Speech Contest and the Winter Sonata Street (Nahdiah Amin)

Hi everyone,

Two Saturdays ago, my friend and I attended the Gifu Prefectural Japanese Speech Contest for international students. The contest is held every year in Gifu Prefecture, but the location changes each year. This year was the 24th contest, and it was held at Chubu Gakuin University. Nine students from different countries gave their speeches in Japanese, and each one was interesting in its own way.

Listening to the speeches made me notice a few things. Even though the participants came from different countries and cultures, they were all connected through Japanese language and culture while living in Japan. It made me feel their struggles and efforts for adaptation. One student was impressed by how Japanese people always say “Arigatou Gozaimasu” to show gratitude for even the smallest things. Another talked about the song Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana (“The Only Flower in the World”), which reminds us that everyone is unique and that we do not need to compare ourselves with others. One participant even raised the question of whether CCTV cameras in Japan really protect people or invade their privacy, it was an interesting talk. Listening to these speeches gave me new ideas and different points of view.

I also noticed that everyone spoke Japanese a little differently. Their pronunciation and intonation were influenced by their home countries. It was interesting to hear these differences, and I felt that this is what makes “language” colorful: something that is usually fixed, yet becomes diverse in positive way, depending on the speaker.

I would like to attend this contest again next year.

After the contest, since the venue was close to “Manabi no Mori” Park in Kakamigahara City, me and my friend decided to take a walk there.

Have you heard of “Winter Sonata Street”? Kakamigahara is a sister city of Chuncheon in South Korea, where the famous Korean drama Winter Sonata was filmed. Inside Manabi no Mori, there is a ginkgo tree-lined street that recreates the scene from the drama, and it was very beautiful. That is why people call it “Winter Sonata Street.”

The weather was sunny, and many people were enjoying the park. Surprisingly, some families and couples were taking special photos in beautiful outfits, including wedding photos. There were also a few food trucks, making it easy to enjoy snacks while walking around. The park is a great place to enjoy the autumn scenery. At night, the trees are lit up with lights, which looks magical.