Result of the second Japan-EU English Haiku Contest

June 8, 2011

Within 10 days, 364 applications from 26 countries entered the second Japan-EU English Haiku Contest under the theme of "KIZUNA-bonds of friendship"
The official FACEBOOK fan page which was set up for this contest counted more than 60,000 access, and the people both living in both EU and Japan enjoyed exchanging views over English haiku or "KIZUNA"

The two award winning haikus and other honorable mentions are as below. Haikuist from the EU who won the honorable mentions will be offered small gifts from Matsuyama City, and the ones from Japan will be offered from EU, sent by mail respectively. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you once again for participating in this event.

1. Grand prize(EU section)

Federica Bertacchini (Italy): Blue sky and twelve stars
Embracing a round red sun
A fraternal hug

[Message from candidate]: In difficult times, solidarity is not enough. We need to become one Country. As a symbol of this necessity, the European flag, with twelve golden stars on a blue background, embraces the Japanese one. The new flag becomes a hug of friendship, mutual understanding and collaboration.
[Comment by the judge]: The haikuist begins by describing the flags of the EU and Japan. She creates a montage of these two images in the celestial sky. Juxtaposed, the flags come together as one. Personified, the friends embrace. A hug of friendship solidifies her image. As a manifesto, the haikuist explains "In difficult times, solidarity is not enough. We need to become one country. The new flag becomes a hug of friendship, mutual understanding and collaboration."

2. Grand Prize（Japan Section）

Delightful momentt
Learning how to say thank you
In dozens of languages

[Message from candidate]: I felt a strong urge to express thank you in many languages when I found the outpouring of "prayers" from all over the world in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. I strongly felt the warmth of people and "kizuna" by seeing people from the EU and other distant countries pray for Japan. I made this haiku bearing in mind that it is important to fully convey my appreciation and embrace the feeling in order not to forget the continued solidarity.
[Comment from the judge]: The haikuist acknowledges the many people around the world who have provided support to those who suffered from the Great East Japan Earthquake. In gratitude, he begins to learn their languages. He uses italics on the word thank you to indicate he is borrowing words from a foreign language. Translating from his native language, arigatou gozaimasu, the new sounds of the words tickle his mouth. The haikuist is immediately gratified by this first step toward forming deeper friendships with people around the world.

3. Other honorable mentions（Gift is offered from Matsuyama City/EU）

(Andrea Cecon, Italy): leaving Japan...
the silent friendship
of a cherry tree
(Frăţilă Genovel-Florentin, Romania): Sunrise –
the morning prayer
is for Japan
(Lars Granström, Sweden): Rush hour
young and old come together
on the traffic island
(Willy Cuvelier, Belgium): Walking together
I tell my shadow stories
about the sun.
(Paul Conneally, UK): land to land
seaweed trailing
from a turtle's back
(Gerd Boerner, Germany): Grandmother –
once more someone on the way
with your laugh !
(Grzegorz Sionkowski, Poland): after the earthquake
looking for a lesson in
how to make a crane
(Guy Vanden Broeck, Belgium): My son's sandcastle
shattered by the rising tide –
tell him about Japan.
(Dietmar Tauchner, Austria): frosty night
house by house the steam
of our talk
(Stela Koeva, Bulgaria): Trembling with fear
Under the rising sun.
Me and you against the storm.
(Kenji Iwasaki, Chiba, Japan): Sudden rain falls in Japan
A foreigner hands an umbrella
And stay with him together.
(Junko Saeki, Tokyo, Japan): the first sleep-over
the kids
sharing the moonlight and dreams
(Kei Hiroki, Tokyo, Japan): Along the shoreline
In memories of loved ones
Silent Sea Bells Bloom
(Kyoko Takahashi, Shizuoka, Japan): Europe and Japan
the ties have become closer
on a dining table, too
(Yui Maeda, Kagoshima, Japan): A thawing road
It extends to Tohoku
Iris bonds
(Hideki Kuwajima, Ireland): Dub-lin yeah !
It showered, and Rainbow.
Daydream of the Yellow Frog.
(Yasumasa Koiwai, Kagoshima, Japan): Golden Week–
tourists head for stricken area–
KIZUNA–
(Yuji Hayashi, Fukuoka, Japan): Japan's darkest hours
rescue teams and dogs
from Heidi's countries
(Kiyoshi Fukuzawa, Tokyo, Japan): KIZUNA
I know it is visible –
aid from the world
(Shunki Ishikawa, Saitama, Japan): A bundle of threads
called the unwavering ties
comes from Europe

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