Japanese women celebrate pregnancy with maternity nudes Three years ago, a poster of a nude and heavily pregnant Britney Spears sparked concern in Japan before it was displayed in Tokyo's subways because it was considered "too stimulating" for young commuters.

三年前，布蘭妮一張挺著大肚子的裸體懷孕海報，因張貼在東京地鐵上而引發日本關注，因為一般認為那對年輕通勤族來說實在「太激情了」。

But today, an increasing number of women who have just one child later in life are flocking to photo studios to have their pregnant bellies photographed to celebrate their bodies during a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

但今天，愈來愈多熟齡婦女較年長才生下獨子，她們紛紛湧向攝影棚，拍下大腹便便的寫真照片，以紀念一生只有一次的難忘經驗。

"I was so happy during my pregnancy," said 40-year-old Kumiko Yoda, who gave birth to a boy on July 19. "This moment will not come back to me again and these pictures are for my own enjoyment."

7月19日剛生下一個男嬰、40歲的依田久美子說：「我懷孕時很興奮，對我來說，這次經歷一生只有一次，這些照片只供自娛欣賞。」

Yoda was encouraged by a friend who showed her maternity nude photos that she had had taken of herself and just one month before her baby was born, Yoda discovered maternity photo studio "Ixchel" in Tokyo.

當一個朋友給久美子看她自拍的懷孕裸照時，久美子大受鼓舞，因此，孩子出生前一個月，久美子在東京找上專門幫孕婦拍寫真的「Ixchel」攝影工作室。

Initially, she posed showing only her belly but as the all-female staff at the studio helped her relax, she posed nude for the camera. The black-and-white pictures are displayed in her home.

一開始，她擺的姿勢只露出一個大肚子，但當工作室清一色的女工作人員幫她放鬆並卸下心防後，她已經可以全裸上鏡。她所拍的黑白照片已經在家中展示。

"Whenever I see these pictures, I can recall how I looked and how happy I was when I was pregnant," says Yoda.

「每次欣賞這些照片，就回想起懷孕時的樣子及當時有多開心，」久美子說。

The trend of taking pregnant nude photos, which has been growing over the past few years, exploded when J-pop singer 'hitomi' published a pregnant nude picture with her new album, Love Life 2, last June.

這股拍懷孕裸體寫真的趨勢，過去幾年來越來越夯，並在日本東洋歌手「瞳」今年6月推出新專輯《Love Life 2》時公布一張她懷孕時拍的裸體寫真而引爆此一風潮。

The picture was displayed on large billboards over busy streets in Tokyo and the related photo book became a bestseller, selling more than 10,000 copies in its first week of publication, according to local media.

據當地媒體報導，照片還出現在東京繁忙街道上一個大看板上，相關的寫真集立刻成為暢銷書，出版後第一周就熱賣一萬多本。

What's behind the big belly baby boom Some credit must go to celebrities who haveblazed a very public trail during their pregnancies, such as Britney Spears and Demi Moore. The 33-year-oldHitomi was anything but shy during her pregnancy. With the buzz on bulbous bodies growing louder by the week, photo studios like Ixchel haven't looked back.

造成這股大肚子嬰兒潮背後的動力是什麼？部分要歸功於布蘭妮和黛咪摩爾等名女人懷孕時大張旗鼓、推波助瀾。33歲的瞳懷孕時一點也不羞於見人。隨著有關她圓滾滾的肚子一周周成為話題，Ixchel這類攝影工作室並未因而打退堂鼓。

"The special feeling of waiting for motherhood helps alleviate the fear of nudity. And with more women becoming pregnant at a late age, for them this is an experience that will never happen again," said Yuko Ishizaki, an assistant professor at Japan Women's University.

「懷孕時等待生產的特殊感覺，有助於減輕赤身露體的恐懼。隨著更多婦女高齡懷孕，對她們來說，這是一種一生永遠不會再回來的經驗，」日本女子大學副教授石崎裕子說。

Mums-to-be pay around 35,000 yen ($368) for a studio photo shoot, which takes less than two hours in "Ixchel."　　

準媽媽只要付3萬5000日圓左右（368美元）就可以在攝影工作室拍寫真，以「Ixchel」為例，不到兩小時就可以搞定。

"Before this boom, women didn't know where to go to take these kinds of pictures even though they wanted to. Because of media attention, they easily found our studio," said Natsuko Takada, the owner of photo studio "Ixchel."

「在出現這股風潮前，女人即使想拍這類寫真，也不知道上哪兒去拍。由於媒體的關注報導，她們很容易找上我們的攝影工作室，」Ixchel攝影工作室老闆高田夏子說。

"When I opened my studio for maternity photos last year we had less than 10 customers a month but last month we had more than 70 customers," said Takada.

「去年我剛開工作室為孕婦拍寫真時，每月上門的客戶不到十個，但上個月，我們的客戶已經超過70個，」高田說。

As Japanese women put off both marriage and families in favor of careers and a free lifestyle, many are finding that pregnancy may be a one-shot deal, so to speak. That's why photo studios like Tokyo's Ixchel are making a baby-booming business in pregnancy glamor shots.

當日本婦女為了事業和自由自在的生活方式而延後結婚成家之後，很多人發現，懷孕可以說已經成為一生只有一次的經驗，那也使東京的Ixchel攝影工作室得以以拍美美的懷孕照，大賺嬰兒潮生意。

A pregnant woman poses with her bare belly at maternity photo studio "Ixchel" in Tokyo July 31, 2009. An increasing number of women who have just one child later in life are flocking to photo studios to have their pregnant bellies photographed to celebrate their bodies during a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

一名孕婦（路透）7月31日正在東京Ixchel孕婦攝影工作室擺姿勢，裸露大肚子拍寫真。愈來愈多高齡產婦由於只能生一胎，紛紛湧到攝影工作室拍下大腹便便的樣子，以記錄下她們的身體一生一次的經歷。