Studietur til Japan i september og oktober 2008

Invitasjonsteksten fra den japanske ambassade:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan invites young Europeans to participate in a ten-day group study tour of Japan in September or October 2008 respectively.

Formål:

The purpose of the tour in the short term is to inspire an enduring interest in Japan by giving participants an introduction to Japan that touches on politics, the economy, culture, society etc. It is hoped that in the longer term, the deeper understanding of Japan gained by the participants of this tour will encourage them to contribute to the strengthening of ties between Japan and European countries in the future.

Applicants must meet the following requirements

Be a national of one of the following countries:

• Andorra (application to the Japanese Embassy in France), Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus (to the Embassy in Greece), Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein (to the Embassy in Switzerland), Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta (to the Embassy in Italy), Monaco (to the Embassy in France), the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino (to the Embassy in Italy), Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, the United Kingdom.
• Be aged 18-35 as of 1st June 2008
• Be able to communicate effectively in English

Other requirements

• Applicants must have never been to Japan and must have no plans to visit Japan in the near future
• Applicants must be enthusiastic, sociable and well suited to participating in group activities

Date of Tour
(Please note that successful applicants cannot decide which group they will participate in.)

Group A: 23rd September - 3rd October 2008
Group B: 21st October - 31st October 2008

Number of Participants

60 people in total (30 people in each group)

Planned Activities
-Experiencing cultural, economic and political aspects of Japan from both traditional and modern perspectives through lectures, visits and hands-on experiences
-Discussions with Japanese youth
-Visits to regional cities across Japan
-Stay with a host family

Applications

Applications should include (1) CV (2) a cover letter and (3) a short essay (one page on A4-sized paper, single-spaced) in English on one of the following titles:

A. What do you think when you hear the word "Japan" or "Japanese"?

B. If you had the chance to have a discussion with a Japanese person, which subject would you like to talk about? And what is your opinion on that subject?

C. “What has Japan contributed within a field in which you have specialised?

Norwegian　applicants are requested to send their applications to: info@japan-embassy.no

The deadline for applications is 2 June 2008.

For further information regarding this study tour please contact: info@japan-embassy.no