Education
She competed in the contest and finished as the 1st Runner-up.
知花 くらら
She competed in the contest and finished as the 1st Runner-up.
Chibana is known for her participation in where she represented Japan. 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. During the pageant, held in Los Angeles, Chibana was the crowd favorite and her flirty winks drew an unusually enthusiastic response from the audience.
Chibana"s playful moves in the upbeat swimsuit number displayed her toned curvy body, tanned skin and silky straight hair which instantly became a hit.
Her sexiness melted into sensuality as she performed in her evening gown by deciding to walk slowly. During the interview portion, she displayed her linguistic abilities by answering a question about her polyglot background by answering in French.
Paula Shugar, President of Mission Universe Organization said in an interview that the scores between Zuleyka and Kurara were very close. 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.
She was an educational-philosophy student at Sophia University.
She got her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2006. She turned down a job offer from a publishing company in order to compete in the Mission 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 launched 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.
In December 2013, Chibana was elected as the Japanese Ambassador for United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP) for her exemplary contribution towards the organization as a celebrity partner.