2018 metro vancouver japan bowl programme · that feature japanese studies as part of the...

O R G A N I Z E D B Y

Adapted from the Japan Bowl Competition Guide © 2016–2017 by The Japan-America Society of Washington, Inc.

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 Society’s permission.

Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, Site of the 2018 Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl

2 0 1 8M E T R O VA N C O U V E R JA PA N B O W L ®

P R O G R A M M E

2018 Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl® Programme 2

A B O U T T H E 2 0 1 8 M E T R O VA N C O U V E R JA PA N B O W L ®

The 2018 Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl®, will be held on Saturday, February 24, 2018, at the Nikkei National

Museum and Cultural Centre, 6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby, B.C.

Registration will begin at 9:30 am on Saturday, February 24. The competition will end by 3:30 pm.

The 2018 Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl® is organized by the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Alumni

Association of British Columbia and Yukon (JETAABC). Japan Bowl®1 was created in 1992 by the Japan-

America Society of Washington DC (JASW). The competition rules are based on those set by the National

Japan Bowl Committee (NJBC).

1 Japan Bowl® is a registered trademark of The Japan-America Society of Washington, Inc.


A M E S S AG E F R O M H E R I M P E R I A L H I G H N E S S

P R I N C E S S TA K A M A D O

H O N O R A RY PAT R O N O F T H E JA PA N B O W L

皆さん、こんにちは。

It is truly a pleasure to send my greetings to all the students who have assembled to take part in the

Japan Bowl in Canada. Having started off as a modest-sized competition in 1992, the Japan Bowl is now

growing into a worldwide movement. The role it has played over the years in encouraging students to study

Japanese is a truly significant one, and I take this opportunity to thank all those involved in organising the

various Japan Bowls throughout the world.

Japanese is undoubtedly a difficult language to learn, but we hope that the Japan Bowl provides you with

some exciting and fun moments. I am delighted to hear that many participants go on to university careers

that feature Japanese studies as part of the curriculum and that after graduation, some pursue careers that

are related to Japan.

Preparing for the Japan Bowl is both time-consuming and hard work. You must spend a lot of time

memorising kanji and kana, remembering historic and geographic details, making sense of grammar,

perfecting listening comprehension, and trying to understand curious customs and strange gestures. My

heartfelt congratulations, and admiration, go to all the students and their teachers for their commitment,

their dedication and their hard work.

In the same way that learning English helped me to better understand the world beyond Japan, I am confident

that learning Japanese will lead you to a greater awareness and knowledge of the world. Please remember

that human beings and societies have much more in common than they have differences and it is up to all

of us to nurture and cultivate this common ground, so that we may create a better society for the future.

学生の皆さん、

将来、是非、日本を世界とつなぐ架け橋となってください。いつの日か、どこかで、皆さんとお会いすることを楽しみにしています。


1 . 0 W H AT I S T H E JA PA N B O W L ?

The Japan Bowl® is a Japanese language and culture competition. It was created by the Japan-America

Society of Washington D.C. (JASWDC) and the first Japan Bowl took place in 1992. The Japan Bowl does

not only focus on language, but integrates questions on Japanese culture, society, geography, daily life and

customs, and current events. Questions are verbally asked by English and Japanese speaking moderators.

Students then have 30 seconds to answer. Clues are provided on screen or as written hints on the answer

sheet. Since 1992, the Japan Bowl has become a well-recognized competition in the United States where the

National Bowl is held over two days.

1 . 1 G OA L S O F T H E JA PA N B O W L

• To recognize and encourage students who chose Japanese as their foreign language

• To motivate students to reach higher levels of academic achievement

• To challenge students to learn not just Japan’s language, but also its culture, history, geography, and

society and daily life

• To provide an opportunity for students to meet others who share their passion for Japan’s language

and culture

• To encourage participants to continue their study of Japanese in college, and to study abroad in

Japan at some point during their college years

• To encourage students to have a “Japan connection” in their adult lives—whether in business,

academia, the arts, public service, or science—and to become leaders of the relationship between

Japan and their own country in the years to come

• To bring together stakeholders—from government and non-governmental organizations, foundations

and associations, academia, and the business community—who share an interest in promoting

Japanese language education and supporting “the next generation” of leaders in the relationship

with Japan


2 . 0 PA RT I C I PAT I O N I N T H E JA PA N B O W L — W H O I S E L I G I B L E ?

The 2018 Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl is open to full-time students who are currently enrolled in Japanese

language classes at a high school in Canada. A team must consist of two or three students. One student

is not a team. Schools are strongly encouraged to form a team of three students instead of two2. All team

members must be formally studying Japanese at the same high school.

The following rules about Japanese language education and experience govern eligibility:

• Students who are native speakers of Japanese or who use Japanese at home are not eligible to

compete.

• Students who have spent more than a total of three months in Japan on a study or home-stay

program or who have had other significant exposure to Japanese language and/or culture outside

the high school curriculum are not eligible to compete.

2 . 1 A D U LT C H A P E R O N E

There must be at least one adult chaperone per school who is 21 years of age or older. Usually the students’

Japanese language teacher serves as the chaperone, but there is no requirement that the chaperone should

be the teacher.

• Each team may have its own chaperone, or one adult may be the chaperone for two or all three

teams. Chaperones are responsible for the well-being of her/his student(s) throughout the day. They

must be present with the students at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre throughout

the time of the competition.

• At the time of on-site check-in, all chaperones will be asked to present a valid government-issued

photo ID such as driver’s license or passport.

• If a chaperone is not present at registration, the team will not be able to participate in the competition.

2 . 2 FA M I LY & F R I E N D S

Family members and friends are invited to join the students at the Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl. High

school teachers are requested to provide the total number of guests by Thursday, February 22.

2 A Japanese kotowaza says, “Sannin yoreba, Monju no chie / Three people together have the wisdom of Monju.”


3 . 0 C O M P E T I T I O N V E N U E

3 . 1 I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T T H E E V E N T V E N U E

The Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre is located in Burnaby (Kingsway and Sperling). The Centre

officially opened in September 2000 and offers a wide array of programs, events and exhibits.

• It is about a 15-minute bus ride from

Metrotown Mall (Bay 7) on Bus #119.

• It is ~850m or 10-minute walk from

Edmonds Skytrain Station.

• There is underground parking as well

as free street parking along Southoaks

Crescent and Kingsway.

3 . 2 M E A L S

There will be ~40 minutes break for lunch. Students are asked to bring lunch. Alternatively, students can opt

to purchase lunch from a list of hot meal options. Please place orders by 5:00pm, Wednesday, February 21.

Source: (https://www.google.de/maps, n.d.)


4 . 0 C O M P E T I T I O N S C H E D U L E

The following schedule is tentative and subject to change. The final schedule will be emailed to all teachers

by Friday and will be posted at the event.

09:30 – 09:55 Registration

10:00 – 10:15 Welcome

10:15 – 11:45 Preliminary Round (2 parts)

11:55 – 12:05 Group Photo

12:05 – 12:35 Lunch

12:45 – 13:15 “Taiko 55 from Richmond” Performance

13:30 – 13:45 JET Programme Introduction and Announcement of Finalists

13:45 – 14:30 Championship Round

14:30 – 14:40 Break

14:40 – 15:00 Awards Ceremony

4 . 1 R E G I S T R AT I O N P R O C E D U R E S

• Registration will be conducted from 9:30 to 9:55 am on Saturday, February 24. The registration tables

will be set up by the main doors of the Special Events Hall.

• The chaperone(s) must present a government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license or passport).


5 . 0 C O M P E T I T I O N F O R M AT A N D R U L E S

5 . 1 P R E L I M I N A RY R O U N D

• Each team is placed at a table in one large room.

• Each team is provided with pens, scratch paper, and the official answer sheet.

• All personal belongings must be placed on the floor.

• All devices, including watches, that are capable of recording, photographing, or transmitting must be

turned off and put away. This rule applies to everyone in the competition room—students, teachers,

and guests.

Q U E S T I O N S

• Twenty questions will be asked during the first part of the Preliminary Round, and twenty in the

second part, for a total of 40 questions.

• Visuals for all questions are projected, using PowerPoint slides, on a large screen.

• English and Japanese moderators (native speakers) read the questions.

• Each question indicates how the answer should be given: in English, in hiragana, in kanji, etc. (See

the list of answer icons below.)

• After each set of questions is read, students MUST put their pens down and stop writing when told

to do so by the moderator. Failure to do so may result in disqualification from the competition.

R E V I E W I N G T H E A N S W E R S

• At the end of each round, correct answers are given during a review session in order to reinforce the

learning experience of the Japan Bowl.

• Students and teachers are encouraged

to take notes during the answer review

session

• Students and teachers may talk about

the questions with others studying

Japanese at their school. But under no

circumstances should anyone—student

or teacher—make any of the questions

or the answers known to the public via

any kind of electronic communications

network. If that happens, then that

team’s score might be invalidated, and

any awards or recognition given to that

team could be forfeited.

7

ANSWER ICONS

EN English

JP Any combination of Japanese

(kanji,hiragana, katakana – but not romaji)

ひら hiragana

カナ katakana

漢 kanji

ABC Multiple choice

RO romaji for Japanese names*

123 Western numerals

*Any commonly-used variant of romaji can be used. For example, a newspaper can be “shinbun” or “shimbun.”

3.2.2 Specific Rules for Questions in the Preliminary Rounds

1. Questions will be read only once, except for Japanese listening comprehension questions,

which will be read twice. 2. Conferring among team members is allowed. 3. All teams must write their answers clearly and legibly on the team answer sheet. Any

member of the team may write the answer(s) to the question. Any answers that are difficult or impossible for the judges to read might be judged as an incorrect answer.

4. As described above in the box about "answer icons," the slide will give the answer icon, and the moderator also will state in which language form the answer should be written. If there is a discrepancy between the answer icon on the screen and what the moderator says, ask for clarification. Because the moderator knows the correct answer, he/she will be able to tell you how to answer.

5. There is a 30-second time limit for answering each question. However, 60 seconds will be allotted for questions that require writing a complete Japanese sentence. The clock begins when the moderator has finished reading the question.

6. For every question, the timekeeper will call a “10 seconds” warning. At the end of the allocated time, the timekeeper will call “time,” and the slide will advance to the next question. Although you may keep working on questions after the time has expired, you will run the risk of missing the next question.

7. There is no partial credit for a partially correct or incomplete answer. (See the box below for examples of incomplete answers.)

8. There is no penalty for an incorrect answer.


S P E C I F I C R U L E S F O R Q U E S T I O N S I N P R E L I M I N A R Y R O U N D

1. Questions will be read only once, except for Japanese listening comprehension questions, which

will be read twice.

2. Conferring among team members is allowed.

3. All teams must write their answers clearly and legibly on the team answer sheet. Any member of the

team may write the answer(s) to the question. Any answers that are difficult or impossible for the

judges to read might be judged as an incorrect answer.

4. As described above in the box about “answer icons,” the slide will give the answer icon, and the

moderator also will state in which language form the answer should be written. If there is a discrepancy

between the answer icon on the screen and what the moderator says, ask for clarification. Because

the moderator knows the correct answer, he/she will be able to tell you how to answer.

5. There is a 30-second time limit for answering each question. However, 60 seconds will be allotted for

questions that require writing a complete Japanese sentence. The clock begins when the moderator

has finished reading the question.

6. For every question, the timekeeper will call a “10 seconds” warning. At the end of the allocated

time, the timekeeper will call “time,” and the slide will advance to the next question. Although you

may keep working on questions after the time has expired, you will run the risk of missing the next

question.

7. There is no partial

credit for a par-

tially correct or in-

complete answer.

(See the box on

the right for exam-

ples of incomplete

answers.)

8. There is no penalty

for an incorrect an-

swer.

8

3.3 Conversation Round - Format, Content, and Rules On Friday morning, National Japan Bowl judges will hold a Conversation Round with each team to judge the speaking ability and communication and presentation skills of each team member. Students at Levels II and III should prepare a self-introduction, as described below.

Format

1. Each team will be assigned a pre-determined time to meet with two NJB judges, one Japanese and one American (who is fluent in Japanese), for a Japanese-language conversation. The Japanese judge will conduct the conversation.

2. The sessions will be closed; no teachers, chaperones, or members of the public will be allowed to observe.

3. Students should not tell the judges what school they are from. 4. Each team will be allotted 5-6 minutes for a conversation in Japanese, or about 2 minutes

per team member. This includes the time for self-introductions.

EXAMPLES OF INCOMPLETE OR PARTIAL ANSWERS Japanese Moderator: 兄は黒いオートバイを買いました。 English Moderator: What did the older brother buy? Answer in English. Answer: The correct answer is "a black motorbike, black motorcycle, black motor scooter, etc. - something that indicates that it is propelled by a motor. If you say or write just the word "bike" or "black bike," your answer is incomplete, because the English word 'bike" can also mean a pedaled bicycle. You also must include the bike's color (black) to make it a complete response.

English Moderator: In the Japanese calendar, what year is this? Answer in Japanese. Japanese Moderator: 今年は何年ですか？ことしは、なんねんですか？ Answer: If you only give the number, your answer is incomplete. A correct answer must include "Heisei," the year's number, and the word "nen" -- all three points -- to demonstrate that you know exactly how a Japanese person would answer the question.

► Key point: Be as specific, accurate, and complete as you can ◄


5 . 2 C H A M P I O N S H I P R O U N D

The Championship Round will be conducted on stage before an audience, using a “live” quiz show format

with a buzzer system.

A D VA N C I N G T O T H E C H A M P I O N S H I P R O U N D

• The combined scores from the First and Second Preliminary Rounds will determine which three

teams advance to the Championship Round.

• If there is a tie for any of the top positions, the judges will review the teams’ answers to five pre-

determined questions, covering both language and non-language topics, to determine the top teams.

• After lunch break, a Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl judge will announce the names of the three teams

that will compete on stage in the Metro Vancouver Championship Round.

• If a team qualifying for the Metro Vancouver Championship Round is not present at the time of the

announcement, the next runner-up team will replace the team that is missing.

Q U E S T I O N S

The Metro Vancouver Championship Round has two types of questions:

• Team Questions: 10 questions, 10 points per question; total possible points 100. The answers to team

questions are written, and the questions usually involve team collaboration and problem-solving to

respond.

• Toss-Up Questions: 10 questions, 5 points per question, total possible points 50. Two of the 10 toss-

up questions will have bonus questions attached, each worth 5 points. The total possible score from

the Toss-Ups therefore is 60 points.

R U L E S F O R T E A M Q U E S T I O N S

1. There will be 10 team questions. Each question is worth 10 points.

2. The same question will be asked to all teams simultaneously.

3. Questions, including the Japanese language part, will be read only once.

4. Conferring among team members is allowed.

5. All teams must provide their answers in writing on the white boards that are provided. Any member

of the team may write the answer(s) to the question.

6. There is a 30-second time limit to answer each question. The clock begins when the moderator has

finished reading the question. The timekeeper will call a “10 seconds” warning. At the end of the

allocated time, the timekeeper will call “time,” and teams must show their white boards.

7. There is no partial credit for partially correct answers. There is no penalty for an incorrect response.

8. Any answers that are difficult for the judges to read may result in an incorrect answer. Therefore,

please be sure that your handwriting is large and clear.


9. If there is a discrepancy between the answer icon on the screen and how the moderator says the

answer should be given, the judges will accept a correct answer in either format.

10. For the benefit of the teams and the audience (who cannot see the whiteboards from a distance), the

moderator will provide the correct answer for all questions.

R U L E S F O R T H E T O S S - U P Q U E S T I O N S

1. There will be 10 questions, plus two bonus questions. (See Rule #11 on bonus questions.)

2. Conferring among students is not allowed. (Exception: Bonus questions. See Rule #11 below.)

3. Any student on the team may answer. A student must ring the buzzer to signal, and only that student

may answer.

4. A student must wait to be called on before answering. The moderator can see the order in which

students rang in, and he will call on the first student who signaled. Answers given prior to being

called on will not be accepted.

5. If a student signals before the moderator finishes reading the question, the moderator will stop

reading. The remainder of the question will not be read. If the student who rang in early answers

incorrectly, his/her team will be penalized 5 points. (See Rule #13 on scoring below.)

6. The student may answer only once and may not change his/her answer. Each judge will record

what he/she heard, and the decision whether to declare the answer correct will be based on what a

majority of the judges heard. The judges will not ask the students to repeat their answer, unless there

is a technical problem. Students therefore should answer in a clear and strong voice so the judges

can hear them.

7. If there is a discrepancy between the answer icon on the screen and how the moderator says the

answer should be given, the judges will accept a correct answer in either format.

8. If a team member gives an incomplete or partial answer, the judges will say that it is “not correct.”

They will not say that it is “incomplete,” as that would give a hint to the other teams.

9. The moderator will read a toss-up question only once. (1) If no team “buzzes in” after a toss-up question

is read, the moderator will encourage teams to “buzz in,” but s/he will not read the question again.

(2) If two teams answer incorrectly, the moderator will ask if the third team wants to answer, but s/

he will not re-read the question. (3) However, if a team buzzes in early, before the question is read

in its entirety, and if the team answers incorrectly, the moderator will then read the entire question.

10. If no team answers correctly, or if no team buzzes in, the moderator will give the answer and move

on to the next question.


11. There will be 2 bonus questions during the Toss-Up Round. The moderator will give advance notice

when a question has a bonus question attached to it. If a team member answers the first (main)

question correctly, his/her team will be given the bonus question, which is worth an additional 5

points. Team members may confer, and the team captain must answer within 30 seconds. If the

team’s answer is incorrect, other teams cannot answer the bonus question.

12. Scoring: Each correct answer is worth 5 points. There is no partial credit for partially correct or

incomplete answers. A team will not receive credit for a correct answer if its members conferred.

(Exception: bonus questions.) If a student signals before the moderator has completed reading the

question and then answers incorrectly, his/her team will be penalized 5 points. If a student from

a second team also signaled before the moderator finished reading the question and answers

incorrectly, that team also will be penalized 5 points. If a student signals after the moderator has

read the entire question, there is no penalty for an incorrect response.

I N C A S E O F A T I E

• At the end of the toss-up round, the judges will check with the score-keepers and determine whether

there is a tie for either 1st or 2nd place.

• If there is a tie, then a series of toss-up questions will be asked to the two teams that tied, until one

of the teams answers two questions correctly.

• There are no PowerPoint slides for the tie-breaker round.

• The first team to answer two questions correctly wins the tie-breaker.

5 . 3 G R O U N D S F O R D I S Q UA L I F I C AT I O N

We ask students, parents/guardians, and teachers to encourage appropriate behavior, in order to ensure that

there are no misunderstandings. The Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl Organizing Committee has the sole right

to determine, in its own judgment, whether any action requires disqualification.

• Challenging or showing lack of respect to Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl officials, staff, or volunteers

by either a student, teacher, or chaperone

• Use of offensive language


6 . 0 2 0 1 8 M E T R O VA N C O U V E R JA PA N B O W L PA RT I C I PAT I N G T E A M S

S C H O O L T E A M N A M E S

Eric Hamber Secondary School B Town Pink Tanuki

Killarney Secondary School Killarney Group 1 Killarney Group 2

R.A. McMath Secondary School ネコマタ

Port Moody Secondary School 団子さん兄弟

Richmond Secondary SchoolRHS One derful

RHS WuXuMa?

RHS two gud

Sir Charles Tupper Secondary School Team Hanabi Tupper Don

West Vancouver Secondary School ゼロ

B Town (Hamber)

RHS One derful (Richmond Secondary)

Pink Tanuki (Hamber)

RHS two gud (Richmond Secondary)

ネコマタ (R.A. McMath)

Killarney Group 2 (Killarney)

ゼロ (West Vancouver)

Killarney Group 1 (Killarney)

RHS WuXuMa? (Richmond Secondary)

団子さん兄弟 (Port Moody)


7 . 0 AC K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

The Organizing Committee would like to acknowledge and appreciate the many individuals and groups who

have made this meaningful competition a reality! First and foremost, we would like to acknowledge Risa

Kamio and the Japan-America Society of Washington D.C. They have been instrumental in providing the

building blocks for the inaugural Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl!

7 . 1 S P O N S O R S

We would like to thank the sponsors of the Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl for their generosity! With their

support, we are able ignite the passion of BC students to continue discovering the Japanese language and

culture.

Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre

centre.nikkeiplace.org

JTB International (Canada) Ltd.

jtb.ca

Anime Revolution

animerevolution.ca

Nitobe Gardens

botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/visit/nitobe-memorial-garden

Benkei Ramen

benkei.eyesunclouded.com

Sushi Professor

professorsushi.com

Halfmoon Bookstore

animanga.me

Yaguchiya Ramen

yaguchiya-ramen.com

7 . 2 G U E S T S & VO L U N T E E R S

We would like to extend a warm thank you to the Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl judges, moderators, and

guests. Their expertise and generosity contribute greatly to the success of the inaugural event.

Furthermore, a community like JETAABC works best when its members are involved. Thank you to the

Metro Vancouver Japan Bowl Organizing Committee and its volunteers for coming forward and helping with

the competition.

G U E S T S O R G A N I Z I N G C O M M I T T E E & V O L U N T E E R S

Taiko 55 from Richmond

Akiko Miyazaki

Ciaran Dudley

Manami Calvo

Mika Sudo

Nick Sturtevant

Steve Chevalier

Yuka LeSage

Colleen Cheung

Danielle Markewicz

Edward Ko

Erika Thomas

E-Von Lai

Felice Rafael

Greg Joughin

Ian Fan

Janelle Yum

Jenny Lin

Mana Haleem

Nick Steward

Noreen Ma

Shari Virjee

Tai Lam

Thomas Law

Vivien Lee

2018 metro vancouver japan bowl programme · that feature japanese studies as part of the...

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