Interview with JAV actress and novelist Mana Sakura

Joshi Spa! recently interviewed adult video performer Mana Sakura as she marks a major career milestone.

Beyond her work in adult films, Sakura has also built a reputation as a novelist, often drawing on her experiences in the industry. Her latest book, Child Substitute, was published in February and explores themes of pregnancy and childbirth. The release also coincides with the 10th anniversary of her literary debut.

Although her appearances in adult videos have become less frequent — despite a new SOD Star title arriving later this month — the 33-year-old has not formally retired and has now spent an impressive 15 years in the industry.

We’ve translated and edited selected highlights from the extensive two-part interview.

Q. Why did you decide to write a novel centered on pregnancy and childbirth?

Sakura: At first, those weren’t subjects I felt especially driven to explore. Since readers often connect with a story through its protagonist, I thought it might be more engaging to create someone whose experiences and background differed greatly from my own.

Q. Recently, many people close to you — including your longtime manager — have become parents.

Sakura: Yes. Once I entered my thirties, friends around me and even my manager started having children one after another. Some were also thinking about egg freezing. Watching that happen made me realize how deeply pregnancy becomes part of the conversation for women as they move through life.

From my own perspective, having worked in the adult film industry, childbirth always felt somewhat distant from reality. I would sometimes imagine the kinds of comments or judgments I might face if I became a mother, and that alone could weaken my determination.

As I explored pregnancy and childbirth in the novel, I found it impossible to separate them from the idea of motherhood. My own mother delivered me by C-section, and she once told me the anesthesia wore off during the operation, so she could actually see the skin of her stomach being pulled apart. Whenever I noticed the scar on her abdomen, I remember thinking how beautiful it was. To me, it symbolized the fact that I had been brought into this world — a scar filled with meaning.

Q. Your mother has appeared on TV with you and seems supportive of your AV work. You appear to have a close relationship.

Sakura: I’m glad it comes across that way, though I often feel it must have been difficult for her. I haven’t always been the daughter my mother hoped for, and I’ve carried a sense of guilt about that for a long time. But as I’ve grown older, our relationship has gradually shifted. Instead of always being cared for, I now find myself in the position of caring for her.

Q. In your new novel, the protagonist raises her dog almost like a child. Nowadays, there are more dogs and cats than children in some households.

Sakura: I’ve been living with a dog myself for the past few years, and I care for it very deeply. In that sense, I think the act of nurturing shares something fundamental with raising a child.

At the same time, I also feel there is a unique bond among women who have experienced childbirth. It’s like an invisible solidarity formed through the intense physical pain, recovery, and bodily changes that only they can truly understand together.

Q. Did writing your latest novel affect your views on pregnancy or childbirth?

Sakura: While working on the novel, I had many chances to hear detailed experiences from women who had given birth. My core views didn’t necessarily change, but hearing those personal stories—and simply getting older—made me realize even more how sensitive and complex these topics are.

Right now, I don’t strongly feel that I want children, but that’s different from deciding never to have them. Still, people often ask why I don’t. Each time, I feel pressured to come up with an answer that satisfies them. In a way, it reminds me of how often I was once asked why I entered the porn industry.

It’s a difficult thing to think about, but if I had been as cautious and analytical at 18 as I am now, I probably wouldn’t have entered the AV industry. Of course, I hope anyone considering that path understands both the advantages and the risks, and can avoid being hurt. I would never casually encourage someone to enter the industry.

Looking back, though, I think that if my current self had stood at that same starting point, I might have hesitated too long and chosen not to step forward at all.

There are moments in life that require you to simply leap before overthinking takes over—like timing a jump in jump rope. Back then, I managed to leap into the AV industry. But now, I sometimes feel I may have missed the moment to make that same leap toward childbirth.

Q. It’s been 10 years since you began your writing career. Your approach to writing seems to have evolved quite a bit.

Sakura: In the past, I often ended up deleting huge sections or heavily rewriting things right after finishing a draft. But this time, even though the subject matter was serious, I genuinely enjoyed the process of writing.

Q. Do you have any writing rituals or habits?

Sakura: To keep myself mentally grounded, I’ve created a sort of “sacred corner” in my workspace filled only with gods and charms I love. I bought a stand online to display my talismans, and I also keep notes to myself that say things like “Keep writing!” alongside a sweet email from my editor telling me, “You’re a genius!” When deadlines get overwhelming, looking at those things helps me push through.

Q. In what ways does your writing connect to your work in adult films?

Sakura: I constantly find myself confronting questions about what it means to live as a woman.

Working in the adult film industry means I occupy a position where my femininity is treated as something marketable. So whenever I try to speak about issues women face outside that world, there are always people who dismiss me by saying my career itself exists because of male desire. Moments like that force me to confront the contradictions in my own position.

At the same time, wrestling with those conflicts and reexamining my emotions naturally becomes part of my writing process. Right now, both my work in adult films and my work as a novelist are sources of struggle for me, but they also give me comfort. Reflecting on myself is essential to the way I live, and because of that, I’m certain I’ll keep writing going forward.