The NAGOYA-JO 『名古屋嬢』

Nagoya brushes up image with curly hair, ribbons and 'relaxation' in the park.

If you don't know what a Nagoya-jo is, you better not approach one; you'll get burned. Readers familiar with Nagoya-jo Castle are forgiven their confusion. A deft kanji-switch from one "jo" to another yields "Nagoya girl" -- a new breed, declares Asahi Geino (10/9); dangerous and yet, perhaps, all the more beguiling for that.

Nagoya cultivates fashion modes found nowhere else. It must, in order to hold its own beside Tokyo and Osaka. Set in a hinterland some 150 km east of Osaka, it is known as a "giant non-city." The conspiracy to turn that image on its ear is led by the Nagoya-jo.

You'll recognize a Nagoya-jo by the coiled hair many of them sport. She is, typically, brash, loud and forward. Asahi Geino's prime source on Nagoya-jo lore is a boutique staffer named Miki -- herself, at 24, a prime example of the species she describes.

How did the Nagoya-jo phenomenon start? Miki traces its origin to a girl who went to meet her boyfriend wearing jeans and a T-shirt. "If you can't dress any better than that," snapped the boyfriend, "go home." Challenged rather than angry, the girl proceeded to deck herself out in a style that has characterized Nagoya-jo ever since -- coiled hair, brand-name clothes, glittering jewelry, and -- an odd finishing touch -- a big ribbon in back.

"In Nagoya," says Miki, "land is cheap, houses are big, we have privacy at home so there's no need to move out -- so instead of spending money on rent we can spend it on fashion." Two shopping venues dominate the scene --department stores and pawn shops. A top Nagoya date spot is an establishment called Komehei, the city's biggest recycler of brand-name products. The merchandise is 20 percent cheaper than it would be new.

Guys are right up their with their girlfriends when it comes to compulsive shopping. There's a "Nagoya boy" too, though not officially recognized -- a worthy match for the Nagoya girl, says Asahi Geino, in unabashed exhibitionism.

And what of coupling, Nagoya-style? One thing worth remarking, the magazine hears from a professional "companion" who claims baseball players and other stars as her client base, is the exceptional opulence of the city's love hotels. "Many young people live at home," she says, "so we use love hotels a lot." For those who can't afford them, there's always Central Park. "I went for a walk there with my boyfriend. It looks like the girls are just laying their heads on their boyfriends' lap, but if you look closely... And in broad daylight too!" she laughs.

She laughs again when Asahi Geino asks her if Nagoya-jo are faithful lovers. "Oh, no," she says. "If we find a better guy, we'll switch without a backward glance. We're upwardly mobile. I suppose," she adds with a wink, "that's part of Nagoya's inferiority complex."

Original Article from MAINICHI Daily News, October 5, 2003