Two groups of youths from the Philippines —one composed of 26 high school and the other of 27 college and graduate-school level students— have arrived in Japan on Tuesday, 01 November 2016 to join the JENESYS2016 Youth Exchange Program. Both teams will be traveling separately around Chiba Prefecture and Tohoku Region for over a week and are scheduled to return to the Philippines on Tuesday, 08 November 2016.

The Chiba-bound group of high school students are visiting Japan under the theme “Japanese Language and Culture”, while the group of Filipino university-level students will explore the theme “Food Safety and Security” in the Tohoku region. In addition to theme-related activities, the participants will be taking part in homestays, school immersions, and cultural events, such as calligraphy practice and wadaiko (traditional drum performance).

Sayonara! Philippine delegates to the JENESYS2016 (Japanese Language and Culture) Programme pose for a group photo with DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua and JICC Director Tatsuo Kitagawa during a Pre-Departure Orientation held on October 29, 2016 at the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP), Marikina City.

Prior to their departure, the students participated in separate Pre-Departure Orientations on October 28 and 29, 2016, during which they were briefed on JENESYS program objectives and Japanese culture and social etiquette. These orientations were co-organized by the Embassy of Japan and its local partner implementing agencies, namely the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

About JENESYS2016

The Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS2016) Programme was launched by the Government of Japan in 2007 to promote Japanese culture and to facilitate international exchanges among the youths of ASEAN and Oceania by inviting them on themed, short-term visits to Japan. Through the programme, it is hoped that the participants’ understanding of one another’s cultures would deepen and that meaningful and cooperative ties among them can be formed.

In the Philippines, the programme is implemented by the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) of the Embassy of Japan, in cooperation with different local government agencies, including the National Youth Commission, the Department of Science and Technology, and the Department of Education.

For more information on the JENESYS2016 Programme, please visit http://www.mofa.go.jp/p_pd/ep/page22e_000772.html.