NCF and PIJLC opened their doors once again for the annual Open House, held on October 12, 2019 at their Manila branch. The schools welcomed over 200 guests who participated in different contests and workshops related to Japanese language and culture. 

The morning program opened with a lively Yosakoi dance performed by Jovy Sensei and her Basic Japanese class students. Yosakoi is a unique style of dance that originated in Japan and is performed at festivals and events all over the country.

One of the most loved activities in the Open House is the Karaoke Singing Contest, which opened the afternoon program. There were 14 contestants who showed off their talents in singing popular Japanese songs. Top winners (listed below) received tuition incentives prizes and NCF memorabilia. 

1^st place: CMKC – “Kimi ni Todoke”

2^nd place: The Angel of Music  – “Hana Cherie”

3^rd place: Pat Yam – “Voice”

A fun trivia game about culture and travel was also held during the morning and afternoon program. Participants were given two choices and had to line up in front of their answer. 

Contest winners for the Kana Writing were announced in the morning, while winners for the Drawing and Cosplay contests were awarded during the afternoon program. The winners are listed below:

Kana Writing

1^st place: Madanne Arnante

2^nd place: Shiela Detera

3^rd place: Michelle Aguilar

Drawing Contest

1^st place: Jazmine Pauline Perez

2^nd place: Mikhail Ortiz

3^rd place: Chrissa Marri Barlan

Cosplay Contest

1^st place: Janna Garcia as Star Guardian Lux from League of Legends

2^nd place: Melody Dela Rosa as Freyja Wion from Macross

Whole-day activities included yukata wearing, origami, calligraphy, omikuji (Japanese fortune-telling), free Japanese language lessons, and a kana game booth. A film showing of “Dad’s Lunchbox” was also held from 12 – 1:30 p.m. 

The Open House welcomed guests from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This year’s Master of Ceremonies was Vianca Ramirez-sensei. 

Resources:

Photo Album

List of Winners

NCF and PIJLC are now accepting speech entries for the 9th KAKE International Japanese Speech Contest scheduled on September 14, 2019 at NCF Manila. The contest is open to currently enrolled students of NCF and PIJLC and to high school students from any local Philippine school.  This year’s theme is「オリンピックがもたらすもの」“What the Olympic Games Bring About.” 

The top winner of this regional leg of the competition will receive a 5-day educational trip to Japan and will compete in the grand final contest in Okayama for a chance to win a 2-year scholarship from KAKE Educational Institution. The Japan leg of the competition is scheduled from November 27 to December 1, 2019.

Interested individuals are requested to e-mail their 4 to 5-minute speech together with their CV on or before July 19, 2019 to ncfmanila@gmail.com | nihongocenter@gmail.com

For questions, please contact 892-4916 to 19 (Makati) or 735-3179 / 735-3005 (Manila).

Teachers and staff of NCF packed their bags for a 3-day, 2-night summer outing in La Union last May 24 to 26, 2019. They spent most of their first day swimming at Thunderbird Resort before visiting Poro Point Baywalk and Poro Point Lighthouse on the second day for a group/staff picture taking. 

NCF holds its annual summer outing to encourage camaraderie among its teachers and staff and help them recharge and keep a positive energy at work.