高校生対象日本語クイズコンテスト

2024 PNW Japan Bowl at Clark College on Saturday, March 9th

Join high school students and their supporters from across Oregon and Washington in this regional quiz competition on Japanese language and culture!

Read the press releases from JASO’s Executive Director here:

Additional photos from the 2024 PNW Japan Bowl here.

2024 PNW Japan Bowl participants from Bothell High School
2024 PNW Japan Bowl Group Photo

2024 PNW Japan Bowl Results

Level 2
1st International School of Beaverton
2nd Westview High School
3rd Bothell High School Team 1

Level 3
1st Sunset High School
2nd Bothell High School Team 1
3rd Bothell High School Team 2

Level 4
1st Forest Grove High School
2nd Shorewood High School
3rd Beaverton High School

PNW Japan Bowl Official Mascot

Students are cheered on by the Pacific Northwest Japan Bowl’s new mascot: Iina (いいな) the beaver. Iina’s name was inspired by the Chinuk Wawa word for beaver, which is ina. Chinuk Wawa is an indigenous language spoken by members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, who have lived for centuries in Oregon’s Willamette Valley from the Cascades to the Coast Range. To learn more about the language and culture of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, you can visit the Chachula Museum in Grand Ronde or their informative website here.

The word iina is also frequently used in Japanese. It means something like “I wish” and expresses the speaker’s longing for something to happen. The team behind the Pacific Northwest Japan Bowl wished for all who attended the Japan Bowl to become more curious about the rich cultures of Japan and the Pacific Northwest.

Video is from 5th Annual Pacific Northwest Japan Bowl on March 5th, 2022

Study Guide is available for the participants to prepare for Japan Bowl:

Competition Guide (Participants and Teachers to read):

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

SUPPORTERS

Mr. Kihachiro Nishiura

2023 National Japan Bowl on April 13 & 14

Two teams representing the Pacific Northwest participated in the national competition. Please read their report and enjoy some of the photos.

2023 Westview High School in Oregon – 1st place for Level 3

2023 Kitsap High School in Washington – 1st place for Level 4

2023 Kakehashi Project Experience