When Maiko Itai’s name was called out as 2010 Miss Universe Japan at the final in March, a roar erupted from the audience in the gallery – 40 of her friends had turned up to wish the 25-year-old well on the big night. “Actually, I didn’t say anything to my friends about the contest until I was a finalist,” says Itai, sitting down for a chat in the offices of Miss Universe Japan. “When I heard my friends yelling my name, I felt so confident that I could stand on the world stage.”
Born in Usuki in Oita Prefecture, the 173-cm-tall Itai says she never dreamed she would enter a beauty contest. “I didn’t have much interest in fashion. I really liked animals, and wanted to become a vet. I was also interested in foreign countries, so I decided to learn foreign languages. I had studied English at school and later at Sophia University in Tokyo, I studied Portuguese for five years (including one year in Portugal) because of the historical relationship between Oita and Portugal.”
After graduating, Itai worked in Tokyo for a year before returning to Oita where she got a job at the local ward office for 3-4 months last year. That’s when she decided to apply for the Miss Universe Japan contest. “I’ve always been interested in expressing my personality, and I thought Miss Universe would be an ideal opportunity. My mother encouraged me to go forward. She said to me: ‘Don’t be scared to take risks.’ She always pushes me forward even when I am hesitant. I’m not too sure what my father thought about it, but he wasn’t against my entering the contest.”
Itai beat nearly 4,000 contestants and since her victory, has been busy preparing for the Aug 23 final to be held in Las Vegas. She has been taking English lessons, learning how to walk and present herself, as well as getting beauty and nutritional tips. “I still feel like I don’t have enough self-confidence,” she admits.
