Hitomi Shimatani
Stage name: 島谷ひとみ
Real name: 島谷瞳
The ‘Hitomi’ in her real name is in Kanji
Birthday: September 4, 1980
Birthplace: Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture
Blood Type: O
Height: 161 cm (about 5 feet, 4 inches)

Ever since she was a child, Hitomi Shimatani always wanted to be a famous singer. When she was 17 and still in high school, she attended The Japan Audition 1997 hosted by the independent music label avex trax. Hitomi was chosen out of around 200,000 other girls and received a recording contract with the label. However, she wanted to complete high school before starting a music career. avex agreed to this, but in return, she was to get singing lessons.

After finishing high school, Hitomi began her music career by releasing her debut single in 1999, Osaka no Onna, which was an enka song. Even though the single received critical acclaim and garnered Hitomi with some awards, it sold poorly with around 48,000 copies and peaked at #45 on the Oricon Charts. At this point, avex decided that this would be the end of her career as an enka singer.

In 2000, Hitomi released her 2nd single Kaihouku, and it was her first step into the pop realm. Mainstream success as a pop artist soon followed in 2001 with her 3rd single papillon, which was a Japanese cover of Janet Jackson’s Doesn’t Really Matter. The single reached #14 on the Oricon Charts and sold over 200,000 copies, propelling Hitomi into the spotlight. With 6 studio albums and several singles under her belt, she is currently one of the more high profile artists on the avex trax label.

She is well known in the Western world for her work on anime theme songs. She has performed songs for popular anime series such as Inuyasha, The Law of Ueki, and Black Jack 21.

Hitomi has also been slowly building her career as an actress. Her first major role was in the drama Boku Dake no Madonna in 2003. She played a part in the live action The Prince of Tennis film in 2005 and has now recently began working in theater. She played the lead role of Anne Shirley in the Japanese version of the musical Anne of Green Gables.

Some Random Tidbits on Hitomi
- She played tennis when she was younger.
- When she was growing up, she was always listening to DREAMS COME TRUE and Mr.Children.
- She wants to try to sing a full song in Spanish.
- During her spare time, she likes talking and spending time with her friends.

For even more detailed information on her singles and albums, please refer to the discography.