National Japan Bowl Alumni Survey
ジャパンボウル卒業生へのアンケート

July, 2017

In 2017, the National Japan Bowl conducted a survey of alumni from a decade of National Japan Bowl
competitions. This survey was designed to collect information on National Japan Bowl participants after
they leave high school, so questions focus on their academic and career choices, as well as if and how
Japan continues to play a role in their personal and professional lives. Our survey collected over 100
responses.

1. What year(s) did you compete in the National Japan Bowl?
（ジャパンボウル大会の出場年度）
In a survey of over 100 National Japan Bowl alumni, responses came from participants who attended
National Japan Bowl as early as 2006 – eleven years ago. Most respondents participated in 2011, 2012,and 2013.
20062007200820092010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

Participants
40
35302520
1510502006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017336202728
28
35
18
15
51

2. At what levels did you compete in the National Japan Bowl?
（ジャパンボウル大会の出場レベル）
Most participants were in Level 3 (68%), but the number of participants were fairly constant between all
three levels.

Level 4

Level 2
Level 3
Level 4Level 3
Level 250%55%60%65%70%

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57%68%63%

3. What college or university did you attend? (大学の進学状況）
Universities in the US
Bard College
Biola University
Brigham Young University
Brown University
Carthage College
College of William and Mary
Columbia University
Connecticut College
Culinary Institute of Virginia
Fashion Institute of Technology
Florida International University
George Mason University
Harvey Mudd College
International University of Health andWelfare
Johns Hopkins University
La Salle University
Liberty University
Maryland Institute College of Art
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mercer University
Mount Holyoke College
Northwestern University
New York University
Princeton University
Pomona CollegeSan Diego State UniversitySan Jose State University
Sonoma State University

Stanford University
Vanderbilt University Tufts UniversityTexas A&M University
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Chicago
University of Florida
University of Iowa
University of Louisville
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of Oregon
University of Southern California
University of Texas (Austin)
University of Texas (Dallas)
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin
Virginia Commonwealth University
Washington University in St. LouisUniversities in Japan

Universities outside US and Japan

Hokkaido University
Nagoya University
Temple University, Japan Campus
Doshisha University
Waseda University

National Tsing Hua University (Taiwan)
University of Edinburgh

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4. What major did you pursue at college/university? (大学の専攻）
National Japan Bowl participants pursue several different majors at universities across America and theworld. The highest reported majors were computer science, Japanese studies, engineering, and fine arts
studies. In this case, fine arts studies include painting, illustration, writing, theater, and culinary arts,
among others. The chart below categorizes some of the popular majors reported in the alumni survey.

Political Science

Linguistics

Business

East Asian Studies

OtherInternational
RelationsBiologyComputer SciencePsychology

Japanese
Fine Arts
Engineering

5. Did you continue your study of Japanese during college?
（大学で日本語の学習を継続したか）
Yes （はい） 68%
No （いいえ）32%

The Japan-America Society of Washington DC6. Did you study in Japan after high school?
（高校卒業後、日本に留学したか）
Yes （はい） 17%
No （いいえ）83%
Those that studied in Japan reported attending the following universities（日本の留学先）;



Japan Center for Michigan Universities
International University of Health andWelfareTokyo Christian University
University of Tokyo
Waseda University

Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies
Chiben Wakayama University
Hokkaido University
Temple University, Japan Campus
Tokyo Gakuin University
Nagoya University

7. Did you work or intern in Japan after high school?
（高校卒業後、日本でインターンや就職したか）
Yes （はい） 15%
No （いいえ）85%

8. Who is your current employer (optional)? (現在の勤務先)









JET
GPI US/ISATwitterAppleFacebookGoogle
Active Gaming
Media
NeogovPayPalAmazonEnerpacNissanNara International
Christian ChurchMorrison & Foerster
LLP (Tokyo)
Gear 8Aichi TohoUniversity

The Recording
AcademyCoachUS Navy
Matcha LOVE by
ITO EN
Tufts University
Takarazuka Revue
Stanford University

9. Would you like to live, work or study in Japan in the future?
（将来日本で勉強、就職、生活したいか）
Yes （はい） 90%
No （いいえ）10%

The Japan-America Society of Washington DC10. How often do you use Japanese in your work or daily life?
（職場や日常生活での日本語使用頻度）
Every day (毎日)
A few times a week（週に数回）
A few times a month （月に数回）
A few times a year （年に数回）
Never （使わない）

21%
26%19%
18%
16%

11. How did participating in Japan Bowl help you achieve yourgoals? (ジャパンボウルへの参加が目的の達成をどのように助けたか）“Learning Japanese language and culture gave me a huge advantage when pursuing a Japanese degree incollege”（日本語や日本文化について学んだ経験は、大学での日本語専攻に大変有益であった。）“Helped hone my skills of teamwork, leadership, mentoring other fellow Japan Bowlers, and selfdiscipline to study all the material.”（チームワークやリーダーシップ、指導力、自己鍛錬力を養うことができた。）“Japan Bowl gave me a lot of confidence! I learned so much, some facts that I still retain today, and madelifelong friendships. It helped cement the importance of learning culture alongside learning a language-that the two must go hand in hand.”（たくさん自信をもらった。多くを学び、現在まで続く友情を育むことができた。言語のみならず、文化を共に学ぶことの重要性を強固にした。）“I developed a greater understanding of modern events centered around US-Japan partnerships. I also
gained valuable knowledge of the Japanese language and culture. Had I not competed in Japan Bowl, myinterest and knowledge of the language and culture would have been far diminished.”（日米両国間における近代の出来事について、深く理解することができた。日本語や日本文化についての重要な知識も身につけることができた。ジャパンボウルに出場していなかったら、これほど日本語や日本文化に対する興味や知識をもたなかったと思う。）“It was a memorable experience that encouraged me to take risks and to try new things. It was one of thefirst major events/competitions I attended. It allowed me to meet new people, create new experiences, andstrengthen the bond between me and my team members.”（ジャパンボウルに参加することで、リスクをとって新しいことに挑戦する勇気をもらった。私の人生で最初の大きなイベント・大会であり、人との出会いや経験、チームメンバーとの友情を育むことができた。）“Participating in a Japan Bowl made me to study abroad in Waseda for one year!”（ジャパンボウルに参加したことで、早稲田大学で 1 年間学ぶことができた。）“I was able to broaden my cultural experiences and appreciation for Japanese culture. I always make newfriends when I find out that someone else speaks Japanese too. Being able to visit Japan under thekakehashi project is by far one of my most treasured experiences of my entire life. Visiting a host familyand living with them was an extremely valuable time.”（文化的経験や、日本文化への理解を深めるThe Japan-America Society of Washington DC

ことができた。日本語を話せる人たちと新たに友達になれた。カケハシプロジェクトで日本に行った経験は、人生において最も価値がある出来事だった。ホストファミリーに出会い、ともに生活した時間は、大変貴重だった。）“Made a significant difference to how I viewed team work, boosted my college application, and changed
my future goals”（チームワークの大切さを学んだ。大学受験を有利にし、ジャパンボウルへの出場によって、将来の目的が変わった。）“It helped me broaden my horizons and allowed me to have a better understanding of a culture different
from mine - thus helping me become a more open minded individual.”（視野を広げ、他の文化について理解を深めることができた。）“I think being 2nd in a national competition really helped my applications to universities. If I'm honest,
my grades weren't stellar in high school, and I think my using extracurricular as a way to show mypassion for academic subjects really helped me overcome the small troubles I had with letter grades inhigh school.”（ジャパンボウルで 2 位になれて、大学受験に有利になった。正直に言うと、高校での成績は目ぼしいわけではなかったが、ジャパンボウルで日本語への情熱を示すことができて、成績表以上の結果を残すことができた。）“I truly believe that Japan Bowl is one of the main reasons I was able to get into college”（大学に入れたのは、ジャパンボウルのおかげだと思う。）“Participating in Japan Bowl built a solid foundation for me to excel in my Japanese language study in
University, and eventually in the Japanese workforce after graduation.”（大学での日本語学習や日本での就職に役立つ知識を身につけることができた。）“The high level of knowledge and language abilities of the other competitors inspired me to pursue as
many opportunities as possible to increase my own knowledge, including gaining a Japanese language
scholarship at my college of choice, applying for programs such as the CLS and BOREN, and leading me
to be currently studying abroad in Tokyo. I find myself recalling all sorts of things that I studied for JapanBowl both in my current studies and in daily life in Japan.”（他の出場者のレベルの高い知識や日本語能力に刺激され、各種スカラーシップや現在行っている日本留学など、さまざまな機会に挑戦することができた。今日本で学び、生活する中で、ジャパンボウルで学んだことの一つ一つがよみがえってくる。）

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