WELCOME BACK TO "LIVING
808."
THE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL IS
HELD EACH YEAR IN HAWAI'I AS A
CELEBRATION OF JAPANESE CULTURE.
NOW IT STARTS IN JANUARY AND
CULMINATES IN MARCH WITH THE
CROWNING OF A NEW CHERRY BLOSSOM
QUEEN AND COURT.
NOW THE 66TH CHERRY BLOSSOM
FESTIVAL QUEEN IS A FEW MONTHS
INTO HER REIGN AND SHE JOINS US
NOW IN STUDIO.
HELLO.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
IIT FEELS A LITTLE WEIRD
BECAUSE WITH YOU WERE JUST
CROWNED IN MARCH.
YES.
BUT ALREADY APPLICATIONS ARE
OPEN FOR THE NEXT QUEEN.
NEVER ENDING.
I DEFINITELY WANT TO HEAR
ABOUT YOUR REIGN BUT BEFORE WE
MEAN TO BE THE QUEEN AND
CONTESTANT?
YOU SPEND ABOUT SIX TO EIGHT
MONTHS WITH UP TO 15 OTHER GIRLS
GOING THROUGH A SERIES OF
JAPANESE CULTURAL CLASSES AND
PERSONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
TRAINING AS WELL.
WE COVERED A RANGE OF THINGS
THIS YEAR.
WE DID CALL GRAPHY, RAMEN
MAKING, JUST ANYTHING UNDER THE
SUN THAT YOU CAN THINK OF.
ALONGSIDE THAT WE ALSO HAVE
PUBLIC APPEARANCES TO HELP US
PRACTICE OUR PUBLIC SPEAKING AND
THINKING ON YOUR FEET A LITTLE
BETTER.
WHICH YOU OBVIOUSLY EXCEL AT.
YOU'RE DOING GREAT.
THANK YOU.
SO BASICALLY THE CULMINATION OF
ALL OF THIS IS WHAT LEEDS UP TO
FESTIVAL BALL AND THROUGHOUT THE
ENTIERP EXPERIENCE, YOU JUST
LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT YOURSELF AND
OF COURSE ABOUT YOUR ANCESTRY.
I BET.
IT'S REALLY WONDERFUL BECAUSE I
FEEL LIKE A LOT OF FAMILIES DO
STILL PRACTICE BEING VERY
TRADITIONAL EVENTS AND
ACTIVITIES BUT A LOT OF THEM
DON'T SO THIS SEEMS LIKE A GREAT
WAY TO GET EDUCATED.
DEFINITELY.
AND I THINK THE FURTHER THE
GENERATIONS GO DOWN, IT'S KIND
OF AN INEVITABILITY THAT
WHATEVER CULTURAL PRACTICES YOU
USED TO HAVE GET A LITTLE
WATERED DOWN BUT THAT'S WHAT
MAKES THIS SO SPECIAL IS THAT
YOU MEET SO MANY PEOPLE WHO
SHARE THAT SAME PASSION YOU
CONTINUE PERPETUATING THAT LOVE
FOR THAT CULTURE.
WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT
CLASSES THAT YOU GUYS WENT
I'M A LITTLE BIASED.
TYCO IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES.
THE INSTRUCTORS DEDICATED SO
MUCH TO THE CRAFT.
YOU CAN FEEL THEIR LOVE FOR IT.
AS A MUSICIAN IT WAS JUST NICE
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MY CULTURE
AND MUSICAL EXPRESSION THROUGH A
DIFFERENT KIND OF CULTURAL LENS.
YOU'RE A MUSICIAN?
YES.
I DID NOT KNOW THAT.
I'M A PIANIST AND SINGER.
DID YOU ALREADY KNOW A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT TYCO DRUMMING?
YOU LEARNED FROM SCRATCH?
ONE OF THE GIRLS IN OUR YEAR,
SHE'S FANTASTIC.
A LITTLE BIT.
IT'S ENJOYABLE TO WATCH.
I LOVE THAT.
AFTER MONTHS OF CLASSES AND
PUBLIC APPEARANCES, YOU
MENTIONED THE FESTIVAL BALL.
PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT
IS, CAN YOU KIND OF DESCRIBE
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FESTIVAL
BALL?
THAT'S THE MOMENT THAT
EVERYONE LOOKS FORWARD TO
REALLY.
SO WE ACTUALLY LEARN A PIECE AND
THAT'S HOW WE OPEN THE ENTIRE
EVENT IS WE ALL PLAY TOGETHER.
AND, AS YOU WERE SAYING WHEN YOU
SEE IT, YOU CAN FEEL THE ENERGY.
I THINK THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO
HYPE UP THE START THE EVENT.
WE HAVE TO RECITE FROM MEMORY A
SPEECH ABOUT A TOPIC THAT WE
FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT.
AFTER THAT THERE'S THE KIMONO
PORTION.
THEY SO GENEROUSLY DONATE KIM
OWN OWES FOR US TO WEAR.
NERVE WRACKING BUT ALSO
REALLY BEAUTIFUL.
WE'RE LOOKING AT PICTURES HERE.
THIS IS FROM THE FESTIVAL BALL.
YES.
SO WERE YOU CROWNED THAT
NIGHT.
YES.
EVERYTHING HAPPENS ALL AT ONCE.
OKAY.
BEAUTIFUL.
SO IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE YOU SAID
IT WAS SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS OF
APPEARANCES AND TRAINING BUT FOR
YOU IT DIDN'T STOP THAT NIGHT.
RIGHT.
NOW YOU'RE INTO YOUR REIGN.
WHAT HAS YOUR REIGN BEEN LIKE?
IT'S BEEN KIND OF A WHIRLWIND
BUT REALLY EXCITING.
ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT
BEING IN POSITION WE'RE IN IS WE
GET TO MEET PEOPLE FROM OUR
SISTER CITIES IN JAPAN, IN KOBE.
THEY CAME HERE TO VISIT AND WE
ALSO GOT TO MEET THE OTHER GIRS
ON COURT FROM THE NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA CHERRY BLOSSOM
FESTIVAL AND BE ABLE TO SEE
WHERE THE BRIDGES CONNECT BOTH
TO THE MAINLAND AND OVERSEAS.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY
INSPIRING AND REALLY HUMBLING TO
BE A PART OF.
IT SOUNDS LIKE SUCH A GREAT
EXPERIENCE BECAUSE A LOT OF
PEOPLE WHEN YOU HEAR MAYBE -- IT
KIND OF HAS A NEGATIVE
CONNOTATION BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE
YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET
SOME REALLY GREAT PEOPLE.
THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT
PART OF THE EXPERIENCE ACTUALLY
IS TO FOCUS MORE ON THE
RELATIONSHIPS YOU'RE GOING TO
MAKE AND THE CONNECTIONS YOU CAN
HAVE INSTEAD OF WHATEVER
OUTCOMES.
EVERYBODY REALLY BECAUSE OF
THE TIME IT TAKES TO BE IN THIS
AND ALL THAT YOU'RE LEARNING,
IT'S A WIN FOR EVERYBODY.
THERE ARE NO LOSERS.
YOU LEARN SO MUCH AND YOU
MAKE LIFELONG FRIENDS.
SO FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT MORE
INFORMATION, MAYBE WANT TO
BECOME A QUEEN CONTESTANT, THE
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS NOW?
YES.
WE WILL BE ACCEPTING
APPLICATIONS UNTIL AUGUST 10TH.
OF 19 AND 28, AU 50% JAPANESE AND
READY TO EXPLORE SOME NEW PARTS
OF YOUR LIFE.
ALL OF THE INFORMATION CAN BE
FOUND ON-LINE.
WE'LL PUT THAT INFORMATION ON
OUR WEBSITE.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU?
YOU CONTINUE WITH YOUR REIGN AND
THEN THE NEW WINNER WILL BE
CROWNED IN MARCH.
YES, OF NEXT YEAR, YEAH.
SO THE NEW CONTESTANTS WILL BE
COMING IN.
WE'LL GET TO TALK TO THEM TOO.
IT WILL BE OVER IN MARCH.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU.
TELL ME' LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
YOURSELF.
ARE YOU A STUDENT OR SINGING?
I WORKED AT A REAL ESTATE
AGENCY RIGHT NOW, AND I'M IN A
SHOW WITH MANOA VALLEY THEATER
SO YOU CAN COME SEE THAT.
WHAT IS THE SHOW?
THE PRINCESS AND THE ISO
PEANUT.
LOVE THAT SHOW.
WE CAN SEE YOU ON STAGE
THERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU.
ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR REIGN.
THIS SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO LEARN
MORE ABOUT THEIR HERITAGE.