More than 70 haiku in both English and Japanese written by students of all ages are on display at the United Nations, marking a first for an annual haiku contest sponsored by a group of English and Japanese teachers for the last nine years.

"One may describe feelings directly or suggest them indirectly through the depiction of nature," Japanese Ambassador to the U.N. Kenzo Oshima said about haiku in a message to the winners. "Perhaps this is why the art of haiku has become so popular among non-Japanese speakers."

The Japanese mission to the U.N. became a cosponsor of the contest last year, along with the Northeast Council of Teachers of Japanese and the English and Japanese departments of the U.N. International school.