Video Koshien 2018

Winners of 2018 Video Koshien

Theme: Our Passion

Grand Prize: Thomas Jefferson High School (Virginia)

It was a very high quality video that showcased the entire school atmosphere very well. It was great to not only include the students’ passions but to also include the teachers’ passions. (Shin Donowaki/ President, JCAW Foundation, Inc.; General Manager, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas/ Washington Office)

 

It was great to hear the voices of a variety of individuals, not only students of Japanese, but also teachers and students not studying Japanese, emphasizing the inclusivity of passion. The variety of scenes and professional editing gives the video an extra polished feel. (Hideki Hara/ Director, The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles)

U.S.

2nd Place: Stuyvesant High School (New York)

I enjoyed seeing the students be passionate about various aspects of their school lives. I also understood how individuality is emphasized in U.S. schools. (Kyoko Shimomura/ Wife of Former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)

 

With only minimal dialogue, the video conveys the impact people can have on others through the pursuit of their own passion. I liked how the two main characters seek to learn and develop themselves by observing and participating in activities that bring other people passion. (Jennifer Ishiguro/ U.S.-Japan Council Member; Legal Consultant, Gateway One Lending & Finance)

Japan

1st Place: Murasakino High School (Kyoto)

What a creative video. I loved their approach – having the government take away passion and then through the efforts of the students, people get their passion back. This is a really important topic – that people need passion to live their lives. Loved it! (David Janes/ Director of Foundation Grants and Assistant to the President, United States-Japan Foundation)

 

I was drawn in from the beginning because of its storyline. It was a great way to show the importance of having passion by showing what happens without passion. The video and the story development were rhythmic and they did a great job conveying their message in a short amount of time. I was also impressed with the English fluency of the student narrator. (Taichi Kaneshiro/ Director of Office of Promoting Foreign Language Education, Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)

2nd Place: National Institute of Technology, Hakodate College (Hokkaido)

I was very impressed with the level of video editing and technical skills that were unique to students at an institute of technology. The way they showed “END” in the ending scene was so creative. I was able to feel their passion filled school lives from watching the video. (Kyoko Shimomura/ Wife of Former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)

 

The beginning was quite innovative with great technical applications. Enjoyed all the students communicating their passion. (Rona Tison/ Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations, ITO EN, LTD.)

Judges (in alphabetical order)

  • Shin Donowaki/ President, JCAW Foundation, Inc.; General Manager, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas/ Washington Office
  • Hideki Hara/ Director, The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
  • Jennifer Ishiguro/ U.S.-Japan Council Member; Legal Consultant, Gateway One Lending & Finance
  • David Janes/ Director of Foundation Grants and Assistant to the President, United States-Japan Foundation
  • Taichi Kaneshiro/ Director of Office of Promoting Foreign Language Education, Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
  • Kyoko Shimomura/ Wife of Former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
  • Rona Tison/ Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations, ITO EN, LTD.