Tanaka was born in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan on July 18, 1986.[5] She debuted as a clothed model in 2007 and appeared in her debut "gravure" (non-nude) video, Hitomi Tanaka Bakunyuu J no Shogeki, in November 2007.[6] As a gravure idol, she was compared to an earlier "big-bust" gravure model, Harumi Nemoto.[7]