won a Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
From Toshima, Tokyo, Kusakari started dancing professionally at the age of eight and won the first prize at the Japan Ballet Competition of 1987.
In 1987, she made her debut as Odette in Swan Lake.
At 27, she suffered a hernia that nearly ended her career, leaving her a temporary wheelchair user.
During the production of the movie she met and later married the director, Masayuki Suo.