She was born in
Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan, into an Okinawan family, the daughter of a fisherman and the youngest of five siblings. At the start of her career she was a
gravure idol and singer (her debut single "Moonlight to Daybreak" was released in 1996), and appeared in bit roles until her career breakthrough playing
Sadako Yamamura in
Ring 0: Birthday (2000). In 2000, Nakama demonstrated her talent for comedy with her lead role in the
Japanese television drama Trick which proved so popular that it had two more seasons and four film versions, but it was the top-rating 2002 TV series
Gokusen, a live-action version of the popular
manga, that established her as one of Japan's most popular and bankable actresses. Gokusen continued on for 3 seasons, which had many cameo appearances by actors who were on previous seasons. She is also known for her role in the drama, Saki, which Co-starred
Shohei Miura. Nakama has featured in commercials for companies such as
Nissin Foods,
Glico,
Lotte,
Asahi,
Shiseido,
au by
KDDI, and has served as a spokesperson for
Japan Railways and the Japanese Tax Agency. She is managed by Production Ogi. ==Personal life==