Photo by Kohji Shiki

Japan’s ambassadors to more than 150 countries were joined by three new appointments earlier this year. These weren’t your average diplomats, though. Appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country’s new “Kawaii Ambassadors” are tasked with the job of traveling abroad and introducing Japanese pop culture to young people. One of the trio is 20-year-old Shizuka Fujioka, whose trademark high school uniform proved a hit on her first overseas assignment at the Japan Festival in Thailand in March.

Born in Ibaraki Prefecture, Fujioka says her dream was to be a ballerina, and that she’s always had a desire to be in show business. “However, in Ibaraki, I didn’t have any connections and didn’t really go as far as to mail in applications to agencies or anything like that. So I just continued doing ballet.”

Fate stepped in when she was scouted at Yokohama station two years ago, and her first acting job came a year later, when she played a student in the TV show Shika Otoko Awo Niyoshi. “Then, one night in February, I was on an NHK program called Kawaii TV, and someone from the Foreign Ministry who had been watching it took a liking to me and chose me as one of the ‘Kawaii Ambassadors,’” she recalls. “At first, I felt anxious and worried at the idea of being an ‘ambassador,’ but I knew I was being given a huge opportunity and decided to change those negative feelings and show my true colors.”

So just what does a “Kawaii Ambassador” do? “My duties include introducing Japanese fashion—in my case, by starting off with school uniforms,” Fujioka explains. “By doing this, I will spread the message to Japanese people that school uniforms are very popular abroad as well as within Japan, and also induce an interest in Japanese culture in the minds of people abroad.

In Thailand, I visited an anime production company, attended a fashion show of Thai models, and participated in a talk show with a Thai celebrity named Neko Jump.”

The reaction, she says, was extremely positive. “The Thai people kept saying ‘Kawaii,’ which made quite an impression on me. They told me over and over that they think Japanese people are really pretty. They said they were jealous that Japanese girls could wear such cute school uniforms.”

She also found that people were attuned to Japanese beauty trends. “Since they sell Japanese magazines translated into Thai, they know about Japanese fashion and told me that they employ a lot of the styles in their own fashion, not just in their clothes, but also in their nail designs, accessories and hairstyles,” she says. “They think of Japanese girls as their source of reference in terms of fashion. In fact, the Thai girls looked like Japanese girls—their fashion, and their white skin… The only thing that was different was that they didn’t speak the language.”

Although being a cute ambassador involves a lot of travel, Fujioka doesn’t consider it a full-time job. She recently released a photo book that shows different ways students can style their school outfits. “I love clothes,” she says. “Not just school uniforms, but regular clothes too. I don’t always wear uniforms… after all, I am 20.”

When she’s not busy being a “Kawaii Ambassador,” Fujioka enjoys going to see musicals, especially Takarazuka, and trying out new cafés and cake shops. “I have a sweet tooth, which I’m trying to control because I don’t want to gain weight,” she says. “I’m also into darts and pool right now.”

Fujioka says she is very happy that her new role is garnering a lot of media attention. “My parents always tell me that I shouldn’t be afraid of challenges,” she says.

Chris Betros is the editor of Japan Today (www.japantoday.com)

Share:

Email:

Print:

Rate this

(4 votes, average: 2.75 out of 5)

 Loading ...