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CG Kamo’s Remarks

At the KZOO Speech Contest

April 24, 2010

Good Morning and Alo-oh-ha!

 My wife and I are very pleased and excited to be included in today’s gathering. This is our first time to attend the KZOO Speech Contest. I have never imagined that this Speech Contest makes us all this nervous. We have two M/Cs today which makes the occasion very official and formal. We have just heard some announcements from them, telling us rules and guidelines to conduct business properly today. Before entering this hall, I saw a girl practicing her presentation in front of her friends surrounding her. Well, this is a contest with judges and you are to demonstrate your skills in aural presentation.

 My role here is to make you more relaxed, perhaps. You know this is a speech contest in which you compete with your language and delivery skills. That’s fine. Do your best. But I want to make you feel less stressful by emphasizing that you can make a mistake or two. You can easily make up for your mistakes by employing with other means of communication, such as, big smiles or nice bows. Communication can be made with words and deeds even in a speech contest. Please remember this.

 Having said this, I would like to underline the importance of public speaking. The ability to speak well in public is an asset to anybody and sometimes a key to success in life. Speech contests such as this encourage young people to try public speaking through participation, and thus offer them an excellent opportunity of human faculty development. Please learn how to speak in front of others and get out your message to your audience.

 In the last good forty years, KZOO has been instrumental in promoting Japanese language among Japanese learners by hosting this time-honored Hanashikata Taikai. KZOO is a lighthouse in the Japanese language speaking community in Hawaii. Without KZOO in the community, our life looks different. The contribution KZOO has made to the community is enormous. Some of their main areas of engagement can be best summarized as 3Es. From entertainment and education, to emergency relief, KZOO has been an anchor of our hope and pride.

 Now the last but least, I would like to say why Japanese language is worth studying. I will switch the language to Japanese.

 何故日本語を学ぶといいのか。決まっています。それは、アニメや漫画をより深く鑑賞するためであるし、おじいちゃん、おばあちゃんや、日本の親戚の人たちと意思疎通をするためですよね。

日本には、皆さんが興味や関心を持つ文化が沢山あります。もっともっといろいろな日本の良いところを知りたいと思いませんか。

日本語を勉強して、日本の文化の豊かさや日本人の心根の優しさを新たに発見して下さい。日本語が誘ってくれる素晴らしい新しい世界を探訪して下さい。きっと、あなたの生活を豊かにするでしょう。