The 17th Abiko International Speech Contest

Date/Time: Sunday, September 27, 2015

Venue: Abiko Civic Plaza Hall

MC: Mr. Koji Ishihara, Ms. Holland Serra (British nationality)

　　This year’s speech contest was marked by a special competition commemorating the 70th anniversary after the end of WW II. It also included Abiko city’s 30th anniversary of Peace Declaration, as well as the 45th anniversary of this city’s establishment. In this respect, each speech had concept or spirit of “Peace”. Eleven people volunteered for participating in the contest, namely 4 junior high school students, 4 university students, and 3 adult citizens.

　　The contest was divided by 2 categories, the speech in English and in Japanese. Seven judges selected winners for 6 different prizes including “International Peace Special Prize” specially added in this memorial year, and additionally, “Audience Prize” selected by audience’s vote, and “Prize for Effort” were set up. Five speeches were presented in English and 6 speeches in Japanese.

　　An opening ceremony of the contest started with declaration by MCs, Mr. Koji Ishihara and Ms. Holland Serra, and 7 judges were introduced to participants and the audience.

　　Prior to the contest, Mr. Tetsuya Sugano, President of AIRA, made a greeting address, saying “This year’s contest is the memorial event commemorating the 70th anniversary after the end of WW II and the 30th anniversary after the city’s Peace Declaration.” Following his speech, another greeting was delivered by Deputy Mayor Akira Aoki appreciating AIRA to include the theme, “Peace” in this year’s speech contest. He added that an International Peace Special Prize was prepared this year after the fact that several peace-related events were held in Hiroshima by dispatching a delegation from this city appealing for everlasting peace. The delegation consisted of 24 junior high school students, twice as many as in previous year.

　　The contest started with speakers in English, followed by ones in Japanese. They all looked very nervous when waiting till their turn, but they looked confident when making respective speeches on the stage.

　　After completing all presentations, judges assembled in a room, and simultaneously ballots were given to the audience for choosing a winner of the special prize.

Interim Program 1 - Introduction of an AIRA activity

　　While judges were discussing to select winners for prizes and a special guest was preparing for his speech, Ms. Michiko Kurata, AIRA member, introduced one of AIRA’s support activities, titled “International relationship activity by AIRA”; Northern Arizona University (NAU) students’ visit to Abiko City for communication with students of Chuo Gakuin University. The NAU students spent 3 days at host families’ home during their stay in Abiko.

　　It is heard that students of Northern Arizona University are planning to visit Abiko city next year, too. That plan is expected to contribute to one aspect of international relationship movement in this city.

Interim Program 2- A Special Lecture by Mr. T. Miyakaku

　　Today’s special guest delivered a speech next. Mr. Takao Miyakaku, a son of atomic bomb survivor in Hiroshima, presented a speech, titled “Photographs and peace”. His speech was specially programed commemorating 70th anniversary after the end of the war and this city’s 30th anniversary of Peace Declaration. We made an acquaintance with him when Abiko’s junior high students were dispatched to Hiroshima several years ago. Since then, we have exchanged communication with him continuously.

　　In his speech, he told about “Atomic bomb” in Hiroshima accent occasionally. It was about his family’s physical damage by radioactivity due to the bomb explosion, including his parents and grandparents. His father had a 5 inch-nail, which was fixed on a pillar of the Hiroshima station, stubbed into his face as the bomb blasted. He couldn’t move because of the injury, however, one Korean young man happened to see him and pulled out the nail. His father was carried to a hospital, so that his life was saved.

　　As to his mother, she was severely injured by the bombing in a train packed with people on her way to the office. Her life was saved, but due to the event, she had suffered from psychological disorder since then, and she was in mad whenever hearing the sound of thunder and firecrackers afterwards: no strobe flushing when taking pictures nor fireworks. She had an operation of thyroid gland removal in her 30s. She was hospitalized in and out many times and became physically weaker and weaker. People who had damage by bombing cannot be like ordinary people. It was refrained from talking about atomic bomb to them. His mother hated to recall it because of horrible feeling of the bombing.

　　When it comes to “Photographs”, taking pictures was his interest when he was in childhood. Since 1990s, those who were suffering from radioactive diseases began to talk about atomic bomb, although the matters surrounding atomic bomb were still taboo. As a son of the atomic bomb survivors, he was inspired to go to Hiroshima and took pictures of people posing in front of the atomic bomb dome in the morning of the new year day, 2000. He saw a group of foreign people near the dome. He encountered one Italian couple confessed love each other and kissed there. He shot a picture of them.

　　This photo made him have a chance to think about peace and felt that the photo would be the symbol of peace of Japan in future. Since then, he has been customarily taking photos of Atomic Bomb Dome on August 6, Nagasaki Ground Zero Park and Peace Memorial Park on August 9, and similarly at these locations on August15 every year for exhibiting them in public.

　　Devastated damage on people due to atomic bomb cannot be expressed in words at all, and nobody but those who were severely injured or people inherited from survivors could tell how tragic the situation was.

　　At the photo exhibition corner next to the hall in the Civic Hall, “Takao Miyakaku’s Photo Exhibition-Wind from Ground Zero, 2015”, numbers of pictures of Atomic Bomb Dome were exhibited. They were all black-and-white, as if they asked you to feel and imagine history and people’s thoughts from monotone appearance.

Announcement of Contest Winners

　　After the special guest’s presentation, winners’ ceremony was conducted. Following are the results of the contest;

1. AIRA President Prize

　Winner: Ms. Jian Yi Ting, Senior of Chuo Gakuin Univerity

　Title: “Peace means completing ‘Happy Jigsaw Puzzle !”

　Gist: The story told by war survivors and children at local festivals gave me a chance to think about Peace. Peace is the process as if we put pieces of jigsaw puzzle on the board to complete a “Happy Jigsaw Puzzle.

　Comment from Mr. Sugano, AIRA President: The idea is interesting. The things ordinarily seen in daily life, such as Kashiwa Festival and other every day events are carried out thanks to Peace. It is interesting that small daily events are treated as pieces of jigsaw puzzle, and “Happy Jigsaw Puzzle” is completed by combining such pieces together.

2. Abiko Mayor’s Prize

　Winner: Ms. Anna Ide, 2nd grader of Kujike Junior High School

　Title: “Be open-minded and make close friends”

　Gist: When I lived in southern France, I experienced that those who have different lifestyle, culture, race, religion and nationality accepted my opinion, when I communicated with such people in my own words. I learned that one of the most important things to communicate with those people is to express our own thoughts straight forward.

　Comment from Mr. Akira Aoki, Deputy Mayor of Abiko I have the same opinion; we cannot make ourselves understood with each other without our own words or opinion. I’m sure living in southern France influenced your coming life effectively, while Japanese young people tend to retain themselves safe by following other’s opinion.

3. Superintendent of Board of Education Prize

　Winner: Mr. Masaki Arai , 3rd grader of Abiko Junior High School

　Title: “Folding my future”

　Gist: My thought about accurate skill of traditional art of folding paper expands to the range of future natural resources and saving energy methodology.

　Comment from Mr. Shunji Kurabe, Superintendent of Board of Education: I can praise the speech from the aspect of his assertive opinion that Japanese tradition and culture would be a show-case for growth of international relationship, although the art of folding paper may not look much for leading to build international relationship at a sight.

4. President of Chuo Gakuin University Prize

　Winner: Ms. Nagisa Yoshinari, Senior of Kawamura Gakuen Woman’s University

　Title: “My Wonderful Experiences”

　Gist: My memories and experiences through people whom I met, including host family to accept me to stay at their house during my 1-year study in UK and my journey going around 8 European countries.

　Comment from Mr. Hideaki Sato, President of Chuo Gakuin University: I understand that the “Taste” would be changed if we felt warm hearted sincerity from those who cook dishes special for us, even if it is not our favorite. Also, I am impressed with your experience in Germany during the Christmas time, which created your own opinion; peace is generated by putting each piece of jigsaw puzzle.

5. President of Kawamura Gakuen Woman’s University Prize

　Winner: Ms. Parul Yadav, adult

　Title: “Japan-from the eye of a foreigner”

　Gist: My great feeling of “Kawaii” toward Japanese people’s practice of bowing, considerateness to others and volunteer activities. However, even if I speak English in everyday conversation, there is a high hurdle for being selected as an English teacher in this society. People from English speaking countries are prioritized to be selected. But, I still try to become a “Kawaii” English teacher from a different approach, such as brushing up Japanese language.

　Comment from Mr. Willian Kischack, Associate professor, Kawamura Gakuen Woman’s University: Frank opinion about Japanese society was expressed in your speech from the non-Japanese view point. As to the opportunity to be an English teacher, although English teachers are selected based upon countries which they come from, I teach my students that expressing themselves on their own words is more important rather than the language skill.

6. International Peace Special Prize

　Winner: Ms. Rei Kanno, 2nd grader of Kohokudai Junior High School

　Title: “What I felt in Hiroshima”

　Gist: When I was dispatched to Hiroshima in August this year, I learned that those who received an overdose of radiation have been wishing for no more use of atomic bomb, and also learned what a tragic situation was there when an atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. That helped me reach to a thought that the peace world must be established by us young generation from now on.

　Comment from Mr. Akira Aoki, Deputy Mayor of Abiko The speech stunned me impressively. Particularly, I am deeply impressed by the expression that current young people are the last generation who can learn directly from the atomic bomb survivors, and they have a role to tell the stories to the next generation, which leads to peace at last.

7. Audience Prize

　Winner: Ms. Zhang Chun Ling, adult

　Title: “My road to learn Japanese language”

　Gist: I noted that the core of learning language is to learn repeatedly word by word after listening to pronunciation of each word based upon the lesson learned from my failure to master Japanese language; forgetting meaning of words just after I memorized them, and asked repeatedly to myself why I always forget?

　Comment from Mr. Dylan Smith, Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) of Abiko City: How wonderful you reached the appropriate way to you! Repeated pronunciation practice, even if you forget words, is one of the important measures for way ahead.

8. Prizes for Effort Winners:

(1) Ms. Arisu Suzuki, 1st grader of Kujike Junior High School

　Titel: “International relationship”

(2) Ms. XuTian Qui, Sophomore of Chuo Gakuin University student

　Title: “War and Peace”

(3) Ms. Phyo Thiri Kyaw, Junior of Chuo Gakuin University student

　Title: “Peace society looking through Japan”

(4) Ms. Teresita Mylina, adult

　Title: “Peace found through everyday life in Japan”

 

　A comprehensive comment was given by Mr. Shunji Tokura, Superintendent of Board of Education as follows.

“Speech is the technique of how to make our opinion understood by others. Words are one of the communication tools. But, you should remember words have spiritual power. Your soul is included in words. In this speech contest, one student who was dispatched to Hiroshima told about peace. It also says that peace begins from everyday life, and young generation has to have a responsibility to build the peace world. I expect you to do your best.”

　Panel of Judges

　　AIRA President: Mr. Tetsuya Sugano,

　　Deputy Mayor of Abiko: Mr. Akira Aoki,

　　Superintendent of Board of Education: Mr. Shunji Kurabe,

　　President of Chuo Gakuin University: Mr. Hideaki Sato,

　　Asst Prof of Kawamura Gakuen Woman’s University: Mr. William Kischack,

　　Instructor of Chuo Gakuin University: Mr. John Bauman,

　　Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) of Abiko City: Mr. Dylan Smith

 

　　This year, the theme, “Peace” was recommended to be involved in each speech. Related to the theme, a book was presented to all participants, titled Travel is Trouble written by Mr. Yasuharu Ko. He has visited 272 nations and regions including disputed areas and emphasized in his book the necessity of peace through the eyes of the “world traveler.” H book was presented to the every speaker. We deeply appreciate his kindness and consideration.

　　After the awarding ceremony, the 17th Speech Contest ended with closing address by Mr. Nakamura, Chief of Speech Contest Executive Committee.

　　As the customary post contest event, a reception was held in the hall. The party began with the MC, Ms. Xin Yam’s announcement, and Mr. Sato, President of Chuo Gakuin University proposed a toast. Participants competed in the contest looked very relaxed after the pressure for speaking before a large audience, and talked a lot with their friends. Mr. Miyakaku, today’s special guest, joined the party together with his wife. He exchanged words with participants like friends. Some of them posed with him in a picture taking, which must be a good memory for them.　　(No. 15-10)