On Saturday, December 5th, students, alumni, and faculty members gathered at the Mita Public Speaking Hall (Mita Enzetsu-kan) for the 31st Annual Japanese Speech Contest hosted by KOSMIC.
Ten international students gave speeches according to the theme for this year: "Things I noticed about my motherland by coming to Japan".
The contestants all gave great speeches that they had been preparing specially for this contest with their Japanese tutors since November.
Every speech was thoughtful, and they allowed even the Japanese members of the audience to rediscover Japan with new perspectives from outside of the country.
The title of the winning speeches and the nationality of the prize winner (in parentheses) are as follows:
Advanced Level First Prize
"The Ability to Bring back Traditional cultures" (China)
Advanced Level Second Prize
"Attitude toward the Motherland's culture" (Uzbekistan)
Elementary and Intermediate Level First Prize
"Japanese Restroom, from a Foreigner's Point of View" (Mongolia)
After the speeches, a behind-the-scenes video was shown to the audience to share the real story behind each contestant. The video included scenes from the speakers' tutoring sessions and their impressions of participating in this speech contest.
Details of the Event
Date: December 5th, 2015 13:00~15:30
Location: Mita Public Speaking Hall (Mita Enzetsu-kan), Mita Campus,
Number of the Contestants: 10 Students
Host of the Speech Contest
KOSMIC: http://kosmic.blog.so-net.ne.jp/
Photo Gallery
A speech by an international student
The audience listening enthusiastically
Award ceremony
A group photo of the speakers
A group photo of the speakers and their Japanese tutors
Photo: Satoru INOUE