Sports Day for Utah High School Students Studying Japanese (April 27, 2026)

On April 27th, approximately 300 high school students studying Japanese gathered at Pleasant Grove High School in Pleasant Grove, Utah, for a grand Sports Day (undōkai) event.

Due to inclement weather this year, the event was held indoors in the school gymnasium. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of teachers and volunteers, students engaged in traditional Japanese sports day activities such as radio calisthenics, tug-of-war, and ball toss, capturing the authentic spirit of a Japanese undōkai. The participating students fully enjoyed the competitions and the venue was filled with enthusiasm and smiles.

The Consulate-General was also invited, with Consul Sanae Kanno attending and spending an enjoyable time with everyone.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Japan Foundation on overseas Japanese language education institutions for fiscal year 2024, Utah is the only state in North America where the number of Japanese language institutions, teachers, and learners has increased since the previous survey in 2021. The number of institutions increased by 22%, teachers by 29%, and learners by 9%.

We would like to express our heartfelt respect for everyone involved in Japanese language education in Utah for their daily efforts, and hope that Japanese language education in Utah will continue to thrive and develop in the future.