Born Junko Suzuki in Minato, Tokyo, into a tradition-steeped family of kimono merchants, she studied design and took an increasing interest in old Japan.
Inagaki specialized in the Edo period and taught Sugiura how to do the background surveys that would later ensure the historical accuracy of her manga and other works.
She was well known and liked for her commentary during the ending segment of a popular NHK program, Comedy: O-Edo de Gozaru, which was set in the Edo period.
When Sugiura left the Comedy: O-Edo de Gozaru program, she told the public that she was going to fulfil a long-cherished dream by taking a world cruise.
[2] Sugiura was married for a time to novelist, translator, and bibliophile Hiroshi Aramata, a pairing the Japanese media referred to as "the beauty and the beast."