Ai Grace Kusayanagi Is First Princess; Jacqueline Fujiko Naito Is Miss Tomodachi.
SPECIAL TO THE RAFU
“I’m just really excited to meet everyone, to engage with all aspects of the Japanese American community.”
Connection — that is the sentiment that 2026 Nisei Queen Kara Kimiko Chu, 23, wants to foster. The coronation, which took place on Aug. 15 at the Tom Bradley Theatre in Los Angeles (not the usual Aratani Theatre, which is closed for renovations), celebrated this year’s Nisei Week Festival’s theme: “Ichigo Ichie” — one time, one meeting. In other words, a commemoration of moments that happen once in a lifetime…