February 16, 2005 Boise State Hosts Japanese Competition For High School Students Feb. 26

The Japan Club of Boise State University will host the 2005 Japan Bowl Regional Competition beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, in the Liberal Arts Building just west of the Special Events Center. The public is invited to view the competition.   The Japan Bowl is modeled on a quiz show format aimed at making the study of Japanese challenging and enjoyable. Teams of students are asked questions regarding Japanese culture, grammar, kanji (characters borrowed from China), katakana (simplified characters based on Chinese characters), kotowaza (proverbs) and onomatopoeic expressions.   The competition was developed by the Japan-America Society of Washington to test the ability of high school students throughout America who are studying the Japanese language. The Japan Bowl was first held in 1993 as a competition for high school students in the Washington, D.C. area.   In 2004, more than 1,200 students took part in regional Japan Bowl competitions in 18 regions, and some 250 teachers and students around the country came to Washington, D.C. for the National Japan Bowl Competition. The event is sponsored by the United States-Japan foundation and other organizations, corporations and individuals.   The 2005 National Japan Bowl will be held on Saturday, March 26, at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.    -30-   Contact: Tetsuya Ehara, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, (208) 426-2622, tehara@boisestate.edu                                                               Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, University Relations, (208) 426-3275, kcraven@boisestate.edu Online at: http://news.boisestate.edu