Kurara Chibana
Encyclopedia
, a Japanese model, born on March 27, 1982, is a native of Naha City
(the capital of Okinawa Prefecture
). She competed in Miss Universe 2006
and ended up as the 1st Runner-up.
award for her samurai
/ninja
-style outfit designed by the artist Yuichi Miyagawa and the designer Yoshiyuki Ogata, and later became the first runner-up for Miss Universe 2006. During the final, Chibana wore a black evening gown
exhibiting intricate laticework designed by Olivier Theyskens
for Rochas
, and at the preliminaries, Chibana sported a unique red and pink-hued gown with silver corseting designed by Novespazio. http://www.missosology.org/missuniverse06/inesligron.html
Her achievement was remarkable in the light of the fact that Japan has never come this close to winning the crown since 1959, when Akiko Kojima
won the first Miss Universe
crown for Japan
. During the pageant, held in Los Angeles, Chibana was the crowd favorite and her flirty winks drew an unusually enthusiastic response from the audience. Kurara Chibana's successor, Miss Universe Japan 2007, Riyo Mori
won as Miss Universe 2007 in Mexico City. She also managed to outdo the two Japanese women
who managed to enter the semi finals in most recent years (Miyako Miyazaki
, fourth runner-up in 2003 and Mizuho Sakaguchi, 3rd runner-up in 1988).
student at Sophia University
. She got her Bachelor of Arts
degree in 2006. She turned down a job offer from Japanese publishing company in order to compete in Miss Universe Japan pageant, which was held on April 25, 2006 in Tokyo. Kurara now works as a feature reporter, flying around the world to interview unique people for a leading fashion magazine in Japan. She writes and takes photos of their lifestyles. She speaks four languages: English, Spanish, French, and Japanese.
Since October 2006, she has appeared regularly on the NTV
show "NEWS ZERO" reporting from both domestic and international locations, and launch her endorsement career as a spokesperson for more than four world-famous brands in 2007. She is the new spokeswoman for Maybelline
New York's Angelfit Make-Up. In late December, Global Beauties named Kurara as the Sexiest Woman Alive 2006 - a title formally held also by, her co-patriot/beauty diva, Miyako Miyazaki
.
Kurara is an avid sportswoman who loves tennis
and swimming. She is also a certified kickboxing
instructor.
When it comes to food, 'goya', which is a type of bittermelon
is her favourite. Her favorite song is Le Tourbillon de la vie by Jeanne Moreau
and favorite movie is Un homme et une femme by Claude Lelouch. According to her, Un homme et une femme is her favorite movie because her favorite actors are Jean-Louis Trintignant
and Anouk Aimée
.
Naha, Okinawa
is the capital city of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.Naha is a coastal city located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands...
(the capital of Okinawa Prefecture
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
). She competed in Miss Universe 2006
Miss Universe 2006
Miss Universe 2006, the 55th Miss Universe pageant, took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, USA. Unlike past events, it was broadcast live on NBC on a Sunday, July 23, 2006, almost two months later than usual....
and ended up as the 1st Runner-up.
Miss Universe 2006
Chibana is known for her participation in Miss Universe 2006 where she represented Japan. She won the best national costumeNational costume
Folk costume expresses an identity through costume which usually to a geographic area or a period of time in history, but can also indicate social, marital and/or religious status...
award for her samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
/ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
-style outfit designed by the artist Yuichi Miyagawa and the designer Yoshiyuki Ogata, and later became the first runner-up for Miss Universe 2006. During the final, Chibana wore a black evening gown
Evening gown
An evening gown is a long flowing women's dress usually worn to a formal affair. It ranges from tea and ballerina to full-length. Evening gowns are often made of a luxury fabric such as chiffon, velvet, satin, or silk...
exhibiting intricate laticework designed by Olivier Theyskens
Olivier Theyskens
Olivier Theyskens is a fashion designer who has worked with several major houses, including Rochas, Nina Ricci, and Theory.- Biography :Olivier Theyskens was born to a Belgian chemical engineer and a French homemaker...
for Rochas
Rochas
Rochas is a fashion, beauty, and perfume house founded in 1925 by french designer Marcel Rochas, born in 1902 and died in 1955, first designer of 2/3-length coats and skirts with pockets...
, and at the preliminaries, Chibana sported a unique red and pink-hued gown with silver corseting designed by Novespazio. http://www.missosology.org/missuniverse06/inesligron.html
Her achievement was remarkable in the light of the fact that Japan has never come this close to winning the crown since 1959, when Akiko Kojima
Akiko Kojima
is a Japanese model and the first Miss Universe to originate from Asia.- Biography :Akiko was a 22-year-old model from Tokyo, Japan when she bested four other finalists from Norway, the USA, England, and Brazil for the 1959 Miss Universe crown in Long Beach, California...
won the first Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
crown for Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. During the pageant, held in Los Angeles, Chibana was the crowd favorite and her flirty winks drew an unusually enthusiastic response from the audience. Kurara Chibana's successor, Miss Universe Japan 2007, Riyo Mori
Riyo Mori
is a Japanese dance instructor and model who won the Miss Universe 2007 title in May 2007.-Early life:...
won as Miss Universe 2007 in Mexico City. She also managed to outdo the two Japanese women
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
who managed to enter the semi finals in most recent years (Miyako Miyazaki
Miyako Miyazaki
For the anime character, see Bamboo Blade. is a Japanese beauty pageant winner who is best known for ending Japan's 15 year drought in the Miss Universe pageant. She was born in the Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto on February 25, 1978. She stands at 5'7"....
, fourth runner-up in 2003 and Mizuho Sakaguchi, 3rd runner-up in 1988).
Personal information
She was an educational-philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
student at Sophia University
Sophia University
There are several rankings below related to Sophia University.-General Rankings:The university was ranked 61st in 2010 in the ranking Truly Strong Universities by Toyo Keizai...
. She got her Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 2006. She turned down a job offer from Japanese publishing company in order to compete in Miss Universe Japan pageant, which was held on April 25, 2006 in Tokyo. Kurara now works as a feature reporter, flying around the world to interview unique people for a leading fashion magazine in Japan. She writes and takes photos of their lifestyles. She speaks four languages: English, Spanish, French, and Japanese.
Since October 2006, she has appeared regularly on the NTV
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
show "NEWS ZERO" reporting from both domestic and international locations, and launch her endorsement career as a spokesperson for more than four world-famous brands in 2007. She is the new spokeswoman for Maybelline
Maybelline
Maybelline is an American makeup brand sold worldwide and owned by L'Oréal. Their motto is Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline.-History:...
New York's Angelfit Make-Up. In late December, Global Beauties named Kurara as the Sexiest Woman Alive 2006 - a title formally held also by, her co-patriot/beauty diva, Miyako Miyazaki
Miyako Miyazaki
For the anime character, see Bamboo Blade. is a Japanese beauty pageant winner who is best known for ending Japan's 15 year drought in the Miss Universe pageant. She was born in the Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto on February 25, 1978. She stands at 5'7"....
.
Kurara is an avid sportswoman who loves tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and swimming. She is also a certified kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
instructor.
When it comes to food, 'goya', which is a type of bittermelon
Bitter melon
Momordica charantia, called bitter melon or bitter gourd in English, is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit, which is among the most bitter of all fruits...
is her favourite. Her favorite song is Le Tourbillon de la vie by Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director.She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française...
and favorite movie is Un homme et une femme by Claude Lelouch. According to her, Un homme et une femme is her favorite movie because her favorite actors are Jean-Louis Trintignant
Jean-Louis Trintignant
Jean-Louis Trintignant is a French actor who has enjoyed an international acclaim. He won the Best Actor Award at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.-Career:...
and Anouk Aimée
Anouk Aimée
Anouk Aimée is a French film actress. Aimée has appeared in 70 films since 1947. She began her film career in 1947 at age 14. In 1958 she portrayed the tragic artist Jeanne Hébuterne in the film Les Amants de Montparnasse...
.