Yukie Kawamura is releasing another gravure pb of the monthly series (月刊川村ゆきえ), her first for a long time. It consists of two parts, the first having already been released on Wed with the second part out later this month on 23/8.
http://www.jbook.co.jp/p/p.aspx/3170108/s/A new DVD will also be out either in September or October. The release date of the DVD has not been confirmed and I've read conflicting reports as to the expected release date... so just wait and see.
Anyway, I read her interview as she was the feature gravure model in one of those manga magazines that just came out. She said that she was absent for the last 1 1/2 years because she decided that she could not just carry on the way she was before, so she decided to improve herself by going for lessons, such as dance classes, and I think speech and maybe acting classes too.
She obviously feels that she wants to be doing work other than just gravure, such as acting (the obvious target of most gravure idols), and she just felt that if she didn't take a break to improve herself there and then, she might never have the chance again, and she is continuing with her lessons even now.
(from this interview I think you can rule her out of being a porn star... I'm not an expert but I never thought that one needed acting lessons to act in AVs lol)
She also joked that after having been out for so long, her body hurts during the photoshoot as she had to exercise long dormant muscles again (I never thought that gravure shoots are so strenuous?!). Well, I hope that her wish comes true and she will be able to do something different!