March 8 is International Women’s Day! To provide our dedicated female members with a “moment of luxury,” we introduced “Premium Woman Day.”

Hello. This is O from the Public Relations Group.

On a sudden note, are you familiar with “International Women’s Day”?

International Women’s Day was established by the United Nations in 1975, with March 8 designated as the anniversary. Today, the custom of men gifting “mimosa flowers”—a symbol of love and happiness—to mothers and partners as a token of gratitude has spread, and some countries even observe it as a national holiday. Overall, it is widely recognized globally as a day to reflect on women’s lifestyles and express gratitude to them.

On the other hand, looking at Japan, while the number of supporting companies and organizations is increasing and the event has gained momentum in recent years, the current reality is that awareness remains relatively low.

In this context, as part of SUNNY SIDE UP’s recently announced new project, “SSU’s Social Action 3.2 for SDGs,” we implemented various initiatives to establish International Women’s Day as a new cultural tradition in Japan.

■ Honoring women with great future potential! PR for “HAPPY WOMAN AWARD 2019”

We supported Woman Innovation, a general incorporated association working to promote International Women’s Day in Japan. SUNNY SIDE UP handled the PR for the “International Women’s Day | HAPPY WOMAN AWARD 2019,” an award ceremony honoring women expected to achieve even greater success in the future. At the venue, prominent women from various fields, including Christel Takigawa and Kurara Chibana, appeared in “mimosa-colored” attire. The venue was filled with the power of modern women.

■ The award venue, The Westin Tokyo, was also decorated entirely in International Women’s Day colors!
At The Westin Tokyo, the venue for the “HAPPY WOMAN AWARD 2019,” the interior was transformed into yellow—the theme color of International Women’s Day—in collaboration with the event.

A “HAPPY YELLOW Charity Gift Wagon” appeared in the lobby for a limited time. Fresh mimosa flowers, wreaths, and original International Women’s Day hampers were sold, with a portion of the proceeds reportedly donated to the “HAPPY WOMAN Fund,” which promotes women’s empowerment. It was heartening to see the smiles on the faces of women who purchased mimosa wreaths. Sales will continue until March 11.

Furthermore, restaurants and bars within the hotel are offering special yellow-themed menus until March 31. Initiatives to celebrate International Women’s Day are springing up in various places.

■ Implementing “Premium Woman Day” to gift a “moment of luxury” to our hard-working female members!

To create a major movement in the world, we must first take action ourselves.

Therefore, to establish International Women’s Day as a new cultural tradition in Japan, we designated March 8 as “Premium Woman Day,” as part of SUNNY SIDE UP’s unique “32 Benefits” employee welfare program. (The beauty of the “32 Benefits” is their ability to evolve flexibly in line with social trends.)

The idea originated from the thought that if there are countries where International Women’s Day is a national holiday, SUNNY SIDE UP could express gratitude to its female members through its employee benefits.

On March 8, we encouraged a 3:00 PM finish and provided our hard-working female members with gifts such as housekeeping services and hotel restaurant invitation tickets to offer them a “moment of luxury” as a token of our appreciation.

The gift items were provided by companies that support our desire to make International Women’s Day a new cultural tradition in Japan. We would like to take this opportunity to thank The Westin Tokyo, Kajitaku (housekeeping services), Carina Ginza, JANAT, Jetset, and STAR MINE PLANNING (Mimosa Festa) (listed in Japanese alphabetical order).

At 3:00 PM, female members began gathering in the conference room where the raffle was to be held.
Sparkling wine and light snacks were also prepared, and the male members appeared to be enjoying the atmosphere as well.
*By the way, International Men’s Day is in November!

This initiative, which marks the launch of “SSU’s Social Action 3.2 for SDGs,” began with the desire to establish International Women’s Day in Japan.

The “Premium Woman Day” initiative is still only a small movement. However, we intend to continue our activities until the day when more companies and organizations support this “bud” of a movement, allowing it to blossom into a grand “flower” like the mimosa.

We hope that one day, International Women’s Day will become a national holiday in Japan.