The 49th Annual Japanese Speech Contest for Elementary School Students
2024/5/3
Consul General Osumi giving opening remarks
A contestant delivers his speech during the contest
On Sunday, April 28, the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, the Japanese American Association of Northern California (Hokka Nichi Bei Kai), and the Northern California Japanese Teachers’ Association, co-organized the 49th Japanese Speech Contest for Elementary School Students at the Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California.
Twenty-two elementary school students participated in this year’s contest, demonstrating their achievement of Japanese language studies and preparation for this contest. The audience included students’ family, friends, and teachers attending in support of the contestants.
Consul General Osumi gave opening remarks encouraging students to do their best and to continue to keep up their Japanese language studies in the future. Deputy Consul General Kishimori helped judge this year’s contest, presented the awards to the winners, and gave closing remarks congratulating all the contestants for their efforts.
The Consulate would like to extend our sincere congratulations to all of this year’s contestants and commend each of them on their hard work.
Twenty-two elementary school students participated in this year’s contest, demonstrating their achievement of Japanese language studies and preparation for this contest. The audience included students’ family, friends, and teachers attending in support of the contestants.
Consul General Osumi gave opening remarks encouraging students to do their best and to continue to keep up their Japanese language studies in the future. Deputy Consul General Kishimori helped judge this year’s contest, presented the awards to the winners, and gave closing remarks congratulating all the contestants for their efforts.
The Consulate would like to extend our sincere congratulations to all of this year’s contestants and commend each of them on their hard work.
Result: Group A (1st- 3rd Grade)
Group photo with Category 1 participants
Group photo with Category 2 participants
| Category 1 (Contestants who come from homes where Japanese is not spoken) | |
| 1st Place: | Evelyn Murphy-Morris (Clarendon Alternative Elementary School) “Happy Mistake” |
| 2nd Place: | Merrick Asada (Rosa Parks Elementary School) “My Great Grandma” |
| 3rd Place: | Lennon Arce (Clarendon Alternative Elementary School) “The Community I Love” |
| Special Recognition: | Leonardo K. Rangel (Rosa Parks Elementary School) “I Want to be a Doctor” |
| Special Recognition: | Elliott Puchia (Rosa Parks Elementary School) “My Favorite Event is Undokai!” |
| Category 2 (Contestants who come from homes where Japanese is spoken) | |
| 1st Place: | Chiara Ayame Sloss (Clarendon Alternative Elementary School) “The Importance of Culture” |
| 2nd Place: | Sophia Vrljicak (Clarendon Alternative Elementary School) “Inspiration of Courage: Learning from Fred Korematsu” |
| 3rd Place: | Arlo Isamu Daigle (Rosa Parks Elementary School) “Inubou Karuta and Grandma” |
| Special Recognition: | Lucas Sennosuke Meuleman (Kurumi Japanese Class) “Skateboarding” |
| Special Recognition: | Hyuga Welles Matsuura (San Mateo Nippon Gakuyen) “My First Soccer Game” |
| Special Recognition: | Jin Yong Chow (Kinmon Gakuen) “Mother” |
| Special Recognition: | Kia Beytien (Rosa Parks Elementary School) “Grandma and Me” |
Result: Group B (4th Grade and above)
Group photo with Category 3 participants
Group photo with Category 4 participants
| Category 3 (Contestants who come from homes where Japanese is not spoken) | |
| 1st Place: | Oliver C. Millan (Clarendon Alternative Elementary School) “The Day We Became Messengers of History” |
| 2nd Place: | Nina Hardiman (Clarendon Alternative Elementary School) “The Path to a Wonderful Encounter” |
| 3rd Place: | Miya Barcas (Rosa Parks Elementary School) “Sailing with Me” |
| Special Recognition: | Meyir Tlyekhan (Rosa Parks Elementary School) “Basketball Journey” |
| Category 4 (Contestants who come from homes where Japanese is spoken) | |
| 1st Place: | Ann Tully (Clarendon Alternative Elementary School) “Taking Care of My Dog” |
| 2nd Place: | Kate Ayuka Biner (Kurumi Japanese Class) “One Miracle” |
| 3rd Place: | Rian Sakai Abernethy (Kurumi Japanese Class) “Because of the Chickens” |
| Special Recognition: | Daigo Perez (Rosa Parks Elementary School) “My Dream” |
| Special Recognition: | Kai Okumura-Sokalski (Kurumi Japanese Class) “Treasures gained from Swimming” |
| Special Recognition: | Robert Takeshi Bray (Clarendon Alternative Elementary School) “My Unexpected Super Power” |
Judges
Contestants and their families, friends, and teachers in the audience
Deputy Consul General Kishimori gives closing remarks
Mr. Hajime Kishimori
Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco
Mr. Kenji Furushiro
Vice President, Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California
Dr. Masahiko Minami
(Head Judge) Northern California Japanese Teachers’ Association
Ms. Yu Higashisawa
Language Program Coordinator, Japan Society of Northern California
Mr. Matthew Hunter
Producer, Localization, VIZ Media, LLC
Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco
Mr. Kenji Furushiro
Vice President, Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California
Dr. Masahiko Minami
(Head Judge) Northern California Japanese Teachers’ Association
Ms. Yu Higashisawa
Language Program Coordinator, Japan Society of Northern California
Mr. Matthew Hunter
Producer, Localization, VIZ Media, LLC
