[1] She attended Hikawa High School in the city of Yamanashi,[2] and went on to graduate from Nihon University, whereupon she took a job writing advertising copy.
[3] Her autobiographical essay about the experience of becoming self-sufficient and finding success in Tokyo through her copywriting work became the basis for the 1988 NHK television series Shiawase Shigan [jp] (lit.
[8] Kurumi no Ie, about a woman returning to her childhood home after the death of her grandmother, was nominated for the 93rd Naoki Prize and adapted into a 1987 TBS television series starring Ryōko Sakaguchi.
The Emperor's Woman) fictionalized the life of Utako Shimoda, who resigned as head of Gakushuin Women's College after sustained public accusations of sexual misconduct and political corruption.
The Woman Who Reads Books), based on her interactions with her own mother, was adapted by NHK into the 2003 drama series Yumemiru Budou (lit.
One Year After), was adapted into the 2001 film Tokyo Marigold, starring Rena Tanaka as a young woman finding herself bored after breaking up with her boyfriend.
Cosmetics), about a woman building her career in the advertising industry, was adapted by screenwriter Miho Nakazono into a 2003 Wowow drama starring Riona Hazuki.
[24] From 2000 to 2002, Hayashi wrote the serialized novel Anego, about a woman in her 30s who has achieved career success but is dissatisfied with her life, for Domani, a fashion magazine targeted at working women.
Party in the Lower Reaches), about a housewife whose middle-class financial status is threatened by her irregularly employed son's impending marriage to a woman who also holds no steady job, was made into a 2011 NHK series starring Hitomi Kuroki.
Asclepius' Lover), a story about an infectious disease expert who seeks romantic relationships after leaving her high-pressure job.
[33] She was selected by a six-person committee to replace Hidetoshi Tanaka, who had served multiple terms as chairperson but had resigned amid accusations of financial impropriety.