interview, she spoke openly about her approach to parenting.

As an only child whose father worked in banking, YOU grew up in a household where she was cared for attentively and expected to follow fairly strict rules. She attended several extracurricular lessons as a child, and manners and discipline were important parts of family life.

She later experienced a particularly rebellious adolescence, something she now recalls with humour.

Perhaps because of her own experiences, she was able to regard her son's rebellious behaviour around the age of 13 as a natural stage of growing up.

At the same time, YOU placed importance on manners and taught her son to treat older people respectfully.

In a 2025 interview, she described him as a polite, serious young man rather than the flamboyant character people might imagine from her television persona.

The contrast between a mother famous for her unconventional sense of humour and a son known for being well mannered has sometimes surprised people.

YOU also shared a funny story about trying to explain her marriage history to her son when he was in junior high school.

She was preparing to tell him that she had been married before, only to discover that he had already looked up her background online.

The unexpectedly casual response to what she had expected to be a serious conversation became an amusing example of family life in the internet age.

Regarding her present outlook on relationships, YOU said in 2025 that she was not seeking another marriage and was happy to enjoy activities such as films and meals with people whose company she valued.

Her Long Friendships with MEGUMI and Takashi Fujii

MEGUMI, a Japanese actress and television personality known for her interest in beauty, has been an important friend in YOU's life.

In a 2023 BiST interview, the two women described having maintained a family-level friendship for more than 15 years.

They have spent time together at meals, birthday celebrations and gatherings with mutual friends.

Their approaches to beauty are quite different.

MEGUMI actively researches beauty treatments and products, while YOU prefers to try things that interest her and suit her own sensibilities.

YOU sometimes asks MEGUMI for advice when she has questions about her skin and learns about new beauty ideas through their conversations.

MEGUMI, in turn, has spoken appreciatively about the inspiration she draws from YOU's easygoing attitude towards life.

Their friendship seems to thrive on their differences as much as their similarities.

YOU's friendship with comedian and actor Takashi Fujii also provides a revealing glimpse into her personality.

They have known each other for more than two decades and worked together in the 2023 animated film Thomas & Friends: Race for the Sodor Cup, providing guest voices for two high-speed train characters.

They first met during the filming of a television programme in the 1990s.

Fujii's polite greeting on the location bus left an impression on YOU. She subsequently took the initiative and asked for his contact information, beginning a friendship that has continued for many years.

Fujii has said that knowing YOU helped him appreciate the importance of being comfortable with oneself as part of being considerate towards other people.

Sharing meals, supporting one another and occasionally working together have all been part of their friendship.

These relationships are as important to the picture of YOU's life as her beauty routines or exercise habits. They show a woman who enjoys her independence while valuing the people close to her.

8. YOU's Outlook on Aging: Discovering More Freedom in Her Sixties

Understanding Herself Through Experience

In a 2024 MAQUIA interview, YOU spoke in detail about what she had learned from her experiences and how she approaches life.

Over the years, she has become more aware of what she likes, what she finds difficult and the circumstances in which she feels most comfortable.

As a result, she places greater importance on her own judgment and feelings than on worrying excessively about how others perceive her.

She also values asking questions and learning from other people when she encounters something unfamiliar.

Since she was young, she has paid close attention to the behaviour of those around her, reflecting on why certain actions went wrong and considering what she might do differently.

Although YOU can appear spontaneous and uninhibited, she also has a thoughtful and cautious side.

In 2025, she spoke candidly about the experience of getting older.

She had become more conscious of changes in herself around the age of 50, but by her sixties, she felt a greater sense of freedom.

Rather than trying to preserve precisely the same appearance she had when she was younger, she now enjoys choosing work, clothes and habits that suit her present life.

This perspective is reflected in her changing attitude towards cosmetic procedures, her openness to eventually wearing grey hair and her interest in playing older characters on screen.

Her appetite for new experiences remains strong.

She has taken up Pilates, learned new skills at a friend's restaurant and allowed her enthusiasm for Korean entertainment to inspire further interests in travel and makeup.

In 2024, she also spoke about having friends ranging in age from their twenties to their eighties.

She enjoys spending time with people whose experiences and perspectives differ from her own, discovering new ways of looking at the world through those relationships.

In 2025, she mentioned having frank conversations with her father, who was 91 at the time, about future care and medical decisions.

Such conversations reveal her willingness to face practical questions about life and aging while continuing to appreciate the pleasures of the present.

Conclusion: What YOU's Beauty and Wellness Habits Reveal

YOU's approach to beauty and wellness reflects decades of discovering what feels right for her.

Her decision to skip morning face washing while paying attention to dryness, her long history of cutting her own hair, her preference for vegetables and protein-rich foods, her interest in supplements, her many years of gym training and her more recent enthusiasm for Pilates all belong to different chapters of her life.

Some habits have remained with her for decades. Others have changed as her work, age and circumstances have evolved.

Her family life, friendships with MEGUMI and Takashi Fujii, love of Korean dramas, travels and unexpected experience working in a restaurant add even more depth to her story.

What makes YOU so compelling is not an attempt to recreate her younger self. It is her willingness to understand who she is today and discover new pleasures in the years ahead.

She pays attention to changes in her skin and body, chooses habits that fit her daily life and enjoys spending time with people who matter to her.

Her relaxed, individual approach offers an inviting perspective on growing older: staying curious, making thoughtful choices and continuing to enjoy life on one's own terms.

References

1. BiST ONLINE — YOU on Her Beauty Routine and Why She Has Cut Her Own Hair Since 18 (July 2025, Japanese)
2. BiST ONLINE — YOU on Raising Her Son, Family Life and Her Outlook on Work (July 2025, Japanese)
3. MAQUIA — YOU's Relaxed Beauty Routine: Ten Habits She Keeps in Mind (August 2022, Japanese)
4. MAQUIA — How YOU Enjoys Life: A 20th Anniversary Interview (July 2024, Japanese)
5. MAQUIA — YOU on Focusing on Herself and Finding Her Own Way to Live Beautifully (June 2024, Japanese)
6. BiST ONLINE — YOU and MEGUMI on More Than 15 Years of Family Friendship (January 2023, Japanese)
7. ORICON NEWS — YOU and Takashi Fujii on Their Friendship of More Than 20 Years (March 2023, Japanese)

Note: This article is based on publicly available information and interviews with YOU. Some of the habits described reflect her routines at the time of the respective interviews.