我孫子市国際交流協会

Date: Sunday, Sep. 24, 2006 1:00pm-4:30pm
Place: Abiko Civic Plaza Hall
Audience: 60 (approx.)
Judge: Mr. Hirohiko Fukushima, Mayor of Abiko City,
Mr. Toshio Imazeki, Superintendent of Board of Education,
Mr. Teruo Okubo, President of AIRA
Mr. Skip Taylor, ALT (Assistant Language Teacher)
Mr. Lyndon Green, AIRA English teacher

The contest of this year was divided into two parts, English and Japanese.
Seven contestants expressed their views or thoughts in English and four others did in Japanese. The speakers were mostly younger people, ranging from junior high students to the late twenties; 3 males and 8 females including 1 non-Japanese respectively.
One speaker talked about his experience of home-stay, while another student spoke in detail about her overseas travel. Some speakers emphasized on their dreams for the future, or concern about social problems.
One-and-half hour contest of enthusiastic and well-prepared speeches was over giving deep impression to the audience.
As the last speaker concluded his narration, the 5 judges moved to the other room for evaluation work.
While the audience waited for the announcement of the result, a mini-lecture was held. Mr. M. Shimegi, an ex-staff of UN Afganistan Mine Clearance Organization, gave a lecture on the life and people, local disputes and landmine problem in Afganistan.
He talked on how the landmine removal work was executed there showing slides and various kinds of real mines. But don't be afraid, detonators had been removed !
He explained about risky and dangerous tasks with support of mine detecting dogs, about unexploded bombshells dropped in the late war, cluster bombs, depleted uranium bombshells, etc. All listeners seemed depressed by the misery and absurdity of war, and realized the value of peace and war-free situation.
After lengthy and intensive discussion on the evaluation, the 5 judges finally concluded to nominate the winners as follows:
1. AIRA President's prize Mr. Lai Ting Zhang
2. Mayor's prize Miss Hinako Hirayama
3. Board of Education Chief's prize Miss Mao Tanaka
4. Chuo Gakuin University President's prize Miss Kasumi Kawashima
5. ALT's prize Miss Miho Ishikawa
6. Audience prize Mr. Satoshi Kawaguchi
7. Judge group prizes Miss Mika Okuyama, Mr. Motohisa Miya, Miss Fan Yao Jing, Miss Tomomi Sato, Miss Mizuki Kawakubo

The AIRA president's prize winner, Mr. Lai Ting Zhang is a university student of Taiwan living in Abiko since April 2006 as an exchange student, made an address titled, "What I have encountered in Japan".
"In my early days in Japan I was very embarrassed as I could not understand Japanese language. I thought I wouldn't be humiliated if only I would keep silent, but it would be meaningless for my presence in this country. So soon later I reconsidered just to try to talk to others with courage.
Now I recall with pleasant memory and impression of the fire-work viewing at Teganuma, buckwheat noodle making in the house home-stayed with a family, a trip to Sumo-tournament watching, and a travel to Hokkaido. Of all, meeting with people has made me most delightful. I have gradually come to understand that, although Japanese people don't shake hands, they look satisfied with considerateness or thoughtfulness of the other.
Miss Hinako Hirayama, the Mayor's prize winner, expressed vividly her great hope for the future as follows. The title reads "Hip Hop dance...our new source of power"
"I love to dance. My favorite genre of dance is Hip Hop. The female dancers sometimes punch and kick in the dance routine as a sign of their strength and to show their independence. The dancing is very attractive, exciting, fascinating and aggressive. These songs and dances are part of Hip Hop culture which was born from the African American community in 1970th. The African American survived in much severer circumstances but keep their self-esteem and now express that with their bodies. My dream is to practice dancing in the United States and become an excellent dancer. I then want to return to Japan and teach Hip Hop dancing to everyone."
In the closing, Mr. Fukushima commented that all judges sweated with the tough work of selecting superior pieces out of well-performed speeches this year again.
After the prize-award ceremony, all speakers, judges, moderators and interpreter lined up on the stage with bright smiles for taking photos.
Following the ceremony, all contestants, judges, the audience, guests, staff and all concerned enjoyed friendly chatting hour at a party.
Thus the 2006 Speech Contest ended with big success and fruitful accomplishment.

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