Make way for Filipino-Japanese artist Kaori Oinuma

An actress to watch for

Half-Filipina/half-Japanese Kaori Oinuma is on the rise. After her Pinoy Big Brother stint, continuous project offers have come her way.

Filipino-Japanese celebrity Kaori Oinuma is slowly making a name for herself in the local entertainment industry.

A product of the reality TV show Pinoy Big Brother (PBB), Kaori is now one of the rising artists of this generation. Some even say she looks like Jun Ji Hyun, the South Korean actress who top-billed My Sassy Girl, My Love From the Star, and The Legend of the Blue Sea.

Here are details worth knowing about Kaori.

kaori’s LIFE in japan

Kaori Agapito Oinuma was born on July 22, 2000 in Nagoya, Japan. Her father is Japanese, while her mother is a Filipina.

At the age of 4, Kaori and her mother settled in the Philippines, and remarried.

Kaori has two half-siblings.

When she turned 13 years old, she and her mother decided to go back to Japan. This was because the Japanese government offers aid to women who have half-Japanese children. Kaori also hoped to reunite with her estranged father.

In an interview with Tonight With Boy Abunda (TWBA) in February 2019, Kaori described her life in Japan.

It was tough because she did not speak Japanese, and, for a long time, no one spoke to her because her Japanese classmates also knew very little English.

“Nung 13 po [ako]…parang wala po talaga akong alam na Japanese, hindi po ako makapagbasa, hindi po ako makapagsalita, makapagsulat, ganun po.. hirap na hirap din po ako sa pakikitungo sa kanila.

“Lagi lang po ako nag-iisa kasi hindi po talaga ako marunong mag Japanese.”

Little by little, Kaori learned to speak Japanese.

When she went to senior high school, she was finally able to have a circle of friends.

She also discovered a passion for playing basketball, and even became a varsity player in her school.

In 2017, Kaori finally met her biological Japanese father.

According to an ABS-CBN feature, after a DNA test proving his paternity, Kaori’s father unfortunately told her that he cannot support her financially because he already has his own family in Japan.

KAORI WORKED PART-TIME JOBS WHEN SHE WAS STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL

Since her father could not support them financially, Kaori decided to start working part-time during summer breaks at school.

She wanted to help her mom, who was working as a caregiver, and Kaori felt that becoming an artist in the Philippines would be one way to do it.

In particular, she wanted to enter the Pinoy Big Brother house.

One day, it was announced that Star Hunt: The Grand Kapamilya Auditions would take place during the Philippine Festival 2018 at Hibiya Park in Tokyo. This was an auditions caravan for ABS-CBN’s different reality shows.

Alone and armed only with her bravery, Kaori traveled six hours via bullet train to join the auditions. The rest, as they say, is history.

PBB PAVED THE WAY TO HER RISING SUCCESS IN SHOWBIZ

Kaori was included in PBB: Otso, which aired from November 10, 2018 to August 4, 2019.

She was part of the first batch, which was composed of teen housemates—Seth Fedelin, Aljon Mendoza, Rhys Eugenio, to name a few.

At 18, Kaori was the eldest housemate at the time.

Kaori became one of the Big Four of the teens batch, and eventually reached the Big Night Finale. She placed 8th, while Yamyam Gucong was declared the season’s winner.

PBB opened showbiz doors for Kaori even if she did not emerge as the show’s big winner.

In 2019, she was included in the cast of the fantasy-drama TV series Parasite Island, where she got to work with Charlie Dizon, Desiree del Valle, Rafael Rosell, among others.

From then on, she had a steady stream of projects, including the starring role in the YouTube series The Four Bad Boys and Me in 2020.

In 2021, she was paired with co-housemate Rhys Eugenio (now known as Rhys Miguel) as the second leads in the digital series He’s Into Her, top-billed by Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano.

It was the second time for Kaori and Rhys to be paired, thus the love team KaoRhys was born.

In the same year, Kaori starred in the film Love at First Stream, an official entry to the 2021 Metro Manila Film Festival.

This time, she was paired with up-and-coming actor Jeremiah Lisbo.

On being an artista, the 22-year-old newbie knows what to expect.

In her exclusive interview with metro.style, Kaori said, “Hindi siya talaga madali sa umpisa. May proseso. Kailangan mo lang ng tiyaga talaga.”

Good luck, Kaori