47th Japanese Language Speech Contest Finals

A pleasant interstate trip along with the side of delicious Japanese lunch. Jokes aside, the 47th Japanese Language Speech Contest ran by the Japan Foundation was an experience that couldn’t be forgotten. To compete at a national standard against other state representative was a wonderful chance as it was something that I could be proud of. The thrill and nerve-wracking wait before it is your turn to speak coupled with the acknowledgment of the other contestants’ great speeches was what made it the memory of the year. Japan Foundation’s sincerity and kindliness together with the new friendships and bonds created had brought what was supposed to be a tension filled day, to a rather bright and a cheerful afternoon. The atmosphere during the day had become what I believed was a major boost in speaking and social interaction skills, and consequently, my overall confidence had improved. Moreover, to comprehend the other contestants’ speech, and to also witness their passion for Japanese, became another strong reason for me to continue learning the language. Inspired and awed I was after hearing the many great speeches, I couldn’t help but admire and respect everyone who had participated in this event. As of such, my joyous-filled participation in the 47th Japanese Language Speech Contest had become the pinnacle in my pursuit of learning the Japanese language.

The Speech Contest hosted by the Japan Foundation is absolutely excellent. Initially, I was slightly nervous but very thrilled for the opportunity and many people informed me that it would be a fun experience. Well, they weren’t wrong, I had a great time and immensely enjoyed the trip. The accommodation and flights were all booked, without any problems, by the helpful staff and the trip was very exciting. I was also keen to sightsee many places in Sydney and it was such a good way to let loose before the contest. The rehearsal session flowed smoothly and I met many welcoming and friendly individuals. I had a lot of fun competing and I enjoyed hanging out with all the new people that I met. I was extremely nervous before delivering my speech but I just went with the flow and I felt very enthusiastic after my speech. All of the speeches were creative and very interesting to listen to. I encourage all future participants to try the contest because it’s a fantastic opportunity and you get to do various things and meet wonderful people. It’s really exciting and a good way to sharpen your Japanese speaking and engage in friendly competition. Just have a go and have fun.

The Japan Foundation Speech Contest was absolutely a wonderful and unforgettable experience for me. Through this competition I have gain deeper passion in learning Japanese, and it really helped me realize the value of the ability to speak a foreign language. Participating in this speech contest for the first time, I was so nervous and amazed by other contestants’ Japanese skills. At the day of competition, I was able to meet new people, learn about their hobbies, background and their passion for learning Japanese. I first developed my interest in Japanese by watching anime, so I was very happy to meet people who share the same passion with me. One of my favorite thing about this contest was the fact that I got to listen to everyone else’s amazing speeches. Furthermore, the competition was a great success and I am very thankful for being given the opportunity to participate in this contest. Learning a language can take you far in the future, and you will be able to learn about new cultures, and became sociable. I definitely recommend everyone, even beginners to participate in this speech contest. It will be one of the most invaluable experiences in your life. My only advice is that ‘enjoy and have fun’. Good Luck!

For all those looking into participating in future national Japanese speech competitions, You absolutely should! Not only was it a great experience in which you are able to meet like minded individuals who share a great interest in Japan, but the volunteers make sure to make you feel comfortable even when your nerves are at their most. You can become friends with many new people volunteers and other contestants alike! I personally made some great friends from this experience, so I’m sure you can too! Lunch and snacks were served and they were absolutely beautiful, definitely something to look forward to after beating your nerves and making your speech in front of so many people. Finally, even if you do not succeed in placing just remember that you’ll have made new friends and experienced new things! I think that it is an achievement in itself to be able to make a speech in front of many people in a language that is not your own, it is definitely something to be proud of! You are going to have the nerves but if you ever need anything the volunteers are there to help. Other contestants are a great support too so please don’t worry at all! Oh! And there may be a little surprise supplied by the kind people of the Sydney Japan Foundation but I’ll let you see that for yourself! Good luck!

Entering this speech contest is a decision that I will never regret. Although the preparation was hard and the stress did build up when the contest was near, it was nevertheless a rewarding and challenging experience. This contest enabled me to share with others my thoughts and ideas in a language I don’t usually have the chance to use in my daily life. The Speech Contest Finals not only provided an invaluable opportunity for me to travel to Sydney for the first time but also to interact with like-minded people from other states, who share a similar interest in the Japanese language and culture.
Through this speech contest, I learned to articulate my ideas in a different language clearly and confidently. This speech contest gave me a chance to share about a topic that was personal to me and which I felt strongly about. Listening to the interesting speeches of other contestants was altogether refreshing as it gave me an insight into their different experiences and ideas.
Overall, the event was extremely well-organised and everything went smoothly and we were even ahead of schedule!
This experience has encouraged and motivated me to further my study of the Japanese language. As it is an experience that you cannot get elsewhere, I would definitely recommend people who study Japanese to participate in this contest!

Taking the opportunity to fly from New Zealand to Sydney to compete in this competition is the best decision I have ever made, and I encourage every future contest make the absolute most of this opportunity. Not only do you get to practise your Japanese language skills in a scary (but really fun!) way, you get the chance to meet other Japanese lovers from all over Australia and make friends with a whole range of new people! Unfortunately I only had a short stay in Sydney, but I was able to make some new friends and I would encourage future contestants to endeavour to make those connections! For the actual speech – practise hard. It is definitely nerve-wracking performing in a second language, so knowing your speech well will give you a bit more confidence going into the competition. Something I wish I had done was brush up a little more on Japanese presentation culture and gestures. Giving speeches can have some unexpected differences among different cultures, so I would advise doing a little research into the ‘Japanese’ way! That being said, it’s so important to be yourself and speak passionately. Your personality and passion for your topic will come through as you speak if you believe in yourself, enjoy it and be you! I am so lucky and grateful to have been given such an incredible opportunity, and I wish all the best to all future contestants! 頑張ってください！

It was such an honour to be able to participate in The Japan Foundation Speech Contest. The staff members were really nice and helpful, which provided the participants with no doubts the most memorable event we could ever expect. In terms of myself, not only it was my first time attending such huge event, but also it was my first time being one of the representatives of my own state, which I have never dreamed of. Things could get really nervous especially when you were called upon to present yourself in front of all the other amazing state winners as well as the sponsors, the judges and all the other people from all different places. You would really feel the sense of burden the moment you step on the lectern that you are not standing there alone but with all your friends, teachers and whoever has supported you along the path. It was quite an accomplishment to be pulled off and I would agree that just by standing there for three minutes is impressive enough. For people like me who have just learnt Japanese for about two years, it was unbelievable to have this kind of opportunity and that’s why I felt so blessed and lucky. Some experiences I have learnt: make sure to stop now and then at the right timing within your speech to emphasis your main points as well as give the audiences a break, this is way more important than you think; eye contacts are essential and finally more and more and more and more practices! Japanese is a gift to me, and I hope it is a gift to all fellow Japanese speakers as well. GOOD LUCK!!

To everyone considering doing the Japanese Language Speech Contest, I highly recommend you participate anyway. Despite not placing, my experience with Japan Foundation have been invaluable not only for the furthering of my Japanese language skills, but also in the friends I have made. I was lucky enough to become friends with three, new, lovely people from all over Australia – one from my home state NSW, one from Tasmania and even one from across the sea from New Zealand! Over the course of the day, we had the pleasure of listening to everyone’s speeches, be they witty and humorous or deeply inspiring. It was strangely connecting for this small room of people to listen to these speeches, which are often very personal, and listen to this amalgamation of thoughts and ideas and feelings of this odd bunch of people from all over Australia. The competition fosters only friendly rivalry; so much so that everyone cheered and clapped sincerely and genuinely for everyone who placed and those who didn’t, across all divisions. It was a great opportunity for me to really understand how my Japanese measures up compared to other people and to motivate me to continue working harder and better towards improving my Japanese. Thank you Japan Foundation! (And the food is great too, which is always a plus!)

The Japanese Speech Competition has been one of the most interesting learning experiences of my life. All of the speeches, including high-school and open beginner, were all remarkable, and that I still have a lot to learn before I can reach fluency. I’ve come to realise the art of cross-cultural speeches, and what makes a good speech in general. Based on my division, I’ve come to realise that a successful speech contains one or more of the three things: feelings, humour and/or learning. As such, a speech must be relatable, inspiring and educate the audience with an idea that they can take away. The most effective feelings that can be evoked are: curiosity and innocence, sadness and empathy, or laughter and happiness. To be quite honest, you don’t need an inspiring, moving life experience, because you can develop great depth from the every day. If you can remind the audience of a feeling or a message that they haven’t remembered or gotten in touch with – that’s how you can succeed, because that’s how you can bring out what’s important. These can be carried in a sustained manner, or through a rollercoaster of complete contrasts, or something symbolic. Make sure to add emotion and tone into your voice. You need to talk at a good pace. Do not forget the power and importance of pauses.
You can make a lot of new friends, so don’t forget to enjoy!

When I first decided to enter this contest, I simply saw it as an opportunity to test my Japanese language skills. However, it was much more than that. This speech contest has not only enabled me to have more confidence in public speaking, it was also an invaluable opportunity to greet contestants from all over Australia, to share our own unique experiences in learning Japanese and engagements with the Japanese society.
I was just amazed by the creativity as well as the presentation of all the speeches. Regardless of their topics and messages, I have learnt so much from just listening to them. It made me worried about my speech, so when it was my turn, my mind was a blank. I forgot every single note that I have written on my speech, about how to bow, how many seconds should I pause after this paragraph and how should I respond to certain questions during the Q&A. after taking a big deep breath I simply went up with a smile and began my speech, telling my audience what I really want to convey through my speech. And I did much better than I thought I did!
I was very lucky to have all the supports and encouragements from my senseis, staff members and friends. And not to mention with all the contestants, our experience of this contest as well as our appreciation for the Japanese culture have irrevocably bound us all. On the day of the contest, everyone was pretty nervous, yet it was this ‘nervousness’ which made us cheer for each other during the contest and encourage each other to continue our Japanese studies in the future. I feel like this sentiment cannot be easily found in an ordinary language studying classroom. I will definitely encourage any Japanese learners to participate in this contest. It will be an unforgettable experience.

Taking part in the Japanese speaking competition is probably the most memorable and exciting experience I have ever had. It is incredible to see how far I have come and how my Japanese have improved throughout the course of the competition. In the competition itself, I had the chance to meet many like – minded Japanese enthusiasts, who I will definitely keep in touch with. Most importantly, it was an amazing feeling to be able to make a speech about something I am passionate about in the way that I want it and in the language that I love. Throughout the competition, I could also see my public speaking skills (particularly Japanese pronunciation) improved a lot. There was a wide range of topics, ranging from pick up lines to waste disposal problems that were discussed in the competition. Thus, it was very interesting and entertaining to listen to all the speeches that were given. On top of that, everyone at the competition including the volunteers, the judges and the other competitors were extremely helpful and encouraging. Overalls, it was a priceless experience that compels and motivates me to continue to continue my study of Japanese.

When I first heard of this contest, I thought this will be a great chance for me to overcome my nervousness for public speaking, as well as improving my Japanese. By the time I decided to join, I have only started learning Japanese in university for less than a month.
This contest pushed me to learn Japanese quick and tried my best to compose a script, and motivated me to think deeper about my topic throughout writing. Great thanks to my teacher and my friends who helped me a lot when I was preparing the script.
The Finals is such a great time that I have met lots of great people also learning Japanese, who all have great speech to tell. And the feedback from audience is also a rewarding part of the contest. Like after I delivered my speech about the current situation of my hometown Hong Kong, some Japanese people actually came to me and told me that they support democracy in Hong Kong.
If you are still deciding if you should join this contest, I strongly believe you should join it. The contest will encourage you to learn more Japanese throughout preparation, and practically communicate with others with your second or third language is such a great experience, so why hesitate?

After finding out I had successfully been invited to represent my state at the 47th Japanese Language Speech Contest, I was very excited and felt privileged. I was not sure what to expect at the event but knew it would be an incredible experience. To not only present a speech to an audience with similar interests in the Japanese language and culture, but also be immersed in a day full of meeting new people and listening to interesting speeches was indeed an incredible experience. A lot like “bringing Japan to you.
” My trip to Sydney was generously funded by the Japan Foundation which I am very grateful for. The whole event was very organised and allowed the contestants to feel relaxed and enjoy themselves.
Despite the short time, I was able to make friends and meet with people from all over Australia who are a part of the Australian-Japanese community. This opportunity is a great reason to take part in the contest. Another reason to take part is the amount of knowledge and experience you gain. The contest allows you to research, construct a speech, present a message you are passionate about, improve your confidence, build language skills and more, in Japanese! I would be very happy to be invited again! After taking part, it inspired me to continue with my studies and to keep my options open to see where Japanese can lead me to next.

Competing in the Japanese Language Speech Contest finals in Sydney was a great experience. Being the winner of the Background Speaker division, I am proud of my achievement and would like to thank the Japan Foundation for giving me this wonderful opportunity, alongside with Japan Airlines and Central Japan Railway Company for awarding me with such a generous prize. In the lead up to the finals, I came to notice many things about public speaking. The most important thing I noticed was how slowly I needed to talk when giving a speech. Although people in the past have told me that I talk quickly, I hadn’t realized how much I did so until I video recorded myself, and ended up having to cut down the speech to less than half the original length. Talking a lot slower than my usual speed felt awkward at first, but after practicing it over and over again, I was able to feel more comfortable with the speed. Therefore, when I presented in Sydney, although I did feel nervous to stand in front of a focused audience, I felt quite confident that I would present just like I had rehearsed many times at home and in front of the camera.
This competition does not only allow one to improve on their Japanese ability but gives the opportunity to professionally speak in front of an audience. Being able to present something well is an important skill, useful in many scenarios throughout life. I recommend anyone who studies Japanese to have a go at this contest. Whether you come in a place or not, I think the experience itself is something very valuable.

The Japanese Language Speech Contest was a very different, but ultimately exciting and rewarding experience for me. From the various topics covered in the high quality speeches all around, to the wonderful lunch and afternoon tea, to being able to meet the kind sponsors, organisers and volunteers, it was a rather special day. The quality of the speeches might have been intimidating, but my fellow contestants were not, thankfully! It was a high point being able to converse with fellow students studying Japanese from all over Australia and New Zealand. Everyone I spoke to was so kind and full of stories. The room was full of excitement and passion for Japan and the Japanese language. All kinds of topics were welcome, ranging from the serious, personal and emotional to the lighthearted (like my own Pokemon GO). Even without understanding everything being said, it was clear how much work, time and effort had gone in to making this day special from all concerned. All in all, very worth the 4am wake up time to catch the plane from Perth!
Thanks to the Japan Foundation for letting me be a part of the 47th Japanese Language Speech Contest! I hope that you, reading this, will be a part of the 48th 🙂

In my opinion, the Japanese speech contest -which has been run for almost 50 years now by the wonderful Japan Foundation- is an event which is very much worth striving towards for any Japanese language learner. Not only is it a great opportunity to write a compelling speech about a topic you are passionate about -trying to use all the new grammar points you’ve been learning and really pushing yourself to make something great in the process- it’s also a perfect way to hear how other learners just like yourself choose to use the language. And with the wide variety of different topics, you’ll be sure to leave the competition with some knowledge on some really niche, but also interesting new things, from cultural aspects of Japan you never knew about, to new words that you might find useful in the future and a whole lot more. Whether you’re confident in public speaking but not so much in your Japanese pronunciation, if you’re the complete opposite, or if you’re somewhere in-between, this competition is a great way to improve yourself, and become more comfortable with speaking in a foreign language. So, if you’re reading this because you weren’t sure if this is the right competition for you, as long as you’re learning Japanese, and aspire to learn more, then you’ve found the right place to do that.

I originally wrote my speech as part of a University assignment that encouraged us to write speeches in the style of the Japanese Language Speech Contest. I had no idea what to write about, as is normal for me when starting an assignment, so I went to the competition website. It suggested that entrants speak about a topic that interests them, which made me think ‘what interests me?’. I thought for a moment and decided to speak about my major area of study mathematics. Initially I didn’t think anything I could say about maths would be interesting enough, which is when I realised that I wanted to speak about exactly that, why do people find maths boring? Focusing on that question my speech practically wrote itself, and I went into the competition with something I really wanted to say. It was thanks to the competition that I found this point of view to share with everyone, and the competition gave me the perfect platform to do exactly that. On the way I met some really interesting people with some really interesting stories, and I felt so proud being able to represent my state and my University! For anyone thinking of entering the competition, please do, you might surprise yourself with what you have to say.

As a final year University student, I decided that I had nothing to lose in competing in the speech contest. I wasn’t expecting to do well as I don’t have much experience in public speaking, and I also thought I had nothing interesting to say. After a lot of thought I decided to go with a topic that I am passionate about and could talk about from my own experiences. To my surprise, my speech about the importance of language learning was enough to win my division in the state contest and take me to the finals in Sydney. This competition turned out to be an incredible experience where I was extended beyond my comfort zone, improving my Japanese abilities and meeting many talented, inspirational people in the process. I now have more confidence in my own abilities, and after hearing the other contestants’ speeches I am motivated to continue working hard on my Japanese studies, even after graduating. The Japan Foundation was incredibly generous and hospitable in bringing all interstate contestants to Sydney for the weekend, and I think it’s wonderful that they invest so much in promoting the study of Japanese. To any students who are considering participating, I highly recommend taking advantage of this great opportunity!

Like many other contestants, I was initially reluctant about entering the contest – can I really juggle this with other daily commitments? Is my topic too mundane? Will stage fright get the better of me? Will my voice falter in front of the judges? As is with anything else in life, it turns out that you never know till you try – I can now say with bold confidence that I am glad to have entered the 47th Japanese Language Speech Contest.
The competition itself was an excellent opportunity to meet like-minded individuals who are passionate about the Japanese language, and The Japan Foundation has treated us all with the kindest hospitality imaginable. The most rewarding part of the whole journey, however, was the process of writing and practicing my speech, making minor adjustments and seeing it blossom into something I can be proud of. Moreover, I am extremely grateful towards all the support and feedback my sensei has showered me in. As a final note, I would like to say to all future contestants: Go for it! Step out of your comfort zone and you will be surprised by the support you receive. Choose a topic you feel strongly about and practice diligently – your words and voice will no doubt touch the hearts of many as a result.

Participating in the 47th annual Japanese Speech Contest was an invaluable yet terrifying experience for me. Although public speaking in general, let alone in another language, is absolutely nerve wracking for me, I can honestly say that this was one of the most rewarding experiences of my Japanese learning career to date. Not only have I been inspired by other contestants’ language abilities and topics, I have also benefitted greatly in my own education through the acquisition of new vocabulary and through the practice of speaking Japanese in a formal setting. The opportunity to speak on a topic that means so much to me and has, for lack of a better word, ruthlessly shaped me as a person was also a very educational and emotional experience. I hope that all those who listened to my speech came away with more insight into the dark world of eating disorders and that now we can begin the journey toward stigma eradication together. I would like to humble thank the Japan Foundation for this opportunity and for their great organisation of the Japanese Speech Contest. If you are afraid of entering like I was, I say take the jump and just do it!