Who is Niki Niwa, and is she dating Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the MLB? The Japanese model and actress attends Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs events, and has beauty collabs with Dior and Valentino

Dec 9 , 2024

Who is model and actress Niki Niwa, and is she dating Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the MLB? Photos: @yoshinobu_yamamoto, @__niki22/Instagram

The Terrace House: Aloha State and Peanut Butter Sandwich star, who was recently spotted out shopping in Beverly Hills with Yamamoto, was previously linked to singer-actor Tomohisa Yamashita

With a World Series win under his belt, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has had quite a season since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers this year. Along with his fellow Japanese player, baseball star Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto has become a sensation both in the US and at home. The Japanese powerhouse signed the biggest Major League Baseball pitcher contract in history, banking him an astonishing US$325 million over 12 years.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto speaking during the MLB World Series championship celebration at Dodger Stadium in LA last month. Photo: Kyodo

Together with Ohtani, the two proved to be well worth their salaries, taking home the World Series title for the Dodgers against the New York Yankees.

And it looks like Yamamoto is on a roll generally – the player was recently spotted shopping in Beverly Hills with Japanese model Niki Niwa, fuelling rumours that the two are dating.

So just what do we know about Niki Niwa?

She’s a model and reality star

Niki Niwa on Coral Island, Thailand, in February 2023. Photo: @__niki22/Instagram

With over 780,000 Instagram followers, Niwa juggles careers in TV and modelling, appearing in the reality TV show Terrace House: Aloha State.

The 28-year-old got her start on social media a decade ago, posting photos of herself on Instagram. She shares travel, food and fashion content with her followers while showcasing her lifestyle, which often sees her jet setting between America and Japan.

Niki Niwa in Okinawa, Japan, in June. Photo: @__niki22/Instagram

Niwa’s rise to fame lent her the opportunity to publish a photo book- a popular practice for models and celebrities in Japan and other parts of Asia.

Niki was published in 2017 and contains photographs on the beaches of Hawaii, featuring the model in a number of different swimwear looks.