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| Famous idol Aiko Sato returns after 32 years as the Ribbon members reunite (Photo: Twitter/Aiko Sato) |
If you ever needed proof that an idol career truly never dies, here’s your sign. Aiko Sato — yes, that Aiko Sato from legendary early-Heisei idol trio Ribbon — has stepped back onto the stage for the first time in a jaw-dropping 32 years.
The 52-year-old, who once helped deliver a string of top-10 hits between 1989 and 1994, made her grand return on 1 November at a special nostalgic idol event in Tokyo. And fans? Completely over the moon.
Sato appeared alongside fellow Ribbon member Arimi Matsuno, plus Qlair’s Sachiko Imai and former CoCo member Maki Miyamae.
The four gathered for the 2025 edition of “Maki Ami Sachi Ai” — an annual gathering of ex-Otomejuku idols that has quietly turned into a cult favourite reunion show since 2023.
Once news broke that Sato would be joining this year’s “Ribbon Special”, tickets for both daytime and evening shows vanished almost instantly.
Fans in their 50s arrived clutching vintage light sticks and photo cards, while younger audiences — some who only discovered Ribbon through CDs and YouTube — travelled from across Japan to witness something nobody expected to see again.
A Warm, Lively Return
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| Ribbon’s Magic Rekindled as Aiko Sato and Arimi Matsuno Perform Together Again |
Although she’s been away from the industry for decades, Sato didn’t return timidly.
During the talk segment she opened up about life after retirement for the first time, sharing that the sudden switch from group activities to solo work in the 90s left her feeling adrift.
After quietly stepping away, she trained at a culinary school, earned her chef certification, worked at a well-known hotel as a pâtissier, and later chose to focus on family life.
But when she attended last year’s event, the warmth of the crowd changed something in her:
“I thought, ‘I want to sing with the girls again.’ That feeling stayed with me,” she said backstage.
Ribbon on Stage Once Again
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The performance segment was where nostalgia fully kicked in.
The four women recreated classic Ribbon routines with impressive precision, supported by Miyamae and Imai taking turns covering Hiroyuki Nagasaku’s original parts from the trio’s 1989–94 days.
Sato admitted that as the familiar choreography returned, so did the memories:
“Some rhythms were just still in my body. It felt like coming home.”
Matsuno agreed, saying she got goosebumps the second Sato started singing beside her again.
Fans erupted as soon as the first notes of “Little Date” and “Virgin Snow” filled the venue — songs that once dominated early-Heisei pop culture.
New Starts at 52
Sato Aiko didn’t just return to performing — she also debuted her first-ever Twitter account on the same day.
“I’m still learning how everything works,” she joked, “but it feels like a fresh start. If life is 100 years, then 52 is still the beginning.”
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Meanwhile, each of the former idols is continuing down their own unique path.
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Arimi Matsuno is mixing her fitness-instructor career with new Ribbon-themed sessions and even planning an online fan event next February.
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Sachiko Imai hinted that she considered this performance a possible final chapter, only for Miyamae to immediately announce they’ll be making a new song together for her own 2026 birthday live — sending the whole room into laughter.
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Maki Miyamae, now a respected cooking expert and budding idol producer, shared how working with Sato years ago helped inspire her second career.
It’s clear that these women, once the heart of early 90s idol culture, still hold a powerful bond — and their fans haven’t forgotten.
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Setlists
Day Show
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Little☆Date
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Virgin Snow
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Yoake Nante Iranai
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Merihari de Aishite
Night Show
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Ano Ko ni Yoroshiku
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Wakattenai ne
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Deep Breath
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Be My Diamond!
Aiko Sato’s return is more than nostalgia — it’s a reminder that an idol’s glow never truly fades.
Thirty-two years after stepping away, fans still welcomed her with the same enthusiasm she once inspired at the height of Ribbon’s popularity.
And now, with new beginnings, new music hinted at, and a newly-opened Twitter account, Sato seems ready to enjoy her next chapter under the spotlight — at her own pace, and with the same bright spirit fans loved from the start.
Source: Encount