Congratulations to the Mid-Pacific Japan Wizards team for their first place finish in the competition. The students were elated to win a 6-day trip to Japan; the group leaves for Japan on Saturday.

The Japan Wizards Competition is a challenging, fun-filled academic team competition for Hawaii's high school students that tests general knowledge of Japan and Japan-related fields. The competition is sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Hawaii (JASH), with the mission of promoting understanding and friendship between the peoples of the United States and Japan through the unique and special perspective of Hawaii.

The Mid-Pacific team was comprised of three students from team A (1-2 years of Japanese learning), and three students from team B (3-4 years of Japanese learning).

Teacher Miki Kishima started recruiting and screening students in November, 2016. They had study meetings two to three times a week until the day of the competition on February 25

"I was very happy to take the first place this year," Kishima said. "The students were simply happy to win a free trip to Japan!"

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