Pakistani students bring home rich cultural experiences from Japan

Through such programmes youth can consolidate bilateral relationship, says Japanese CG.

KARACHI:

After coming home with rich cultural experiences, Pakistani students who visited Japan through the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) programme gathered at the Japanese Consulate in Karachi on Wednesday to share their experiences.

The Japanese Consul General, Akira Ouchi, hosted a reception for the students at the Japan Information and Culture Centre, where the students shared their experiences of visiting different towns and cities of Japan. “The youth of Pakistan and Japan will strengthen friendship between the two countries through these exchange programmes,” said CG Ouchi, adding that he plans to continue the programme and send the next batch of Pakistani students between December and March.

“The youth can play an important role in consolidating the bilateral relationship. By participating in such exchange programmes, Pakistani youth could broaden their perspectives and deepen their understanding of Japan, its culture and people.”

Maheen Zahid, a university student who enrolled in a Japanese language course at the Pakistan Japan Cultural Association (PJCA) told The Express Tribune, that some people wanting to visit Japan are scared of radiation after the tsunami. “We did not feel any radiation issues. We visited different areas and saw the Japanese people living happily,” said Zahid. She said that they would set up a network to remove any fear of radiation among the people of Pakistan wanting to visit Japan. Irza Navaid, a student of O’ level, is learning Japanese language to enjoy Japanese anime without English subtitles. “We stayed in Minamiaizu, Fukushima, where the environment was fabulous. The place where we were staying was surrounded by mountains. We visited a fiber optics company, a museum and an elementary school,” said Navaid.

PJCA president Sadia Rashid said that the JENESYS programme has not only helped the students gain information about Japan, but has also helped dispelled any disinformation. “Book learning, though vital, can often be forgotten. What you absorb through living experiences becomes a part of you and your attitude,” said Rashid.

JENESYS’ supervisor, Prof. Asifa Ataka, who went with the batch of students, also shared her experiences with the participants. JENESYS is a youth exchange programme launched by the Japanese government for promoting friendly relations and mutual understanding.  Its first phase was implemented between 2007 and 2012, and now the government has decided to take the project to its phase 2, said Hiroko Tsuchiya of the consulate while talking to The Express Tribune.

In the first batch of JENESYS 2.0, 76 participants and four supervisors from Pakistan visited Japan in May and June this year, she said, adding that between December 2013 and March 2014 they will send the next two batches. “We take college or university students interested in experiencing the Japanese culture. The criteria for selection are available at JENESYS website,” said Tsuchiya.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.