She first became interested in jazz at the age of 13 after hearing Chris Connor's song "All About Ronnie" on the radio.
At age 16 she moved to Tokyo and started performing in jazz clubs.
Her first recording was with Japanese pianist Yuzuru Sera in 1968[1] Kimiko's first album as a solo artist was entitled Just Friends in 1970.
[3][4] Later she recorded many albums in collaboration with musicians in the jazz field, such as Teo Macero, Lee Konitz, Stan Getz, Paulinho Da Costa,[2] Billy Higgins,[5] Cedar Walton and Herbie Hancock.
In the 1980s, Kimiko stopped performing and later moved into the jewelry design business.