24-year-old Kurara Chibana was crowned Miss Universe Japan on April 25, 2006 in Tokyo, and since then has found fame as the most notable beauty queen in her nation. Unknown to many, remaining as one of the delegates in this contest was a risk that Kurara had to take. "During the pre-pageant, I got an offer to work as a writer for a major publisher. After a lot of thinking, I rejected the offer, even though only 6 applicants are being chosen among thousands of candidates yearly. Everyone thought I was crazy, but I had started something and this had become my goal. "J'aime aller jusqu'au bout" (meaning: I like to go up to the end)," she confessed. It was a perfect choice for Kurara as she got a more thrilling offer from a top fashion magazine after winning her title.    

Kurara spent most of her life traveling. She traveled Southern Europe for college and fell in love with meeting new people and discovering new cultures. She spent two years in France studying & learning how to speak French- something that she's very passionate about. During her visit to Spain, she realized how much she loved the country so she worked part-time and saved enough money in order to live there. She spent three months in Spain and learned how to dance the Flamenco. "This was the first time that I decided to earn money on my own, without the help of my family and go after a dream," Kurara reveals. Back in Japan, she got hired as a features reporter for a top-fashion magazine with two pages allotted to her monthly. She was flown around the world to interview unique people in the entertainment industry and to write about their personal lifestyles. She also worked as a gym instructress of a special exercise that combines kickboxing and aerobics. 

"Her wardrobe will be sexy-chic-glam and very different from the girls of the previous year... more diva like and, that's for sure," her national director Ines Ligron reveals. Urban Japanese women are characterized by conspicuously displaying their disposable incomes through unique tastes in fashion. As for Kurara, she has an eclectic taste in clothes, but her personality always manages to come through no matter what it is she's wearing. "I would describe my fashion sense as being sexy, cool and elegant all at once! I always try to add in my own flavor to whatever I buy, so that it becomes my own style! I used to be a tomboy when I was younger, running marathons and teaching kickboxing! Until recently, I was always wearing trousers. However, when I entered the Miss Universe Japan competition, my director kept on telling me to dress more 'sexy' which was difficult to understand at first! But now I became a pro at switching from being casual to glamorous in an instant."

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