Miss Todai Asa Kamiya Reveals the Truth About Minato Girls

I was a Minato-ku girl for a while

“Minato Ward Girl”

This is a term that most of you have probably heard at least once. It is a term that has become widely known in recent years. They gather for dinner parties almost every night with elite salarymen and business owners in Minato Ward, Tokyo. These women, who reign at the top of the debate on who should pay, have even become targets of hatred on social media.

These Minato Ward girls can be broadly categorized into two types. One is the night job Minato Ward girl, who works in lounges or hostess clubs. The other is the day job Minato Ward girl, who is a professional or student during the day and attends dinner parties at night. In this essay, I would like to talk about the “Highly educated Minato Ward girl”, who gather in Minato Ward every night while attending prestigious universities.

The reason is simple: I was one of them.

The days when Miss Todai attended dinner parties in Roppongi

“Since there’s a graduate from the University of Tokyo working at an international bank, why don’t we go for drinks? I think it’ll be a good learning experience.”

It was this invitation that led me to step foot in Roppongi at night for the first time in my life. As I began to think more about my job search after entering the University of Tokyo, it was an alluring invitation. When I went, I encountered not only the typical three Ks (kirei, kakkoii, kenkou, meaning beautiful, handsome, and healthy), but also men who were handsome, considerate, and even great conversationalists.

What is this perfect human being?

At a small, elegant Japanese restaurant in Roppongi, a variety of dishes such as small and delicate side dishes, thick sashimi, and flavorful cooked rice with black throat perch were brought to the table one after another. It was my first time realizing that rice and miso soup were considered meals. Of course, the bill was paid by the men. They treated me to expensive food and generously discussed work and job-hunting topics. This was something I would never experience with people my own age. I felt like this was what being an adult meant.

As much as I was intrigued by the flawless men, I was equally captivated by the beautiful women sitting at the table. They were so gorgeous that they could easily rival celebrities, and they mentioned they worked during the day. They were exactly the “Day job Minato Ward girl”. Upon closer listening, I found out some of them were nearly 40.

As I thought about what an adult group date was like, I also felt a sense of discomfort from these women living a lifestyle I had never encountered before.

Later, one of the men I met at that gathering invited me several more times to similar dinner parties, and I visited Minato Ward a few times. However, with each visit, my discomfort grew. Would attending this gathering really benefit my career? Would this network really be useful? Was I just being used as a drinking companion for young girls? Endless conversations about trivial romantic matters and self-praise, men with social status blushing when women with sweet voices tell them they’re handsome. I had probably gathered all the information I needed.

Feeling that way, I stopped attending the dinner parties after that.

The digital photobook featuring the stunningly beautiful Kamiyama Akisa’s first gravure, packed with a luxurious 120 pages, is available here!

The longing for money. That is the moment when one transforms into a true Minato Ward girl.

Having entered the Miss Todai competition and won the grand prize, I can confidently say this: Every girl who participates in a beauty pageant at a prestigious university has, at least once, experienced a dinner party like this.

Every Minato Ward girl has a goal in mind. In my case, it was my career. Many highly educated Minato Ward girls probably have the same objective.

However, with each night spent in that scene, the initial goal gradually becomes more ambiguous. And the moment the purpose of attending the “dinner parties” shifts to money, one transforms into a true “Minato Ward girl.” Every year, a certain number of people who haven’t won the grand prize still self-proclaim themselves as “Miss XXX” and gradually become more flamboyant in their appearance, even though they don’t know how they’re making money.

This happens because they drown in the materialistic environment of that place. There, everything is inevitably measured by the standard of money. In the streets where Moncler and Hermes-clad men and women are abundant, my cherished brand-name bag that I worked hard to buy would be considered cheap. I’ve felt an indescribable sense of misery and hurt in such moments.

The things highly educated Minato Ward girls lose when they attend dinner parties and earn money

When young women, who tend to compare themselves to others, step into Minato Ward, they become obsessed with money as an absolute measure. I can understand that feeling. It’s even more true for highly educated Minato Ward girls who still have the financial perspective of a student. Senior Minato Ward girls draped in luxury brands and men in Minato Ward who introduce them to a different world will undoubtedly seem very attractive.

Honestly, I love money too. But when you become obsessed with money, and the devil steals your soul, you lose the freedom of self-determination.

The who should pay for the meal debate during a date. Honestly, I think it should be free for whoever pays, but the one who pays often gains a bit more power in the relationship, and the dynamics of the interaction change slightly. Highly educated Minato Ward girls, never forget that.

You must never delegate your life to others.

The digital photobook featuring the stunningly beautiful Kamiyama Akisa’s first gravure, packed with a luxurious 120 pages, is available here!

Kamiya Asa, born April 19, 2000, in Saitama Prefecture, stands at 161 cm.

She won the grand prize in the 2020 Miss Todai competition. Despite being a current student at the University of Tokyo, she is active as a “CanCam it girl” and appears in various variety shows. While still in school, she founded a company called SASA, which specializes in low-sugar sweets. For the latest updates, follow her on X (@AsaKamiya) and Instagram (@asa_kamiya).