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Maria Kamiyama has been a busy woman since being named Miss Universe Japan in June. She has been learning how to present herself and walk like a beauty contestant, as well as getting beauty and nutritional tips, in preparation for the finals in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept 12.
“I have to do a lot of body training and pay attention to what I eat,” said the 23-year-old in excellent English. “We have to eat 80% healthy and for the rest, whatever we want. I love sweets and a life without sweets would be really stressful.”
Born in Tokyo, Kamiyama graduated in English literature at Seikei University before heading off to Hawaii where she spent a couple of years. While there, she worked at American Eagle Outfitters. “It was a great time,” she recalls. “I remember going shopping at Wal-Mart just in a bikini and flip flops. It felt natural, but when I came back to Tokyo, I thought I can’t do that anymore.”
Until recently, Kamiyama had been working as a salesperson in a clothing store in Ginza. The idea to enter the Miss Universe Japan contest came about a year ago. “I always thought that beauty contestants lived in another world,” she said, “but I also thought that being in one would give me the chance to make a difference in my life and help others. I didn’t tell anyone, not even my family, when I applied because I was a bit embarrassed. I was still in Hawaii when the Tokyo audition was held, so I had to go to the Osaka one when I returned to Japan. I asked my sister to come with me and then I told her. After a second audition, my parents found out and said, ‘No, that is not you.’”
Her family soon changed their tune. When Kamiyama’s name was called out at the Japan final at Tokyo Dome, there was a scream. “That was my mother. She cried and went crazy,” she said.
As Japan’s representative, Kamiyama is conscious of the fact that she represents the modern Japanese woman. “When I was in Hawaii, most people thought Japanese women cannot or don't express their opinions. I think I am a fairly opinionated person, so I hope I can give a good impression.”
She also knows that the March 11 disaster will be a topic of conversation whenever she goes abroad. “I have been to Tohoku a couple of times to do volunteer work. We played with children in Miyagi and Fukushima and Sendai. The first time I was really sad because everything was a mess. But when I met the children, they were so ‘genki’ and that lifted my spirits. I want to tell everyone: ‘Thank you for helping us.’ Japanese have a resilient spirit and we will recover.”
Kamiyama says she is most interested in children’s health issues, particularly vaccinations. “I know there are a lot of children suffering overseas, too, and I want to make sure that people in Japan are aware of that.”
So what is the real Kamiyama like, away from the glitz? “Well, I don’t like heights. Ghosts scare me. I cried when I saw Sean Penn’s film ‘Into the Wild.’ If I could have dinner with any movie star, it would be Angelina Jolie. I like surfing, hip hop dancing, the music of Alicia Keys and Jack Johnson and cooking. Please try my salmon with sautéed onions.”
Is that all? “No, if you really want to make me happy, just give me a cheesecake and a fork and I’ll eat the whole lot. Well, maybe not until after the final,” she says.
© Japan Today
22 Comments
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Darrin Flores
SAID... "in excellent English"..??? Who cares..... i have perfect English.. is this a big deal for Japanese people or something?....
paulinusa
"I have to do a lot of body training and pay attention to what I eat,”
Certainly don't see a weight problem here.
“I remember going shopping at Wal-Mart just in a bikini and flip flops."
Damn, I miss going to Hawaii.
I know that the usual negative comments will appear (" Not good enough for Miss Universe", "More attractive women on the street " blah, blah ) but I like her look anyway
Yubaru
Really? I have never met anyone from any English speaking country, let alone here in Japan, that speaks "perfect" English, wow I am impressed.
It matters because this is Japan and being able to speak English is a coveted ability by many.
ExportExpert
She looks gorgeous and delicious
oikawa
sets her sights on the universe*
oginome
That's because in Tokyo, the bikini and flip flops get replaced with Louis Vuitton bags and Marc Jacobs shoes.
lalasalama
She looks beautiful!
nath
I wish her luck. But I still wondered if she pointed at her nose during the interview.
cleo
The shoes maybe, but no way does a bag replace a bikini. Totally the wrong shape.
Hey, I learned to do that round about my first birthday.
herefornow
Very beautiful, but no world beater. And does she wear gloves when she goes outside? She has a bad tan-line right above her left wrist.
T_rexmaxytime
nice beautiful girl!
2020hindsights
Wow, she looks a lot like my girlfriend. Slightly longer hair.
Novenachama
I sincerely hope that she is able to do well, but it is an extremely competitive contest and with a height of 5 ft. 6 inches, she 'll be a bit too short for the traditional Miss Universe winner. She claims to be opinionated but politeness less vehemence and allowing the other person to disagree without being attacked should help. A opinionated women knows what she wants and speaks up about it, a women who's self-confident. Still good luck.
Darrin Flores
@Yubaru.. thanks for the response.. what i said was kinda a joke.. i have never been to Japan, and i live/ born in the USA.. so of course i have perfect English... lol But what i am trying to understand is.. if it is such a coveted ability to learn English.. then why do so few JP people know it?.. my best friend is JP.. and he says... at hotels. banks, airports... there will be English speakers but go around the rest of Japan... and very few JP know English..(and yes, im studying JP)
sourpuss
herefornow, that's a shadow. but i'm with you on the "no world beater" line.
and if her best comments are about flip flops and being opinionated, then we can be fairly certain she won't make it past the first round.
Yubaru
@Darrin, long story short, very short, it's the system here that doesn't teach English as a spoken language, hence an almost jealous admiration for people who can.
Oh my response was meant to be taken tongue in cheek, because there is just about no one in the world that speaks "perfect" English.
oginome
I meant in general.
Nippon Nation
She doesn't look Japanese. She looks Philippina. The obvious nose and swarthy skin are a dead give away. I was hoping someone with a tofu complexion, black hair..... [suspire]
BlueWitch
yeah, at least she doesn't have that dirty grease some japanese women have in the hair. and the egg shell complexion of the typical tokyo woman, ewww. I'll take a Philippina beauty any day. (^_^)
Nicky Washida
Shes beautiful and she seems like a very nice person. I wish her all the best.
i am interested though, in how she can graduate from university and then spend 2 years in Hawaii, then come back to work in a clothing store in Ginza and still only be 23? Thats an awful lot to pack in for such a short time. It doesnt add up to me, if degrees here are 4 years.