Having been an otaku icon for many years, Julie headed for Italy at age 24. As a photographer, she published a book called “Samurai Girl” through Drago, an Italian publishing company. The book has been on sale globally including MOMA in New York, and has sold over 1.2 million copies.
She returned to Japan to continue her photography career. Her works are highly recognizable due to her colorful pop style CG processing. Meanwhile, she has started to work in other fields, releasing music under the name Amano Ai and begun developing iPhone applications. She is highly regarded as an Akihabara style creator and an important contributor to Otaku culture.