On April 4th and 5th, students from the Japanese 2 and 3 classes participated in the 33rd National Japan Bowl, a quiz competition focused on Japanese language and culture for high school students, held in Washington, D.C. The Level 2 team, consisting of Grace Ku (’27-Henrico), Aki Livingston (’27-Henrico), and Nuveena Sooriya (’27-Henrico), achieved 11th place in the nation, while the Level 3 team, made up of Alyssa Gans (’26-Richmond), Michelle Idowu (’26-Chesterfield), and Rahmat Okegbenro (’25-Chesterfield), secured 12th place.
Reflections from the students are shown below:
From Left: Grace Ku, Nuveena Sooriya, Aki Livingston, Rahmat Okegbenro, Alyssa Gans, Michelle Idowu
Alyssa Gans
Participating in the 2025 National Japan Bowl was truly one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of my high school journey. From the moment we arrived, I was surrounded by students from across the country who all share the same love for the Japanese language and culture. The questions were challenging, covering everything from grammar and vocabulary to obscure cultural facts and current events in Japan, but that’s what made it so exciting. It wasn’t just about testing what we knew — it was about celebrating how far we’ve come in our language journey. What stood out most wasn’t just the competition itself, but the sense of community. Everyone was so encouraging, and it felt like we were all learning from each other, not just competing. Preparing with my teammates brought us closer together, and we had so many moments of laughter, stress, and ultimately pride in what we accomplished. The Japan Bowl reminded me why I started learning Japanese in the first place — not just for the grammar drills and vocabulary quizzes, but to connect with a culture I admire and to be part of something bigger. I’m leaving this experience more motivated than ever to keep studying and maybe even return next year for one last go as a senior. Thank you for this amazing opportunity.
Rahmat Okegbenro
As someone who is deeply fascinated by the Japanese language and culture, the opportunity to attend the Japan Bowl was incredible. From the studying process to the competition and the culture workshops, the entire experience was something I truly enjoyed. Being able to test my knowledge, meet new people, and further immerse myself in Japanese culture gave me even more motivation to continue my Japanese studies. I’m grateful to the foundation for providing this opportunity, and I highly encourage anyone interested to participate!
Michelle Idowu
I like the 33rd Annual Japan Bowl because I learned a lot. I learned how to tie a kimono and make a bento box. Even though we did not win, it was still enjoyable to travel and compete with other schools. It encouraged me to continue learning Japanese, and that it is okay not to know everything. Learning takes time, and Japan Bowl made that time more enjoyable.
Nuveena Sooriya
Japan Bowl was a wonderful opportunity to expand my knowledge of the Japanese language and culture. I really enjoyed talking to other students who shared the same interest in Japanese. I particularly liked visiting the different cultural workshops and learning about the various topics and activities. Karuta and Kendama, the two workshops I was able to visit, were very fun. The instructors were also very patient and passionate about what they were teaching. The facility that Japan Bowl took place in this year was also very beautiful. I enjoyed staying in DC for a few days and visiting the museums as well.
Aki Livingston
Overall, the event was very good. I loved the Japanese workshops that were presented, such as the Kendama workshop. I also really liked the food. For studying specific topics, I wish that the study guide showed details on how much each topic needed to be studied. My group, being a level 2 team and also a team from a newer school, did not know how much we needed to study for each topic, so we ended up studying some topics (i.e. onomatopoeia and idioms) much more than some topics that were featured more in the preliminary rounds (i.e. Osaka and Haiku). Along with this, it felt as though some questions were a bit difficult or had multiple answers. I believe that these questions may have been a bit challenging for Level 2 students. However, the event was still very fun and a memorable experience.
Grace Ku
I had a wonderful time attending the 2025 Japan Bowl in D.C. and experiencing what it’s like to be part of a large community of people eager to learn about Japan. Although I did not make a big mark in the competition, it was still a great opportunity for me to study Japanese and Japanese culture. The cultural workshops I participated in were the karuta and kendama workshops, which were fun and educational. Simply exploring the D.C. area with my friends was also a nice time.
