Chiba, Kemendikbudristek — As a manifestation of global familiarity and the implementation of Trigatra Bangun Bahasa, 36 Japanese citizens, also known as the Land of Sakura, participated in an Indonesian speech competition at Kanda University of Foreign Studies (KUIS), on Saturday, December 2, 2023.

The participants included students of various majors from eight universities in Japan and the general public with a passion for the Indonesian language. The hospitality and socially pleasant behavior of Indonesians, often the charm of the Nusantara, were contested topics of the speeches.

Yusli Wardiatno, in his opening remarks, Attaché for Education and Culture at the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, explained that Indonesian had been designated an official language at the 10th UNESCO General Assembly. "The designation sparked the spirit of the competition held at KUS today; besides that, this event is expected to strengthen relations between the two countries and become an intermediary in promoting the Indonesian language, which is the mandate of Law No. 24 of 2009," Yusli said.

Takahisa Miyauchi, Rector of KUIS, explained that the organization of this competition this year could increase the student's motivation and enthusiasm for learning the Indonesian language and further their understanding of Indonesia and society.

This year's speech competition had four categories of participants based on the duration of the participants' learning the Indonesian language and their experience in visiting the archipelago. Watanabe Mayu was the participant who won the overall championship and received the grand prize of a return ticket from Tokyo to Jakarta by Garuda Indonesia.

In her speech, Mayu admired the open attitude of Indonesians towards people from other countries. Her experience visiting Indonesia during Eid Mubarak made her realize how tolerant Indonesia is of diversity.

She admitted that she was greatly helped by the hospitality and kindness of the Indonesians she met. Mayu also did not hesitate to compare the Indonesian and Japanese hospitality cultures.

"In Indonesia, during Eid Mubarak, I was invited by a friend to go around to the neighbors' houses and apologize to each other. At that time, I was invited to eat or taste the snacks available. In Indonesia, guests are considered family, while in Japan, guests are guests," explains Mayu.

The XVI Indonesian Speech Contest in 2023 at KUIS raised the theme of Indonesia's charm. The judges in this speech competition were the Principal of the Republic of Indonesia, Ari Driyaningsih, Indonesian for Foreign Speakers (BIPA) teacher, Japan, Matsui Kazuhisa, and SRIT Indonesian teacher, Asep Wijaya. As in previous years, the competition began with the display of the KUIS Balinese gamelan team, which is always charming in its appearance. (Atdikbud Embassy in Tokyo | Editor:  Andrew Fangidae/Stephanie/Denty A./Seno Hartono)