is a model

Model (person)

A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....

, actress, and singer best known from her modeling work with CanCam

CanCam

is a Japanese fashion magazine published by Shogakukan. Its name supposedly derives from "I Can Campus", because girls who read it are expected to become "campus leaders". The magazine was created for fashion-conscious consumers, and offers information on fashion, makeup, bags, accessories, etc...

 magazine. Shintaro Yamada

Shintaro Yamada

born July 10, 1986 in Onna, Okinawa, is a Japanese fashion model, actor, and singer.He is the younger brother of Yu Yamada. His modeling credits include appearing in Men's Non-No and Popeye...

 is her brother.

Career

Yamada graduated from Okinawa Actors School. In 1999, while working as a model for the Japanese fashion magazine CanCam

CanCam

is a Japanese fashion magazine published by Shogakukan. Its name supposedly derives from "I Can Campus", because girls who read it are expected to become "campus leaders". The magazine was created for fashion-conscious consumers, and offers information on fashion, makeup, bags, accessories, etc...

 under an exclusive contract, she also worked as a singer in the group y'z factory (formed with two other students of the Okinawa Actors School) and released a total of six singles and one album, but in 2002 the group disbanded.

Following the group's break up, Yamada moved to television, making her acting debut in the 2001 drama series Kabachitare! which led to many other drama roles such as in Kange! Danjiki Goikkosama, and Orange Days

Orange Days

is a drama series that aired in Japan on TBS in 2004.-Cast:* Satoshi Tsumabuki as Kai Yuuki - leading role* Kou Shibasaki as Sae Hagio - heroine* Manami Konishi as Maho Takagi - Kai's girlfriend, postgraduate student...

  as well as hosting jobs for NTV

Nippon Television

is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...

’s Minna no Terebi and Fuji TV’s F1 Grand Prix. She has also starred in a few films acting alongside many prominent young stars including Ryuhei Matsuda

Ryuhei Matsuda

is a Japanese film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in Japanese films such as Taboo and Nana.-Early life:Matsuda was born on 9 May 1983 in Tokyo to Yusaku Matsuda, a Japanese actor, and Miyuki Matsuda , a Japanese actress. He has two siblings, one of whom is Japanese actor Shota...

, Hiroki Narimiya

Hiroki Narimiya

, better known as , is a Japanese actor.-Early life:He was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. His parents are Okinawan, so he is of Okinawan descent. His parents divorced when he was young, and in his third year of junior high school, his mother died and he and his brother were raised by his...

 and Shugo Oshinari

Shugo Oshinari

is a Japanese actor best known for his roles in the controversial Battle Royale II: Requiem and Shunji Iwai's film, All About Lily Chou-Chou ....

.

Yamada has also appeared in advertisements for Nissin

Nissin

Nissin Foods is a world-wide company that makes instant ramen noodles. It was established in Japan on September 4, 1948 by Momofuku Ando as and ten years later introduced the first instant ramen noodle product, Chikin Ramen . They established a US subsidiary Nissin Foods in 1970 and sold instant...

 instant foods, Ezaki Glico

Ezaki Glico

is a Japanese confectionery company headquartered in Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka.The company manufactures the traditional Glico caramel candy, as well as Pocky and many others. The company name, Glico, is derived from a shortening of the word glycogen. The first candy produced by the company was known...

, Vodafone

Vodafone

Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...

 cellular phones, Kanebo line of cosmetics, Canon and most recently Fujitsu Ten

Fujitsu Ten

is a Japanese company developing and manufacturing car audio, video, navigation and control systems. The headquarters is located in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan...

 navigation systems.

In 2006 Yamada debuted as a solo artist with the single "Real You" which was used as the theme song for the movie Akihabara@DEEP

Akihabara@DEEP

is a 2004 novel by Ira Ishida which spawned a manga, television drama, and movie adaptation.The drama and manga versions have considerable differences from the original novel....

 (starring Yamada herself) and peaked at number 10 on the Oricon

Oricon

, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

 Charts.

Singles

Single	Single information	Copies sold	Notes
1st	"Real You" Released: September 20, 2006 Oricon Top 100 weekly peak: #10 From album: Myusic	23,000
2nd	"Eyes on Me" Released: March 7, 2007 Oricon Top 100 weekly peak: #30 From album: Myusic Label: Pony Canyon Pony Canyon is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...	5,079+	Yu Yamada and this song featured in a 2007 television ad for Sofina Raycious cosmetics. B-side: "Feel My Heart" "Eyes on Me" is not to be confused with Faye Wong's song of the same name Eyes on Me (Faye Wong song) "Eyes on Me" is a pop ballad performed by Chinese diva Faye Wong as a love theme for the video game Final Fantasy VIII. The song's lyrics, written in somewhat imperfect English by Kako Someya, unveil the hopes of a night club singer for romance with a member of her audience.-Single:The song was... .
3rd	"Fly So High" Released: June 13, 2007 Oricon Top 100 weekly peak: #27 From album: Myusic Label: Pony Canyon	3,581+	This was the ending theme for the TV Tokyo TV Tokyo is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...  anime series Blue Dragon. B-side: Little Raindrop
4th	"Fiesta! Fiesta!" Released: September 5, 2007 Oricon Top 100 weekly peak: #47 From album: Myusic Label: Pony Canyon	3,054+	Yu Yamada and this song featured in another 2007 television ad for Sofina Raycious. The B-side, "Palm", served as the ending theme to the Fuji TV horseracing show Umanade.
5th	"Leave All Behind" Released: April 23, 2008
6th	"My All" Released: January 21, 2009
7th	"Free" Released: May 20, 2009		This was the ending theme for the anime series Basquash! Basquash! is a sports and sci-fi anime which aired on Mainichi Broadcasting System. It involves characters playing basketball while riding mecha. The series premise was created by Thomas Romain and Shoji Kawamori, with the animation produced by Satelight. Shoji Kawamori is handling the project direction,...

Movies

• ROUTE 58 (2003) as Rin
• Kiseki wa Sora Kara Futte Kuru (2005) as Reiko Aoyama
• Akihabara@DEEP
  Akihabara@DEEP
  is a 2004 novel by Ira Ishida which spawned a manga, television drama, and movie adaptation.The drama and manga versions have considerable differences from the original novel....
  
   (2006) as Akira
• Pulukogi (2007)
• Surf's Up
  Surf's Up (film)
  Surf's Up is a 2007 American computer-animated mockumentary family comedy film directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck. It stars the voices of Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel and Jon Heder among others....
  
   (Japanese dub) (2007) as Lani Aliikai
• Kanna-san, Daiseiko Desu! (2008) as Kanna

Dramas

• Kabachitare! (2001)
• Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo (2001)
• Kangei Danjiki Goikkou-sama (2001)
• Shiawase no Shippo (2002)
• Cosmetic (2003)
• Aisuru Tame ni Aisaretai Loved to Love (2003)
• Sore wa, Totsuzen, Arashi no youni... (2004)
• Orange Days (2004)
• Be-Bop High School (2004)
• Nihon no Kowai Yoru "Daiseikubi" (2004)
• X'mas Nante Daikirai (2004)
• Tales of Japan (2004)
• Be-Bop High School 2 (2005)
• Fukigen na Gene (2005)
• Yume de Aimashou (2005)
• Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari "Happunkan" (2005)
• Satomi Hakenden" (2006)
• Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi "Actress" (2006)
• Zenibana (2006)
• Damens' Walker (2006)
• Karei ni Naru Ichizoku (2007)
• Zenibana 2 (2007)
• Nodame Cantabile in Europe (2008)
• Gokusen 3 (2008)
• Binbō Danshi (2008)
• Seigi no Mikata
  Seigi no Mikata
  is a story first published by Shueisha as a manga by Hijiri Chiaki, and then made into a short-running TV drama in 2008 by Nihon Television, directed by Satoru Nakajima. The story is about a 15-year-old girl named Yoko, who is being tormented by her older sister Makiko...
  
   (2008)
• Akuma no Temari Uta (2009)
• Mei-chan no Shitsuji
  Mei-chan no Shitsuji
  is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Riko Miyagi. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Margaret magazine. The manga is licensed and published in Chinese in Taiwan by Tong Li Publishing...
  
   (2009)
• Gakeppuchi no Eri (2010)

External links

• K Dash Group Profile
• Yu Yamada at CanCam
  CanCam
  is a Japanese fashion magazine published by Shogakukan. Its name supposedly derives from "I Can Campus", because girls who read it are expected to become "campus leaders". The magazine was created for fashion-conscious consumers, and offers information on fashion, makeup, bags, accessories, etc...
  
  magazine's online site.
• Yu Yamada at JDorama