LEVEL II

Proverb/Idiom/Expression in Japanese	English Translation and Meaning
いしのうえにもさんねん 石の上にも三年	''sitting on a rock for 3 yrs'' Be prepared, have patience.
いのなかのかわず（たいかいをしらず） 井の中の蛙（大海を知らず）	''frog in a well does not know the great sea'' People easily judge things from a narrow mind, not knowing what is out in the wide world.
いわぬがはな 言わぬが花	"not speaking is the flower" Silence is golden.
かえるのこはかえる 蛙の子は蛙	"son of a frog is a frog" Life father, like son.
かぜのたより 風の便り	"tidings on the wind" Rumor/statement that cannot be confirmed/denied by the available facts.
じゅうにんといろ 十人十色	"ten men, ten colors" Different strokes for different people (each person is of different background).
ねこにこばん 猫に小判	"gold coins to a cat" Giving a gift to someon who can't appreciate it is a useless gesture.
はなよりだんご 花より団子	''dumplings over flowers'' People are interested in the practical aspects of life than the aesthetics.
みずにながす 水に流す	"let it flow in the water" Forgive and forget.

LEVEL III

Proverb/Idiom/Expression in Japanese	English Translation and Meaning
あめふってじかたまる 雨降って地固まる	"after the rain, the earth hardens" Adversity strengthens the foundation.
いしばしをたたいてわたる 石橋をたたいて渡る	"hit a stone bridge before crossing it" Use caution even when it appears safe.
さんにんよればもんじゅのちえ 三人寄れば文殊の知恵	"two heads are better than one" It is better to think with than without others.
ちりもつもればやまとなる ちりも積もれば山となる	"piled up specks of dust become a mountain" Little things adds up to bigger things.
なきってつらにはち 泣きっ面に蜂	"a bee to a crying face" To make matters worse; misfortunes seldom come singly.
ねこのてもかりたい 猫の手も借りたい	''borrow even a cat's paw" Being extremely busy; even the assistance of a cat's paw is needed when our hands are full of work.
ねもはもない 根も葉もない	"without roots nor leaves" Unproven/unfounded rumor/statement.

LEVEL IV

Proverd/Idiom/Expression in Japanese	English Translation and Meaning
こうぼうはふでをえらばず 弘法は筆を選ばず	"a bad carpenter quarrels with his tools" People never blame themselves for what they do.
さるもきからおちる さるも木から落ちる	"even a monkey falls from trees" Nobody is perfect; everybody makes mistakes.
でるくいはうたれる 出る杭は打たれる	"the stake that sticks out gets hammered down" The noncomformist will get pounded. Don't make waves.
とうだいもとくらし 灯台下暗し	"darkness reigns at the foot of the lighthouse" Familiar things go unoticed whereas unfamiliar circumstances are easily perceived. People tend to lose sight of their surroundings when looking forward.
ねまわし 根回し	"preparing the roots for planting" Make the necessary arrangements; lay out the basic groundwork.

MONEY!!!

Konnichiwa JB winners!

I hope you guys already know about the costs for this competition .... if you're still unsure, here is a quick glance:

application fee per team - $5o
application fee per student - $50
lodging fees if staying with 4 ppl - $40
lodging fees if staying with 3 ppl - $50
lodging fees if staying with 2 ppl - $66
lodging fees if staying by oneself - $132
(remember, if you are staying outside of the center, it will get expensive!!!)
plane tickets per student to W.D.C. - (with-stops) ~$350, (non-stop) ~$600

If we consider the plane with stops, then we should expect around $4400 total (or more if lodging preferances change).... and the plane with no stops will obviously cost us more...

So, with that in mind, Team IV has been discussing with sensei any ways possible to obtain this money.
Sensei has connections with the company in Austin, Tokyo Electron, and from what sensei said, that company is willing to hear us out on our proposals for grant offers (from them!).
We have Japanese game shows in mind!!! Most of us are familiar with ''I Survived A Japanese Game Show'' correct? We are thinking of doing the same things....

Here is the plan: We get all teams to come up with game show ideas (up to three games per team) and we list all the items we will need to set up that game. The prices of those items will be added up and whatever sum we get, we will report to Tokyo Electron, giving them an insight about our ideas of these gameshows.
If we can get through with them, then we will use their given grant to set up these game shows, and will have them in the gym during LASA lunch. Each student who is coming to participate in a game show will pay an entrance fee of say $5 per game. Each team will host their own game shows by the way. This way, hopefully, we can earn more than what we were granted from the company.

Another way to earn money is this: hosting a massage club thing in sensei's room XD
Do you guys know the corner of his room with the books, right next to the wall with the Astroboy painting? Well, he proposed that he bring in his Japanese wall thing (those folding walls) and set up a quiet area in that corner, along with chairs and mats for massages. XD And those who host that area (us students, but not all!!) will dress up in yukatas.... I really like this idea because, c'mon, we hard-working LASA students/teachers get tired all the time and we need a massage here n there sometimes. Charge per person will be around $1 per 3 minutes?
That idea is pretty neat.
So please sign up for any game show ideas in sensei's room!!!

Other ideas include:
DDR
Karaoke
Obstacle Courses (where they do math real fast XD)
Sumo

if you want, go to youtube.com
search ''japanese gameshows'' and look at various episodes to get an idea.
Please come up with game shows that are do-able and will engage students to participate and donate!! XD
But also, consider the items that will be needed to construct that game setup....so...yeah. think guys! :D :D

gambatte ne!

-Feruza

For next time...

Konnichiwa JB winners!

I know I haven't updated the JB study materials lately. However, do not fear! XD
Here is a quick glance at the study materials that will be discussed for the next post...

1. Proverbs! starting with Team Level IV, and then go down from there.
2. Descriptions of Major Nihon places (Akihabara, Shinjiku, Sapporo, etc.)
3. Brief Demography Facts
4. History of Showa Period (later on, Heisei Period)

And for current events, you should be getting those by email from another Team IV member so keep up with those, but I will also be posting them on here and hopefully attaching online links to those news if you want more info on those...

I would like to discuss the maps on here but I dont know how that will work out since I would only just have to point out the specific areas on a blank map and....I am sure you guys can do that on your own paper, plus it is much more beneficial for you to do it on your own paper and erase it and quiz yourself that way.

Also, Kanji will play an important role in all of the areas of study since all teams are required to read some amount of kanji in names and places so! I will also be doing that shortly in time.

Gomen ne, minna san! Demo, gambaru ne!

-Feruza Azimova
JB Team Level IV

Meeting Schedule and other notes

Quick note about the meeting days...

ALL TEAMS - Tuesday Lunch (please do not bring along your BFFs to hang out with you. c'mon, if you really want to win this competition, be more engaging and serious about this...)

LEVEL VI - Wednesday afterschool (other members are welcome to come and catch up on some stuff but no goofing off)

OTHER TEAM LEVELS, I am not aware of this but have you decided on a team meeting yet?
If you haven't, do so!! Lunch or Afterschool...

UNAVAILABLE TIMES for meetings:
Wednesday afterschool
Friday Lunch....

that's all I can think of XD

if you can, please specify which time your team will meet on a post comment or through email so it is clear...

THINGS TO BRING TO TUESDAY MEETINGS...
if you have already made one, please bring your JB binders with you so that any information we give out will be jotted down in your notes in whatever topic it covers. ORGANIZATION...
any other study material that will be of use to your team/all of us is good.

AT HOME....
go over the information you receive on Tuesdays and memorize it if you must, practice necessary kanji, practice your Japanese orally and on paper, quiz yourself, whatever that will help you get ready for the next meeting and for your team overall!

This is not a must but it is advicable that you choose a team captain. Someone from each team will have to be leading the team and keep the team focused, so it is good to have one :D
(However, the application needs a team captain specified...so, during meetings, the captain does not have to like...actually ''be'' the captain, you know? wakatta?)

ALL TEAMS.... KEEP UP WITH CURRENT EVENTS AND MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN JAPAN!!!!! If you must, read books!!

arigatou!

~Fifi (Team Level VI)

ようこそ、みんなさん！

こんにちわ、ラサの日本語学生！！

This is a blog that I will use to post up everything covered during Japan Bowl meetings. Hopefully it will be of some great use to the future Japan Bowl winners! ^^
Please use this to catch up on anything you missed during practice or if you were absent, etc.

THIS IS NOT A CHEAT-SHEET. As in, YOU yourself are required to do outside research as well as obtain all the concrete, direct information given to you.

I will try hard to make separate posts for different team levels so that it is organized for you. However, there are a TON of information that will cover all team levels' study material. Keep this in mind.

Finally, I will accept comments that you attach to posts, plus email comments/questions/feedback are appreciative.
(I am beginning to be addicted to blogspot.com..... ^^ gomen ne!)

じゃあ、勉強しましょう！
頑張ってね、みんなさん！

～フィフィ (Team Level IV)