Akira was born in Manhattan, New York, the only child
of Japanese parents, both immigrants. She lived in SoHo
and moved to Tokyo at age 9 when her father, a portrait
photographer, was relocated there for work. She returned
to the United States at age 13 and moved to Downtown
Brooklyn and later Clinton Hill. In a 2014 interview,
Akira described her childhood as being "perfectly normal."
Her family spoke Japanese at home and were "health nuts"
who avoided junk food. As a teenager, Akira worked at
the children's bookstore Books of Wonder as a cashier.
ASA AKIRA IS AN AMERICAN PORNOGRAPHIC ACTRESS WHO BEGAN WORKING AS A DOMINATRIX WHEN SHE WAS 19 YEARS OLD. SHE INITIALLY WORKED AS A STRIPPER AT THE HUSTLER CLUB IN NEW YORK CITY, AND SINCE JOINING THE ADULT FILM INDUSTRY HAS WON NUMEROUS AWARDS. AKIRA HAS ALS0 BEEN RANKED 4TH ON COMPELX'S LIST OF "THE HOTTEST PORN STARS RIGHT NOW" IN 2011. INN 2012, AKIRA WAS PLACED ON CNBC'S YEARLY LIST "THE DIRTY DOZEN."