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Japan Wizards Statewide Academic Team Competition
Saturday, February 25, 2012
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Kapiolani Community College
WHAT IS JAPAN WIZARDS?
Japan Wizards Competition is a challenging, fun-filled academic team competition for Hawaii's high school students that tests students' general knowledge of Japan and Japan-related fields. The competition is sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Hawaii (JASH), a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organization with the mission of promoting understanding and friendship between the peoples of the United States and Japan through the unique and special perspective of Hawaii.
WHY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE?
Japan Wizards is a great opportunity for students to team up with friends and classmates, learn about Japan, compete with peers from other Hawaii schools, and have a chance to experience the Japanese society and culture first-hand! The Japan-America Society of Hawaii will send four teams - the top scoring public school teams and the top scoring private school teams for Levels A and B - on a trip to Japan in the summer of 2012.
Click here for detailed Rules and Information
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
There is NO CHARGE to participate in the Japan Wizards Competition, however schools may incur a reimbursement expense if they withdraw from the competition after their Registration Form has been accepted. Generous support is provided by organizations such as JTB Goodwill Foundation, Friends of Hawaii Charities, and the Tateuchi Foundation.
WHAT ABOUT NEIGHBOR ISLAND PARTICIPANTS?
JASH hopes to have a limited number of round-trip tickets to and from Honolulu for the Competition. Depending on the number of tickets received, JASH may be able to provide four round-trip tickets per school (ground transportation not included) for the three student team members and one advisor. If more than one team from your school would like to participate, please contact JASH for possible arrangements. Please indicate on the registration form whether your school needs airline tickets in order to participate in the competition.
HOW TO REGISTER YOUR TEAM(S)
THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2011. All teams will be accepted based on time of receipt of registration. Schools may enter up to two (2) teams, one at each level, and a filler team for any level. JASH's priority is to have as many different schools as possible participate. Click here for the Registration Form. The Registration Form is the official form that must be mailed, faxed, or emailed to JASH by the deadline. Phone calls will not be accepted as official registration.
In addition to the Registration Form, all students must read the Student Rules of Conduct and submit a Parental Consent Form (for students under the age of 18) or Consent Form (for students 18 years and older). Advisors (in most cases, the Japanese language instructor) must fill out the Consent Form as well.
HOW TO VOLUNTEER
If you are interested in volunteering for the 2012 Japan Wizards Competition, please click here for more information.
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June proved to be a very eventful month for two winning teams from Aiea High School and Baldwin High School (Maui) as they explored Japan as reward for placing in the Japan Wizards Statewide Academic Team Competition (JWC) held in February. Part of the Japan trip prize included an all-day educational experience arranged by the Japan-America Society of Hawaii (JASH). On June 9, student team members Kelly Hamamura, Samantha Kinoshita, Christina Wine, and advisor Rory Sato from Baldwin High School (Level B 3rd place winners) were graciously hosted by the Kitakyushu Japan-America Society (Kitakyushu JAS) and the Japan-America Society of Fukuoka (JAS Fukuoka). This is the first time for any JWC team to be hosted in Fukuoka prefecture on the island of Kyushu, thanks to Kitakyushu JAS and JAS Fukuoka! Besides riding the new Kyushu shinkansen (bullet train) and eating the authentic umegaemochi in Dazaifu, the highlight of the educational experience was visiting the TOTO Factory in Kokura city. Kelly Hamamura wrote in her trip essay, "We were able to learn about a part of Japan that not many foreigners take the time to notice and that is integrated into every part of Japan. The TOTO Factory was historically very informative, and learning about how toilets evolved over the years was very interesting."
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| JWC Baldwin High School team with TOTO Factory staff and Ms. Miho Harada from Kitakyushu JAS. |
On June 20, student team members Tiffany Lo, Carly Namihira, Ellen Wauters, and advisor Christine Uchida from Aiea High School (Level A 2nd place winners) were treated to an amazing educational program in Ehime prefecture, on the island of Shikoku. Ms. Noriko Omori from the Ehime Prefectural International Center (EPIC) kindly arranged a visit to a local high school, a courtesy visit with the Governor of Ehime Mr. Tokihiro Nakamura, and sightseeing in Matsuyama city. Interestingly, one of the team members Ellen Wauters was an exchange student from Belgium for the academic year 2010-2011 and decided to participate in the competition just for the experience! Ellen remarked, "We got to see so many things and do so much! I brought back precious memories with me to Belgium and I will definitely go back to Japan someday. I could write about my experience in Japan [in] pages and pages of anecdotes."
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| JWC Aiea High School team with Ehime Governor Tokihiro Nakamura and two University of Hawaii interns from EPIC. |
JASH would like to send a big Arigatougozaimashita to Mr. Motoyuki Murahashi and supporters from JAS Fukuoka, Ms. Miho Harada and supporters from Kitakyushu JAS, Ms. Omori and supporters from EPIC, Governor Nakamura, and the TOTO Factory for welcoming our JWC teams to Japan and allowing them to discover its beauty. Christina Wine from Baldwin High School said it perfectly: "To find that there are Japanese people with as high a regard for Hawaii as ours for Japan was to find a little beauty in humanity; all its curiosity and warmth. . .The ‘everyday' Japan that lives under the tourist radar was dazzling. . .I am certain that everyone on our team left changed in various ways, but we all had the same desire ringing in our heads - return to Japan!"
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February 26th started like any other Saturday in Honolulu. However by mid morning, 42 teams representing 24 schools from Oahu and neighbor islands Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui gathered at Kapiolani Community College (KCC) for the annual Japan Wizards Statewide Academic Team Competition sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Hawaii (JASH).
Each year JASH brings together high school teams from across the state for a challenging, fun-filled competition designed to motivate students to learn more about Japan and help them develop lifelong skills in research, teamwork, personal responsibility and operating under pressure. Students are provided study guides to prepare themselves through the fall by studying a wide range of topics including art, contemporary Japan, culture and traditions, food, geography, history, Japan-Hawaii ties, literature, politics and government, sports, and Japanese language. The competition in February is a way for the students to show what they have learned, and compete for four trips to Japan for the top scoring public and private teams in two language levels.
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| JASH President Ed Hawkins with JTB Hawaii's Mr. Keiichi Tsujino, Mr. David Asanuma and Consul General Yoshihiko Kamo and the Japan Trip Award winning teams. |
The Japan-America Society of Hawaii awarded plaques to the three top scoring teams from each level, Level A and Level B, which are based on the language capability of the students. In Level A, these were Iolani School (1st place), Aiea High School (2nd place) and Kapaa High School (3rd place). The Level B winners were Iolani School (1st place), Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama (2nd place), and Baldwin High School (3rd place).
This year's Japan trip award winning public school teams were Aiea High School (Level A) and Baldwin High School (Maui) for the Level B division. Iolani School won both Level A and B trip awards for the private school division. These teams (three students and an advisor each) will be sent to Japan this summer by JASH to experience firsthand what they studied and learned. This year's Atsuhiko Tateuchi Memorial Award for Outstanding Scholarship went to overall top scoring team Iolani School, Level B.
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| (L) Student team members try out kendo moves in the Activity Center while awaiting the competition; (R) Students try their hand at karuta in a kanji character recognition game.. |
Between competitions, team members participate in the Activity Center staffed with volunteers to learn more about Japan and stay focused on the day's competition. These include calligraphy, karuta recognition game, origami, and gyotaku fish printing to name a few. The Ken Yu Kai Kendo Club demonstrated Japanese kendo techniques and the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH Manoa), Department of Theatre and Dance provided a kabuki demonstration.
JASH would like to thank all the major sponsors, including ABC Stores, Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation, Friend of Hawaii Charities, Hawaii Hotel Industry Foundation, Hawaiian Airlines, International Cultural and Friendship Association, JTB Goodwill Foundation, The America-Japan Society of Tama Tokyo, and The Freeman Foundation, and all the contributors who provided prizes, snacks, drinks, and other donations that assisted with the competition. JASH would also like to recognize the 67 volunteers to include those from organizations and schools such as the JET Alumni Association of Hawaii, UH Manoa, KCC, and Hawaii Tokai International College without whose hard work this competition would not have been possible. Finally, our Mahalo to the President, Chancellor and staff of Kapiolani Community College for the generous use of their facilities and for their support of the Japan Wizards Competition.
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This summer, four winning teams from Hanalani Schools, McKinley High School, Punahou School, and Roosevelt High School traveled to Japan as their reward for winning the 2010 Japan Wizards Statewide Academic Team Competition in February. On June 8, 2010, student team members Andrea Kim, Chanel Louie, Nicole Ogawa-Yukitomo, and advisor Mrs. Naomi Hirano-Omizo from Punahou School (Level B First Place winners) were graciously hosted by sister society America-Japan Society of Tama Tokyo and Mr. Shoichi Suzuki, the Society's Executive Director. This is the third year that Mr. Suzuki has hosted our Japan Wizards Japan trip prize winners. On this full-day educational program, the team visited the Edo Museum and learned about the transformation of Edo into Tokyo. They then visited the Ooedo Onsen Monogatari, a traditional Japanese onsen (hot spring) located in the heart of Tokyo where many of them experienced and enjoyed the onsen culture for the first time. On July 10, 2010, student team members Garion Park, Daralyn Yee, and advisor Ms. Grace Shinohara from Roosevelt High School (Level B Second Place winners) along with Jennis Hatakenaka, Maggie Kwock, Kyung-Soo Lee, and advisor Ms. Sandra Oda from McKinley High School (Level A Third Place winners) were also able to experience this educational program, sponsored and hosted by Mr. Suzuki and the America-Japan Society of Tama Tokyo. Visiting the Edo Museum and Ooedo Onsen Monogatari provided the students with valuable cross-cultural education and a closer glimpse into Japan's history, culture, and customs. Daralyn Yee of Roosevelt High School remarked, "It was always a dream of mine to go to Japan. . . I never thought this dream would come true until I joined the Japan Wizards team. We were able to learn so much. . . Learning about Japan is one thing, but experiencing it is another. Being able to experience has really changed my thoughts on nearly everything about [Japan]."
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| Punahou School students and advisor Mrs. Naomi Hirano-Omizo with America-Japan Society of Tama Tokyo's Executive Director Mr. Shoichi Suzuki and other staff members at the Edo Museum and Ooedo Onsen Monogatari. |
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| McKinley High School and Roosevelt High School students and advisors Ms. Sandra Oda and Ms. Grace Shinohara with America-Japan Society of Tama Tokyo's Executive Director Mr. Shoichi Suzuki and other staff members at the Edo Museum and Ooedo Onsen Monogatari. |
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On June 1st, JASH took members of the 2010 Japan Wizards Statewide Academic Team Competition to the Big Island to visit high tech facilities and companies. Hawaiian Airlines had donated a number of airfares to support the Japan Wizards Competition in February. Several tickets remained unused and had to be used by the year's end. JASH decided to reward the runner-up teams with a trip to the Big Island to learn how technology is being used for the betterment of science and daily life (top winning teams had been rewarded with trips to Japan). Through JASH's association with the Subaru Telescope, a tour was organized to this cutting edge astronomical observatory atop the 13,796 foot mountain. Following the tour, the students visited the Japanese UCC Coffee Plantation to learn how Kona coffee is grown, harvested, and brought to market.
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| King Kekaulike students learn about the Subaru Telescope from guide Ms. Murai. |
JASH conducts educational programs for Hawaii's students from grades K-12. Learn about these programs on JASH's website at www.jashawaii.org. Grants from the Friends of Hawaii Charities, the Kosasa Family Foundation, JTB Friendship Foundation, and the Tateuchi Foundation support Japan Wizards.
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Roosevelt High School got its redemption. After being edged out in a tiebreaker with Waipahu High School last year, the team from Roosevelt High School won second place in the Level B public school category in the Japan Wizards Statewide Academic Team Competition to earn a trip to Japan. Three other schools earned trips to Japan: Hanalani Schools (Level A private school category), McKinley High School (Level A public school category), and Punahou School (Level B private school category).
Held this year on February 20, 2010 at Kapiolani Community College near Diamond Head on Oahu, Japan Wizards is a challenging, fun-filled annual competition for Hawaii's high school students. Japan Wizards helps motivate students throughout Hawaii to learn more about Japan and help them develop lifelong skills in research, teamwork, personal responsibility, and operating under pressure. Students spend the fall term preparing for the competition studying a wide range of topics including arts, culture and traditions, geography, history, food, contemporary Japan, literature, politics, government, sports, and of course, language. For 2010, a total of 135 students competed from 26 schools (including nine neighboring island schools - Hawaii, Maui, Kauai) composing 45 teams of three students each. The Japan-America Society of Hawaii (JASH) awarded plaques to the three top scoring teams from each level, Level A and Level B, which are based on the language capability of the students. In Level A, these were Hanalani Schools (1st place), Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama (2nd place) and McKinley High School (3rd place). The Level B winners were Punahou School (1st place), Roosevelt High School (2nd place), and King Kekaulike High School (3rd place). The top scoring public and private school in each level earn a trip to Japan in the summer of 2010. To allow more schools to compete and benefit, a school that wins a Japan trip cannot compete the following year.
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(L) Students prepare for the start of competition; (R) Volunteers assist with check-in and Activity Center
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During competition intervals, volunteers held various activities in the Activity Center to keep the students occupied and entertained, as well as teach them aspects of Japanese culture. These activities included Jeopardy-styled question and answer games, origami, Japanese writing and charter recognition games, and gyotaku fish printing. Members of the Oahu Ghost Tours also entertained the students with obake storytelling.
As in last year, Mrs. Ina Tateuchi of the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation, a major sponsor of the event, was there to present the Atsuhiko Tateuchi Memorial Award for Outstanding Scholarship, in honor of her late husband, to the top scoring team in the competition. This year Punahou School's Level B team was the recipient of this prestigious award.
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(L) Competition winners pose with JASH President, Consul General Yoshihiko Kamo, and other guests and attendees; (R) Students try out gyotaku fish printing in the Activity Center as demonstrated by Brandon Tengan
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Also on hand were JASH Chair Mr. Allen Uyeda, President and CEO of First Insurance Company of Hawaii, JASH Director and Vice President of JTB Hawaii (another major sponsor) Mr. Keiichi Tsujino of JTB Goodwill Foundation, JASH Director and JTB Hawaii Community Relations Chair Mr. David Asanuma of JTB Goodwill Foundation, JASH Director and Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Vice President for Community Relations Ms. Jean Rolles, and JASH Vice Chair/Secretary and Principal of M5 Architecture LLC Dr. Mike Leineweber. The competition was also fortunate to have in attendance Japan's Consul General Yoshihiko Kamo accompanied by his wife Etsuko Kamo who gave encouraging remarks to the students.
JASH would like to thank all the major sponsors, including ABC Stores and Kosasa Family Foundation, Atherton Family Foundation, First Insurance Company of Hawaii, Friends of Hawaii Charities, Hawaii Hotel Industry, JTB Goodwill Foundation, The Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation, and The Freeman Foundation. JASH would also like to thank the faculty and staff at Kapiolani Community College for the generous use of their facilities and for their support of the competition. Finally, JASH would like to recognize the 70 volunteers and 30 contributors, without whose service and hard work, this competition would not have been possible.
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On June 10, Mallory Hayase, Bethany Kanda, Jayna Kitazaki, and advisor Mrs. Joann Kanda from Mililani High School traveled to Japan as a reward for winning the Level A Team Competition in the 2009 Japan Wizards Statewide Academic Team Competition. About a month later on July 21, Briana Flores, Gladys Lorenzo, Christina Yarbrough, and advisor Mr. Will Smith of Waipahu High School also embarked on their journey to Japan as a reward for winning 2nd place in the Level B Team Competition. Waipahu High School's trip was sponsored by a generous grant from the Japan Foundation's Center for Global Partnership. Both teams' entire Japan experience was highlighted by a visit to the Edo Museum followed by a visit to the Ooedo Onsen Monogatari, a traditional Japanese onsen (hot spring) located in the heart of Tokyo. Located in the heart of Tokyo, the Edo Museum (named after the original name for Tokyo) showcases the daily lives of those who lived in pre-Meiji Japan, the era from 1600 to 1868. This visit was made possible by the America-Japan Society of Tama Tokyo's Executive Director Mr. Shoichi Suzuki. This is the second year that Mr. Suzuki has graciously hosted our Japan Wizards Japan trip prize winners. Visiting the Edo Museum and Ooedo Onsen Monogatari provided the students with valuable cross-cultural education and a closer glimpse into Japan's history, culture, and customs. Christina Yarbrough of Waipahu High School remarked, "Prior to Japan, I had never been out of the country, so I never really had anything that put my own culture into perspective. . .A trip outside the country really. . .gives you a sense of global community. The Japan-America Society of Hawaii is about ‘promoting understanding and friendships between the peoples of Japan and the United States,' and I think that for me at least, this trip did just that."
Waipahu High School students and advisor Mr. Will Smith with America-Japan Society of Tama Tokyo's Executive Director Mr. Shoichi Suzuki (far left) at the Ooedo Onsen Monogatari.
Waipahu High School students participate in a cleansing ritual at one of the temples in Kyoto.
L-R: Jayna Kitazaki, Mallory Hayase, and Bethany Kanda of Mililani High School pose with two Japanese students.
High School students and advisor with Suzuki-san of America-Japan Society of Tama Tokyo.
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Students from Hawaii Baptist Academy and St. Andrew's Priory, whose teams won this year's Japan Wizards Statewide Academic Team Competition Japan trip prizes, received a personalized tour of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on June 16, 2009. Special thanks to Mr. Michael Quinlan of the Executive Office, originally from Oahu, who took time out of his busy schedule to provide a briefing of the inner workings of the Embassy and all of its departments. Touring the Embassy provided an opportunity for these Hawaii high school students to see how the United States government operates in Japan and how the two nations must work together to successfully carry out their day-to-day tasks. As Jacqueline Oshiro of St. Andrew's Priory said, "The opportunity for us to go to Japan was probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Not because we can never go back again, but because it was an amazing impression on our still-young lives. . . The world is now a little bit bigger for us, and not just those of us who won this trip, but also those who had the chance to participate in this competition." This is the second year that the Japan-America Society of Hawaii (JASH) has arranged visits aimed at exposing Japan Wizards Japan trip winners to Japan from an educational standpoint.
Hawaii Baptist Academy students and advisor Mrs. Yuriko Tcheou, St. Andrew's Priory students and advisor Mrs. Sueko Honda, and JASH Educational Program Director Kelsey Soma pose for a group photo with Mr. Michael Quinlan of the U.S. Embassy's Executive Office.
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