Chiaki Kuriyama (栗山千明, Kuriyama Chiaki) (born October 10, 1984) is a Japane… Read Full Bio ↴Chiaki Kuriyama (栗山千明, Kuriyama Chiaki) (born October 10, 1984) is a Japanese actress, model, and singer. She is best-known internationally for the part of the schoolgirl-dressing bodyguard, Gogo Yubari in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill, Volume I," and also her role in the Japanese film,"Battle Royale."

She officially debuted as a singer on February 24th, 2010, with the single, "Ryūsei no Namida" (流星のナミダ) as CHiAKi KURiYAMA. The three lowercase "i"s in her stage name represented the three sides of her self: "my true self as a woman, my self as an actress, and my self as a singer." Kuriyama is signed under DefStar Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan. With the release of her second single, "Kanōsei Girl" (可能性ガール), Kuriyama returned to performing under her birth name. On March 16th, 2011 she released her debut album "CIRCUS".

Born in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan Chiaki was one of the most popular models of the mid-1990s child model boom in Japan. In 1997, she got her break in the photobooks, "Shinwa-Shōjo (Girl of Myth)," and, "Shōjokan (Girl's Residence)." She also posed as a model for the child fashion magazines Nicola and Puchi Lemon.

She first achieved widespread recognition as an actress in Japan for her starring roles in the horror films "Shikoku" and "Ju-on", in 1999 and 2000 respectively. Chiaki also appeared in the controversial action film Battle Royale. Following feature appearances on several notable Japanese television programs, Chiaki made her Hollywood debut in director Quentin Tarantino's 2004 film, "Kill Bill, Volume I," as Gogo Yubari, the schoolgirl yakuza bodyguard of Tokyo mob mistress O-Ren Ishii.

Singles

流星のナミダ (Ryuusei no Namida, 2010.02.24)
可能性ガール (Kanousei Girl, 2010.11.17)
コールドフィンガーガール (Cold Finger Girl, 2011.01.26)
おいしい季節/決定的三分間 (Oishii Kisetsu/Ketteiteki Sanpunkan, 2011.03.02)

ミライノ・ヒカリ
栗山千明 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

間抜けな恋の遊びを覚えて
それから先の話を忘れてた
いつまでも変わらない日が
続くのを夢見て
迫り来る思いに足を取られ
言えない言葉が頭に響いてた
始まりと終わりは自由で
ありのままでいたい

無限の空に舞う未来の光を浴びて
ざわめいた血潮
誰もわたしの今を止めないで
止めないで
許された事ばかり増えすぎて
いつの間にかすり減る日々の中で
強くなることにしたのは
たぶん自分のため
零れた溜め息をかき消そう
涙を拭いて
幸せの意味を
誰か教えてなんて言わないで
言わないで

茜色にほとばしる夕陽
帰り道を歩いたら
壊れそうな想いが弾けて滲むよ
無限の空に舞う未来の光を浴びて
ざわめいた血潮

誰もわたしの今を止めないで
止めないで止めないで

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from the song "ミライノ・ヒカリ" (Mirai no Hikari) by 栗山千明 (Chiaki Kuriyama). The song is about the bittersweet nature of love and the longing for a future where everything remains unchanged. The singer reminisces about a foolish love game they used to play and how it made them forget about the future. They dream of endless days that won't change, but their impending feelings interfere, and they are unable to express themselves. They want to embrace both the beginning and the end freely and stay true to who they are. They want to bathe in the future's light that dances in the infinite sky, even as their restless blood rushes through their veins. They hope that nobody will stop them from living in the present, where only the permitted things keep increasing while the days slowly diminish. They have decided to become stronger, maybe for their own sake, and to brush away the spilled sighs and wipe away their tears. They don't want someone to tell them the meaning of happiness. They ask not to be told anything.

Line by Line Meaning

間抜けな恋の遊びを覚えて
Remembering the foolish game of love

それから先の話を忘れてた
I had forgotten about what comes next

いつまでも変わらない日が続くのを夢見て
Dreaming of days that will never change

迫り来る思いに足を取られ
Overwhelmed by approaching emotions

言えない言葉が頭に響いてた
Unspoken words were echoing in my head

始まりと終わりは自由でありのままでいたい
I want to be free, embracing both beginnings and endings

無限の空に舞う未来の光を浴びて
Bathing in the future light dancing in the infinite sky

ざわめいた血潮
The restless surging of my blood

誰もわたしの今を止めないで
Don't stop my present, anyone

許された事ばかり増えすぎて
The things I am forgiven for have become too numerous

いつの間にかすり減る日々の中で
In the midst of days that subtly diminish over time