Reaching for the universe

Very nice ... even if it's a bit elaborate.

Wow thats a brilliant photo and the costume is gorgeous. Purple and pale gold always does it for me. Shes not bad either.

That looks very cool. Stylish with a modern twist.

Lifeless.

Beautiful!

absolutely gorgeous!!!!!

What an absolutely beautiful person in an outstanding looking dress.

Awesome toned shoulders and shoulder line. Costume is great and it should stun some porky people in Vegas... makes me proud. She must be pushing 5 ft 10 in high heels and with that face and cheekbones, should put her in the top 10.....

Very beautiful, but for some reason it reminds me of a Lady Ga Ga outfit.

Costume is great...but is she coming out with that fan and the stick as well?

She doesn't look like Itai I saw before! I'm in shock! I'm sure she will award Miss Universe. Go for it.

I like the costume and the hair style. Great work.

It looks beautiful. She looks like gift wrapping paper or new year greeting card

very pretty nice style

that is awesome! how could you not like that?

Presonally I don't think she all that hot, but I have to admit that's a great dress and a fantastic photograph. Good luck to her.

What's with the huge 扇子?

kirei......

feels like looking at a classical japanese painting.

Very cool. It screams Japan but with funk.

Very pretty garb indeed, but what is with the giant chop-stick lashed to her back?

its all of the above, BUT it wont help in the contest, sorry its just too different to work, note I am not saying its not good, just that the judges wont go for it simple as that

Holy Smokes! Very nice. But she'll never win with that.

I so hope she WINS!! I don't care that I'm American.. I'm rooting for her and Croatia. <3

BTW @ GT Do you watch the Miss Universe contest? The national costumes are always avant garde.

Beautiful photograph! Nice make-up and lighting but that costume design is just a little too much. Maybe it would be better without the overstated stick growing out the back.

I bet it would mess with your Wi-Fi reception.

It is gorgeous... and appropriate for someone like her... this costume would look so out of place on many ladies, but it looks so good when worn by a Miss... nice job...

Me likes this picture....very elegant!

She looks scary.

OMG so beautiful!!!!

Hope she spends a lot of time practicing how to move around the stage in this outfit. Otherwise I could see a major "wardrobe malfunction" on the horizon.

She just lost the costume portion of the event.. bad choice.

Very beautiful!!! Finally, something fantastic after the nightmare last year. More red please. Red is best on Japanese and Scandinavians, my opinion. But I will take a bet with all here; this is the winning piece on the contest.

"She'll never win with that."

We'll see about that.

"She looks scary"

She does not.

"She just lost the costume portion of the event"

She has an excellent chance to win the costume portion.

Cool - I would have gone with a softer more feminine hairstyle to match the flow of the costume - this one's a bit too sharp or contrasty - but maybe that's the look they're going for.

The costume is quite flarish and very appealing to the eyes, best costume for sure. Not sure about the white See's Candy like stick on her back, makes her look a bit like a lolipop.

AMAZING pic, thanks for new back ground on work computer!

Needs to get rid of that thing going up and down her neck.. muscle or something.

Beautiful...and it does look like a piece of art...gorgeous! Japan should be proud to have such a beautiful woman competing. I wish her luck..

Nice picture, though it misses something uniquely Japanese. Seeing just the picture, she could be Chinese as well.

It is very good design.

This is certainly much better than last year's iteration. Hopefully she'll shine in the interview portion, and show some indication of a brain behind the beauty.

doesnt matter what she wears, shes beautiful

Beautiful! The makeup reminds me of the Japanese women in the ukiyoe prints.

Her face looks like a Shiseido ad. Her hair design looks like a trick used by Oscar de la Renta's runway model stylist: severely pulled back hair, with attached abstract hairpieces... This is art, and she appears as a porcelain doll... Great if Miss Universe is a print model... I hope she has a more "human" side to show...

Still a great shot. Smokey white balance on the back. Just perfect.

A stunning piece of art! A round of big applause to:

Costume Designer: Yumi Katsura, Stylist: Ryoko Kishimoto, Hair Stylists: Sunao Toni n Guy Harajuku, Make-up Artist: Tomofumi Itokawa, Maiko Itai: Model, Matsuki Kohei: Photographer

agree with above commenters. though the dress is absolutely stunning beyond belief (like kimono meets couture), for some reason all of the miss universe japans dont look well... very japanese. they dont really have very japanese features, they look kind of what a western person would think a japanese/asian woman would look like. maybe its just the styling of the shoot though.

What's that stick behind her?

Lovely photo & the costume is with a maze of interesting patterns & colours in it. So it is outstanding for Japan & this young woman. I wish her the best.

very creative, Hope she wins

That's quite a fan. Full marks for the dress.

She may be beautiful...but you'd never tell it from this photo. Artistic it may be, but she looks awful.

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder..I think she looks beautiful but a full on face shot would have been better..

This is pretty interesting. Nice photo, very artistic. I'm not a big fashion fan, but fashion is art, and if you see it as art this is very inspiring.

Agree on her finish and artistry. But, who will agree with me that the world politics will have a large component in determining the winner.

I like the off white background and the smokey white balance too. The hint of pink. In all respects this shot is brilliant. Wish I could take real photos like this instead of just silly flowers and landscapes.

Is that giant popsicle stick part of the outfit???? I hope she does her walk with the giant fan, too. It's too outrageous and I really love it. Congrats to all involved. Finally, something different at the Miss U.!

She is a loaded gun - seeming submissive, but ready to bring a man to his knees with a glance from the corner of her eye. Great composition. Excellent photo, the subtle hues of her shoulder and neck are gorgeous. The costume has a great chance of winning. The dress itself is beautiful; without the fan and the attachment, an Asian starlet could easily wear this on Oscar night.

Needs to get rid of that thing going up and down her neck.. muscle or something.

LOL...I suppose she could do that if she suddenly thought that not being able to turn her head or even hold up head, would help her to win!

Seriously, the photo is absolutely stunning and definitely a piece of art. Haven't seen national costumes from anywhere else but from this, it looks like she is definitely going to be tough competitition for others!