A recent Oricon survey asked 1,200 men and women to pick out the most handsome or beautiful athletes. Baseball pitcher Yu Darvish (22) took the top spot in the men's category, while beach volleyball star Miwa Asao (23) ranked first among women. All of the athletes in the top ten possessed a combination of both popularity and ability.

"Being tall and half-Japanese makes him really cool. That 'cool' appearance of his is wonderful," said one young woman about Darvish. One man commented, "The more he plays, the cooler he gets."

For the rest of the men's ranking, notable names included backstroke swimmer Ryosuke Irie at #2 and MLB star Ichiro at #4.

Among female athletes, Asao took the top ranking across all age groups. One girl in her teens explained, "Her tanned skin really matches well with the beach! Her style is awesome!" In addition to her golden brown skin, others commented on her fine looks and well-toned body.

Mogul skier Aiko Uemura ranked second, while badminton stars and former doubles partners Reiko Shiota and Kumiko Ogura also ranked in the top ten.

Male Athletes:

1. Yu Darvish (22) Baseball
2. Ryosuke Irie (19) Swimming
3. Kei Igarashi (29) Basketball
4. Ichiro (35) Baseball
5. Daisuke Miyazaki (28) Handball
6. Ryo Ishikawa (17) Golf
7. Atsuto Uchida (21) Soccer
8. Daisuke Takahashi (23) Figure Skating
9. Kosuke Kitajima (26) Swimming
9. Koji Murofushi (34) Hammer Throw

Female Athletes:

1. Miwa Asao (23) Beach Volleyball
2. Aiko Uemura (29) Mogul Skiing
3. Reiko Shiota (25) Badminton
4. Miki Ando (21) Figure Skating
4. Mao Asada (18) Figure Skating
6. Kaoru Sugayama (30) Beach Volleyball
7. Maria Sharapova (22) Tennis
8. Ai Fukuhara (20) Table Tennis
9. Kumiko Ogura (26) Badminton
10. Megumi Kurihara (25) Volleyball