Tae

Ms. Nakamura is the standout woman in her 60s among the "Debt Wives," full of warm, motherly care. Her calm manner and her eager, "all kinds of" service spirit explain why she has won loyal fans. She is a highly recommended woman.

Her pure, dazzling quality, which doesn't make you feel she is working, is striking, and she entered the industry at a surprising age of 52. That is quite a late start, but she had her reasons. She told us, "When I closed down a business I used to run, I ended up with some debt... I entered the industry to pay it back." She spoke cheerfully, without showing any gloom or hardship. Her good character and warmth that we felt then may be the secret to her popularity.

Her specialty dish, full of kindness, is simmered dishes. She says any ingredient is fine, and she is full of confidence as a "mother" who has kept the kitchen. Among them, her best is "simmered taro" (satoimo no nikkorogashi). Peeling taro is a hassle, but Ms. Nakamura doesn't mind taking the time and effort to make it.

She was born and raised far away in Fukuoka, in Kyushu. As a student she was crazy about group sounds music and went to the movies with friends. She says she was an ordinary girl who was not especially good at sports. The first LP she bought was "Hana no Kubikazari" by The Tigers, a huge hit in its day! Many customers may nod along at this. She still loves a romantic atmosphere, which makes you feel she also has a girlish sensibility.

Ms. Nakamura, who has such a cute side, married at 23. She says it was a love marriage. Surrounded by her children and grandchildren, her married life will soon pass 40 years. She has been with only 5 men, which is very few, suggesting a devoted and serious side.

Even devoted Ms. Nakamura apparently had one forbidden love, an affair. Around age 40, when she was in full bloom, she developed feelings for a boss who had looked after her at her workplace at the time, and they continued to meet for about a year, always mindful of others' eyes. She said she doesn't know why she was drawn to him: he was chubby, the opposite of her husband, and not at all good-looking. The affair ended when Ms. Nakamura left the job, and they drifted apart. It seems the affair left no lingering effect, and it did not last because, as she put it, "After all, when I think of my children first..."