Northern California Cherry Blossom Queen Program

10/18/2026

10/11/2026

Last weekend we attended the 21st Annual Millbrae Japanese Culture Festival! Queen Kristina and First Princess Katie met with community leaders, made paper dolls, enjoyed beautiful J-Pop and Yosakoi dances, and explored the wonderful food and activity booths. We had a great time getting to know the Millbrae community and experiencing the festival‼️

10/09/2026

The 2026 Court was honored to attend the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California’s Annual Golf Tournament at Eagle Vines Golf Club.

It was a great opportunity to meet and engage with members of the Japanese and Japanese American business community ✨ The raffle we assisted with featured fantastic prizes, including gift cards, ANA and JAL flights ✈️

Congratulations to all of the winners! ⛳️🏆

Thank you to the Golf Committee and JCCNC for welcoming the 2026 Court to this memorable event. We are grateful for your ongoing partnership, generosity, and dedication to supporting our program and the broader Japanese American community.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to 2025 Princesses Kinako and Nanami for joining and supporting us💕

10/09/2026

The 2026 court volunteered at the Center’s annual fundraiser, Tabemasho! We had a great time meeting attendees and learning about their involvement in the JA community and love for the Center. This year’s theme of Mottainai inspired everyone at the event to take a moment to pause, reflect, and fully appreciate the time we spend together. Thank you to the Center, the chefs, and the volunteers for all of the amazing work put into this event!

10/05/2026

Queen Kristina and Princess Julia had the pleasure of volunteering for the 43rd Annual Kimochi Golf Tournament at Richmond Country Club. They interacted with the players after the tournament and helped raise money to support Kimochi, the senior care home located in our Japantown.

We are very grateful for the Kimura Family and the Kimochi Board of Directors for planning this event and for their consistent support of our Japanese American community. We hope the players enjoyed themselves as much as our court did!

09/18/2026

🌸🌸 Part 2 of Nisei Week! 🌸🌸

On Sunday, we visited the National Japanese American Veterans Memorial Court JA Memorial Court, which honors soldiers of Japanese ancestry who died during their service. We were each given a paper with the biography of a specific service member to remember not only their names but the people they were and the legacy they left behind. We are forever grateful for the freedom and hope we are able to have because of their sacrifice.

During the Aloha luncheon, we had bento lunches from Azay | アゼ, enjoyed more matcha and bread from Cafe Dulce, and handed out omiyage. To the Nisei Week hospitality team (led by Leiton, Michi, and Kelly), supporting organizations, and the Nisei Week incoming/outgoing courts, thank you so much for welcoming us in such a loving way.

We also stopped by Japangeles Japangeles® to look for some cool pieces to rep in the Bay!

The court enjoyed riding through the streets of Little Tokyo on a float sponsored by Japan Airlines Global alongside the LA Taiko Collective LA Taiko Collective. It was so heartwarming to see so many people come to the heart of the community and cheer us on!

The 2025 court ended the night with their self-led leadership forum. All three courts learned more about the history and current challenges in Little Tokyo. With this context, we grouped up to discuss our ‘ideal’ Little Tokyo, which revealed the co-existing issues we all see in our communities and the similarities in our goals. We strive to make steps for a better and more loving Japanese and Japanese American space.

Our court graciously joined a VIP tour of Disneyland where we had the most magical time going on rides and trying the various foods! Thank you so much to Craig Kawamoto, our Disneyland representative, and the generous donors who donate VIP tours to the visiting courts and family year after year!

We couldn’t have ended the trip better than by trying two of Little Tokyo’s legacy businesses! We enjoyed a catered lunch from Kouroku America’s Oldest Ramen Shop 🍜 Kouraku こう楽, a community favorite restaurant that serves comfort Japanese food. It’s also one of Queen Kristina’s favorite childhood nostalgic restaurants!

The court also picked up

09/18/2026

Want to learn more about the Queen Program? Our Virtual Get to Know the Queen Program Events are the perfect chance to connect with the current court and ask your questions 🌸

✅ Step 1: Fill out Part 1 of the application with your contact information (link in bio)
✉️ Step 2: Check your email for your Zoom link to our Get to Know the Queen Program Virtual Events.

We can’t wait to meet you!

09/17/2026

🌸🌸 August 14th - 18th 2026 🌸🌸

The 2026 court was honored to be invited to celebrate Japanese American culture and history in Little Tokyo for the 84th annual Nisei Week Japanese Festival!

Being a part of the festivities brought us so much joy! We experienced the Japanese American community coming together for connection and tradition and to champion the businesses, organizations, and spaces that are pillars for the community’s identity.

We left this trip encouraged by how community members in Southern California continuously pour into young female leaders. We have so much hope for what the 2026 Nisei Week Court will accomplish!

Each slide’s caption will highlight each moment during the first weekend of Nisei Week. Thank you to the Nisei Week hospitality chairs and team for your time and energy to show us around Little Tokyo!

We were greeted by the Nisei Week hospitality team and enjoyed a wonderful dinner consisting of tacos, Fugetsu-Do in Little Tokyo mochi, and kanshacreamery ice cream. Thank you Terasaki Budokan for hosting us, and it was so fun seeing everyone again since our Cherry Blossom Festival in April!

Mitch Maki, President and CEO of the Go For Broke National Education Center Go For Broke National Education Center , gave a tour of the museum and monument to the courts and visiting family. He shared many stories of WWII veterans, including Kazuo Masuda, whose sacrifice was one of the key stories that led to the success of the redress movement and singing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. The museum and monument, which honors the Japanese American soldiers who served in WWII, reminded us of their courage and sacrifice despite the adversity they and their families faced.

Saturday morning started off with breakfast burritos from _hamnscram_ and coffee and matcha from CAFE DULCE. Thank you to the 2025 court for breakfast and the Centenary United Methodist Church for allowing us to use your space!

Our next stop was the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) Japanese American Nat'l Museum , which is currently under renovation for the first time since it opened in 1992! It was wonderful to be guided through each of the carefully curated exhibit space and learn about the powerful stories and

09/04/2026

🌸 Queen Program applications are officially OPEN! 👑

Ready to grow as a leader, build lifelong friendships, and deepen your connection to the Japanese American community? We’d love to have you apply!

✨ Applications due November 1st
🔗 Link in bio

Tag someone who would make an amazing candidate! 💕

06/12/2026

We were honored to attend the annual community memorial service at the Japanese Cemetery in Colma to pay our respects to those who came before us and to offer flowers in remembrance.

The Japanese Cemetery in Colma holds a special place in the history of the Japanese American community. It serves as a resting place for generations of individuals whose lives, contributions, and sacrifices helped shape our community today.

We remember and honor those who have passed, and we express our gratitude for the legacy they leave behind 🌸