About Sawajiri Erika

Erika Sawajiri was born in Nerima, Tokyo to a Japanese father and an Algerian (Kabyle, raised in France) mother and is the youngest of three children. Her father owned sixteen racehorses, including Edonokoban (エドノコバン), giving her ample opportunities to engage in horseback riding as a child. Her father disappeared from home when she was 9 years old and returned when she was in her third year at junior high school, only to die from cancer that year. Her second eldest brother died in a traffic accident when she was in her first year at high school. Her eldest brother is a former actor. Her mother managed a Mediterranean restaurant where she occasionally helped.