Ho (second left) presents a souvenir to Bamba, as Ito (left) and Ling look on.
KUCHING: The accomplishment of an all-student team from Sarawak-Japan Friendship Club (SJFC) in a national-level competition can be attributed primarily to the club’s Japanese teaching staff.
The team finished third at the Japanese Skit Contest 2019, which was conducted by The Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur recently.
Their video submission was among the six finalists shortlisted from many entries received from all over the country.
SJFC secretary Ho Yun Choi expressed his appreciation to Dr Kazuhiro Wakabayashi, one of the club’s current Japanese volunteer teachers, for the latter’s role in guiding the team.
“We would not have gotten third place in the whole country, if it were not for Dr Wakabayashi’s good work.
“Our club is very proud of the team,” Ho spoke during the SJFC Welcoming and Farewell Potluck 2019 on Saturday night, which hosted some 20 club members and students.
Emiko Bamba, who had taught at the club over the past six months, would return to her hometown of Obihiro in Hokkaido.
She has been a SJFC teacher for four times.
Meanwhile, the newly-arrived Shuichiro Ito would stay here for three months.
“This is my first time in Kuching, and in Malaysia. I hope to visit places around here,” said Ito, who hails from the Shiga Prefecture in western Japan.
SJFC treasurer David Ling and Kuching Football Association’s first Japanese import midfielder Yuta Suzuki were also present at the Saturday night gathering.
The club conducts classes for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at its centre at Jalan Song Thian Cheok here. The volunteer teachers are selected and interviewed by the Hiroshima-based Japan-Kuching Friendship Club, while the SJFC here provides the required job visas for those selected to come here.
Founded in 2004, the SJFC is a self-supporting club managed by a team of professionals who have graduated from Japanese universities and those who have undergone technical training in Japan. Besides conducting Japanese lessons, it also organises and runs cultural and social activities.