Japan Bowl of California is an academic competition that tests the achievements of high school students who are studying the Japanese language.  Its uniqueness stems from its dedication to test high school students not only on the language itself, but also on knowledge of “Japan, the country.”  Japan Bowl also recognizes and encourages these students, who have chosen to study Japanese as their foreign language.  The competition format is modeled on popular quiz shows such as “It's Academic.”  Teams of high school students will compete at three different levels, depending on how long they have studied Japanese. This will be a wonderful opportunity for the students to show their Japanese language skills and knowledge, and meet other students in California that share the same interest.

The Japan Bowl® of California will be modeled on the National Japan Bowl®. Given that one-half, or approximately 22,000, of all high school students studying Japanese in the U.S. live and go to school in Southern California, Japan Bowl® of California promises to be one of the most important regional contests of its kind.  

During the preliminary round of the competition, students will be tested with written questions, covering both language and non-language topics. Some non-language areas include history, arts and traditional and modern culture, geography, society and daily life, popular culture and current events.  Finalists are tested with verbal communication skills in the championship round. Throughout the competition, students must have a decent comprehension of kanji (including names of topics, people and places), idiomatic expressions, onomatopoeic expressions, and affective expressions. 

Japan Bowl^® is a registered trademark of The Japan-America Society of Washington, Inc. The Japan Bowl^® name and logo may be used only with the permission of The Japan-America Society of Washington, Inc.