Nozomi Ōhashi

Ohashi made her acting debut at the age of three,^[5] and debuted as a singer with the song "Gake no Ue no Ponyo", which she sang together with the duo group Fujioka Fujimaki in 2007.^[2] "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" is the theme song of the 2008 Studio Ghibli anime film Ponyo.^[6]

When this single was first released on December 15, 2007, it debuted at 115 on the Oricon charts.^[7] After the release of Ponyo, however, the single reached the number 3 position on the charts.^[7] It remained on the Oricon Top 10 charts for ten consecutive weeks, a record for an artist under the age of 10.^[8] This record was only broken by the single "Maru Maru Mori Mori!" in 2011.^[8] For singing "Gake no Ue no Ponyo", Ohashi was invited to participate in the 59th edition of Kōhaku Uta Gassen, becoming the youngest participant in the history of this program.^[9] In addition to singing the theme song for Ponyo, Ohashi also voiced the character of Karen in this film.^[3]

In the 2009 Fuji TV drama Shiroi Haru, Ohashi starred as Sachi Murakami, one of the main characters in this television series.^[10] She also played the lead role in a one-off television special drama Happy Birthday.^[11] This drama aired on November 21, 2009 on the Fuji TV network.^[11]

In 2011, Ohashi released her second single entitled "Panda no Yume".^[12] The title track of this single was approved as the "Panda Welcoming Song" for Ueno Zoo by the zoo's publicity committee.^[12] It was then used as a publicity song for the new panda exhibit that had opened at the zoo on April 1, 2011.^[12] The single was later released in Japan on July 27, 2011.^[12] In addition to releasing her single, Ohashi also starred in the television series Don Quixote.^[3] She played the role of Airi Nakano in this NTV drama.^[3]

Ohashi played a minor role in the film Shiawase no Pan, which was released in Japanese cinemas on January 28, 2012.^[13]

On March 1, 2012, it was announced that Ōhashi would be retiring from show business to concentrate on her studies after entering junior high school.^[4][14] Ōhashi's last day in show business was on March 31, 2012.^[4] It was also announced that the film that Nozomi was supposed to star in, Daisuki na Kutsu o Haitara, had been cancelled due to production problems.^[14]

She starred in the television program Jinsei ga Kawaru 1-Funkan no Fukaihanashi on March 19, 2012.^[15] During this program, she sang the songs "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" and "Kyo no Hi wa Sayonara", both of which were featured in her album Non-chan Kumo ni Noru.^[15] This was her last public appearance before her retirement from show business.^[15]

Nozomi Ōhashi is the youngest child in her family.^[16] She has two sisters who are respectively 7 and 4 years her elder.^[16] Her favorite actress is Mirai Shida.^[17]

• Ningen no Shomei (CX, 2004)
• Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari Anata no Monogatari (Fuji TV, 2005)
• Kinyo Entertainment (Fuji TV, 2006)
• Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi Slot (Fuji TV, 2006)
• Juken Sentai Gekiranger (TV Asahi, 2007, ep1)
• Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi Tsukareta Mori (Fuji TV, 2009)
• Shiroi Haru (Fuji TV, 2009)
• The Quiz Show 2 (NTV, 2009)
• Veterinarian Dolittle (TBS, 2010)
• Don Quixote (NTV, 2011)

Film

• Inu no Eiga (2005) as the young Mika
• Luna-Heights (2005) as Anna Kishibe
• Luna-Heights 2 (2006) as Anna Kishibe
• Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008) as the voice of Karen
• A Happy Birthday (2009) as Asuka Fujiwara
• Detective Conan: The Lost Ship in the Sky (2010) as the voice of Satoshi Kawaguchi

Commercials

• Asahi Soft Drinks Mitsuya Cider (2008) - appearing with Fujioka Fujimaki

Singles

• "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" (5 December 2007, Yamaha Music Communications) - alongside Fujioka Fujimaki
• "Panda no Yume" (27 July 2011)

Albums

• Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea Image Album "Ponyo's Lullaby"
• Non-chan Kumo ni Noru (24 December 2008, Yamaha Music Communications)

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Nozomi Ōhashi at IMDb