The 38th Annual Washington State Japanese Speech and Skit Contest

2021/4/6

On March 6, 2021, with approximately 130 participants, the Washington State Japanese Language Speech and Skit Contest was held online with the support of the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington, Hyogo Business and Cultural Center, Washington Association of Teachers of Japanese, and the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle.

The Speech and Skit Contest is comprised of a Speech Portion and a Skit Portion where students studying Japanese compete. This year, participation eligibility expanded to college students in addition to the usual high school participants. A total of 28 students took part in the contest. The Speech Portion, themed “My year 2020,” had students reflect back on the past year and in their own words describe what change and discovery they experienced. The Skit Portion had an open theme, which motivated students to come up with original ideas. The judges reviewed the speeches and skit videos submitted prior to the event and announced the winners at the event. To see the list of winners and the titles of their submissions, please click here. Congratulations to all the winners!
【High School Division (Level 3) Winner, Wesley Grandmont IV】	【High School Division (Heritage Level) Winner, Saya Lindholm】
【College and University Division (Beginner Level) Winner, Irie Browning】	【College and University Division (Advanced Level) Winner, Rebecca LeVeque】
【Greetings from Consul General Inagaki】
To close the contest, Consul General Inagaki thanked the sponsors, supporters, and judges. He spoke about the challenges of learning a foreign language and how impressed he was with the high-level Japanese knowledge of all the participants. Consul General Inagaki also noted that this past March, when the festival took place, was the tenth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake; he expressed his appreciation and emphasized that Japan will never forget the support the disaster area received from the U.S. He reiterated the importance of language in strengthening the U.S.-Japan relationship and encouraged the students to continue learning Japanese. The Consul General concluded by expressing his wish that the U.S. and Japan, and particularly the Pacific Northwest and Japan, will continue to organize such events to deepen their friendship. The event also included a quiz about Japan, using the “Kahoot” app, and a performance by rakugoka Yanagiya Tosaburo. In addition, JET Program participants in Japan shared their experiences with the audience and contest participants were able to socialize in different breakout rooms.

【Quiz about Japan using “Kahoot”】
【Rakugo performance by Yanagiya Tosaburo】	【Presentation about the JIS (Japan in School) program by the Japan-America Society】
We would like to thank all the sponsors and supporters who made this event possible, as well as all the participants. Thank you very much. 本当にありがとうございました。
【Event Flyer】