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During Yumiko's time in college, she was chosen as Young Magazine's "Miss Campus Grand Prix". Her debut as a gravure idol made her very popular and she was loved by fans who saw her on various television programs and dramas. She was also a Wongal on the show Wonderful. For her role in the Godzilla movie Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002), she had extensive self-defense training and managed 300 sit-ups a day, bringing her body fat down to 10%. Yumiko has stated that watching Kidou Senshi Gundam helped her train and has also admitted to being a huge fan of the anime. She even got to play one of the characters in the 2003 Playstation 2 game Kidou Senshi Gundam Meguriai Uchuu. An action figure of Yumiko was made to promote the game and was sold in limited numbers through a mail-order form in the Gundam Ace, an official fan magazine.
While most of her male fanbase is from her gravure idoling, she has gained a large female following from dramas such as Ikiru Tame no Jounetsu to Shite no Satsujin and the film Shurayuki-hime.
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