Court includes First Princess Megan Miyamoto, Miss Tomodachi Mika Dyo.
By EMIKO ESSMILLER
Special to The Rafu
“Nisei Week is something that has always meant a lot to my family. It’s a multi-generational festival, so it really brings something for everyone to look forward to.
“After my grandmother passed away, my family invested in a really nice scanner, and I started to digitize all of her photos and documents, and once I saw a different side of her that I had seen growing up as a kid, it really inspired me to learn more about our community and our history.”
During the 83rd annual Nisei Week Coronation on Aug. 9, 25-year-old Kimi Look was crowned Nisei Week Queen. Born in Torrance, Look has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Her community platform is the Go For Broke National Education Center and she is sponsored by the Gardena Evening Optimist Club.
In her introduction, she described her passion for making ice cream. To her, it signifies a place for storytelling, especially across generations. “It brings [the younger ones] to the table,” while preserving the traditions of “those that came before us.” By “reminiscing on flavors of matcha or yuzu, it brings back memories that spark conversations of the past.”
Look’s mother, Alyssa Watanabe, communicated her pride for her daughter in an interview with The Rafu Shimpo.
“My father was a Little Tokyo physician, and his office was at the corner of First and Central, and we used to watch the parade from the second floor of his office. So it’s always been a special thing for us, and it’s very exciting to see her be a part of what has been a long family tradition for us,” Watanabe said.
This year’s theme, “Kansha” (感謝) or gratitude, represents the thankfulness that Japanese Americans hold for the past generations — the Issei, Nisei, and Sansei. 2024 Nisei Week Queen Morgan Mayuko Gee noted that it was the perfect description of her feelings towards her own court, and gave her best wishes to the new queen.
As always, the event was hosted by actress Tamlyn Tomita, a former Nisei Week Queen, and ABC 7 news anchor David Ono.
Megan Ayumi Miyamoto, representing the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center, was crowned First Princess. She has a Bachelor of Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and her platform was Go Little Tokyo!
Miss Tomodachi was Mika Fumiyo Megumi Dyo, representing the Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute. Her platform was the Little Tokyo Historical Society, and she has a Bachelor of Arts from CSU Long Beach.
The rest of the court consisted of four other princesses: Samantha Kimiyo Cirelli of the Venice Japanese Community Center and Venice-West Los Angeles JACL, Emma Yasuko Shojinaga Fukunaga of the Japanese Restaurant Association of America, Casey Mariko Kuramoto from the Orange County Nikkei Coordinating Council, and Mia Miyoko Takatsuka from the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center.
As a message to the community as the new queen, Look said, “I would say that we’re all here for you, and even after our court year ends, we’re still going to be here. We’re just community members, and we love to spend time with everyone together.”