Japan Bowl® Increasing understanding of Japan and its culture is the mission of the Japan-America Society of Washington DC. Language is the key to broader understanding. The Japan Bowl® is a national academic competition sponsored each spring by the Japan-America Society. It tests the achievements of high school students throughout the United States who are studying the Japanese language, including their knowledge of traditional and modern Japan. The Japan Bowl® was first held in 1993 as a contest for high school students in the greater Washington DC area. Within a few years, schools from throughout the nation had joined. Today the Japan Bowl attracts over 80 teams from across the country. The competition format is modeled on popular quiz shows such as “It’s Academic.”  (Download the latest Competition Guide here.) Teams compete at three different levels, depending on how long they have studied Japanese. The winners of the Level 4 competition – who usually are high school seniors -- are declared the National Champions and awarded a trip to Japan. For many of them, it is their first opportunity to visit the country whose language they have been studying for four years. The Japan-America Society sponsors this competition to recognize and show appreciation to the many high school students across the United States who have chosen Japanese as their foreign language. Our goal is to strengthen their interest in Japan and encourage them to continue their study of Japanese at the university level. We also hope that they will continue their Japan connection in their adult lives, whether in business, academia, the arts, or public service, and that they will become future leaders of America's relationship with Japan. For the students, the purpose of the Japan Bowl® is to make the study of Japan and the Japanese language both challenging and enjoyable. The Japan Bowl® is an official event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the annual two-week springtime festival that celebrates Japanese culture, the enduring friendship between the American and Japanese peoples, and the gift of the cherry trees from Japan to Washington DC. The 2008 National Japan Bowl will be held at the J W Marriott Hotel in Washington DC on March 21-22, 2008. To read the announcement in English, click here. 日本語版は こちらです。 To learn more about the Japan Bowl, please download the following documents: 2008 Japan Bowl® Competition Guide (Revised) 2008 Japan Bowl® Registration Forms 2007 Japan Bowl® Explanation (English) 2007 Japan Bowl® Explanation（日本語版） Report on the 2007 Japan Bowl® Message from Princess Takamado, Honorary Patron (Last update: February 28, 2008) The Japan-America Society of Washington, Inc. 1819 L Street NW, Level 1B, Washington DC 20036 (T) 202-833-2210 (F) 202-833-2456 Email: jaswdc@us-japan.org