Hanashikata Japanese Language Achievement & Speech Program
The United Japanese Society of Hawaii promotes the study of Japanese language and culture throughout the State of Hawaii.
Once again, we will recognize students who excel in the Japanese language at our 2023 Hanashikata Japanese Language Achievement & Speech Program. This year’s program will be a virtual program on our Youtube Channel. Students from grades 3-12 from various schools around the state of Hawaii have submitted a video and English/Japanese Translation of a prepared individual speech or a situational skit with a partner.
We hope that you enjoy the videos that the students worked hard to create and we applaud these students for their hard work and dedication to the Japanese language.
2023 participants information
| Solo/Pair | Student Name | Grade | English Title of Speech | Japanese Title of Speech |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Riann Shiro | 6th | How Cherry Trees Grow | 桜の木が育つまで |
| Solo | Kendall Terao-Toma | 6th | My Future | 僕の未来 |
| Solo | Nanoka Tanaka | 5th | Fun trip to Japan | 日本への楽しい旅行 |
| Solo | Jaylen Simmons | 3rd | A dream to the World Cup | ワールドカップへの夢 |
| Pair | Daniel Li (With Noa) | 11th | Turn in Video on April 2 | |
| Pair | Noa Maemori (with Daniel) | 12th | Turn in Video on April 2 | |
| Solo | Akira Iwata | 11th | My experiences in a Japanese kindergarten | 日本の幼稚園の経験 |
| Solo | Seiya Kudo | 11th | Bowing | お辞儀 |
| Pair | Kent Yoshio Takeuchi Clark (with Luke) | 6th | Origami | おりがみ |
| Pair | Luke Denis Mitsuo Nissle (with Kent) | 7th | Origami | おりがみ |
| Solo | Zachary Shigeto Tanouye | 8th | Terraria | テラリア |
| Pair | Melanie Yoshimura (with Quincy) | 7th | Necklace | ネックレス |
| Pair | Quincy Higa (with Melanie) | 7th | Necklace | ネックレス |
| Pair | Miyaka Nishihira (with Emi) | 8th | Emi and Miyaka's cooking show | エミとミヤカの料理ショー |
| Pair | Emi Catanzariti (with Miyako) | 8th | Emi and Miyaka's cooking show | エミとミヤカの料理ショー |
| Solo | Maslyn Kaneshiro Takeuchi | 8th | Japanese conversation | 日本語の会話 |
| Solo | Candace Kim | 12th | Sunny | サニー |
| Pair | Ayano Moore | 12th | Words are the Bridges of the World. | 世界の架け橋 |
| Pair | Arisa Moore | 12th | Words are the Bridges of the World. | 世界の架け橋 |
| Pair | Riley Regan | 12th | Pet Store | ペットの店 |
| Pair | Kea Nakayama | 11th | Pet Store | ペットの店 |
Thank you for your support
This year’s program showcases 21 students with a mixture of individual speeches and situational skits to show their study of Japanese language. We are especially thankful to our 7 senseis who worked really hard to prepare these students for our program. Thank you to our donors for their support in our 2023 program and we appreciate their commitment for promoting the Japanese language in Hawaii. We encourage other students and schools to join in on celebrating Japanese language around the state of Hawaii!
