Born and raised in Yoyogi, Tokyo, Watanabe graduated from Kanto International Senior High School in 2001 and speaks fluent English. From 2004 until 2007 she worked as a fitness instructor at a Central Fitness Club at Tennozu Isle, Tokyo, and held an ambition to take lessons in Hong Kong to become an Asian action actress. She acted as a supervising director on former kickboxing legend and four-time K-1 World Champion Ernesto Hoost's DVD 'Perfect Combat Part.1.”
In 2008, Watanabe competed with 4000 entrants for the title of Miss Universe Japan, placing in the top ten at the final on April 3 held at Tokyo International Forum. Watanabe then became the face and image of Guthy-Renker skin care and fitness products, including for a DVD of Colombian dance fitness program Zumba, on TV and web media. On September 6, 2008, she appeared at the 7thTokyo Girls Collection held at Yoyogi National Stadium as a model for hairdressers Toni & Guy. She also appeared as a model for American fashion designerBetsey Johnson at a festival for breast cancer awareness charity Pink Ribbon. From 18 April to 5 May 2009, Watanabe appeared on stage in TBS's musical 'Missing Boys: A Tribute to Yutaka Ozaki' held at Akasaka Act Theater. From May 2009, she became the cover star for fitness magazine Fitness Journal for over one year, appearing on every consecutive cover and became more interested in yoga, participating in fashion shows as a fitness model. In 2010 Watanabe worked as a catalogue model for Oshman's Sporting Goods and swimsuit model for female fashion apparel brand Roxy. In 2011 she appeared in a 20th anniversary film for Armani Exchange and was a stage model for the brand.
Yoga career
Watanabe began taking yoga lessons in 2004 and studied as an instructor with the Yoga Alliance from 2010 at YogaJaya. In a 2012 interview she stated that "modeling is a job where you are always treated like merchandise, and your self-worth is determined by judgments based on what is on the outside. So the secret to being able to remain true to yourself is doing your job while recognizing your own true value, so that you don’t lose sight of yourself. I learned that from yoga."" From 2011 Watanabe began giving yoga classes in studios and at luxury hotels such as Conrad and Ritz Carlton. She created her own brand 'Sunroom Yoga' to begin organizing outdoor classes in parks and on beaches with the theme "Yoga among trees and nature, under the sky." From April 2012, Sunroom Yoga began a three-month tie-up with American clothing company Gap and Fox TV for a series of 'Gap x FOX' outdoor yoga events, TV and video productions called 'Yoga Experience with GapFit' in which Watanabe was the main instructor. Locations for events included in Yoyogi Park and at Fox TV Beach House in Yuigahama, Kamakura. On August 26, 2012, Watanabe gave a special morning yoga class on the beach in front of the Armani Exchange Beach Lounge in Yuigahama as part of the 'BODY BEACH@A/X Beach Lounge' event. She gave a lecture on the history of yoga at Japan's largest yoga event, Yoga Fest, held in Yokohama on the weekend of September 21, 2012.
CSR activities
On 23 February 2013 Lui Watanabe was made an ambassador for the Japanese National Trust.
