Back in the 60s, Japan was putting its turbulent past behind it and was transforming itself into an industrial nation. At the time, Tokyo was the central hub of the nation and the Ginza area became the place of choice for showcasing their latest and greatest innovations.
In 1963, Nissan decided it needed to have a part o the action and opened its own model showroom in the middle of Ginza.
“We established the gallery on the second and third floor of the San-ai building. At that time, Tokyo was the center of Japan and Ginza was the center of Tokyo. Fashion, culture, and many other things all began their spread from Ginza. Nissan, as a top-tier company, we wanted to put a showroom here on this Ginza corner,” remembers Takashi Tsueshita, an advertising manager for Nissan at the time.
To attract visitors, Nissan decided it needed some beautiful female showroom attendance. But they also put a new twist on this, and decide the girls would get special training to increase their ‘elegance’ and also their product awareness. Thus, the Nissan Miss Fairlady program came into the world.
Some of you might have heard about a movie called My Fair Lady, a musical about how an ordinary girl became so much more than than. Nissan’s program was a clear reference to this idea, as the showroom attendance were trained in etiquette, proper appearance and of course the features of the cars they were supposed to represent.
Miss Fairladys had benefits, like traveling to different dealerships in the country for model launches of sponsored golf tournaments. They also had much better pay than desk workers, and could even receive loaner company cars.
“We only had one year but we had to go to lots of different places and everyday was so busy that our heads were spinning,” said Yoriko Higano, a Miss Fairlady in the early 1970s. “We were dispatched to dealerships outside Tokyo to do presentations when they displayed new models, in locations like Osaka, Fukuoka, and Okayama. I remember being sent to all sorts of different places.”
Since the so called glass roof of Japanese business has lifted, Miss Fairladys now have the opportunity to advance to management seats in the comany.
Yuko Aoshima, now in her fifth year, is Chief Miss Fairlady in the Tokyo and Yokohama district.
“This is my first job since I graduated. I’ve learned a lot these five years, such as presentation skills, manners and attitude. So, it’s not just for my career but also in developing as a person,” said Aoshima. “These skills will serve me in the future, and my experience as a Miss Fairlady will benefit me in whatever future job I have.”
To attract visitors, Nissan decided it needed some beautiful female showroom attendance. But they also put a new twist on this, and decide the girls would get special training to increase their ‘elegance’ and also their product awareness. Thus, the Nissan Miss Fairlady program came into the world.
Some of you might have heard about a movie called My Fair Lady, a musical about how an ordinary girl became so much more than than. Nissan’s program was a clear reference to this idea, as the showroom attendance were trained in etiquette, proper appearance and of course the features of the cars they were supposed to represent.
Miss Fairladys had benefits, like traveling to different dealerships in the country for model launches of sponsored golf tournaments. They also had much better pay than desk workers, and could even receive loaner company cars.
Since the so called glass roof of Japanese business has lifted, Miss Fairladys now have the opportunity to advance to management seats in the comany.
Yuko Aoshima, now in her fifth year, is Chief Miss Fairlady in the Tokyo and Yokohama district.
“This is my first job since I graduated. I’ve learned a lot these five years, such as presentation skills, manners and attitude. So, it’s not just for my career but also in developing as a person,” said Aoshima. “These skills will serve me in the future, and my experience as a Miss Fairlady will benefit me in whatever future job I have.”
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