Explaining Japanese pop culture with all its complexities and diversity may seem a bit tedious. But if there’s a way of simplifying it, J-Pop can easily be described as an inspiration. It has inspired the young, especially the Filipino youth, in many ways, for it has become a part of life. No young Filipino ever grew up without knowing at least one animé character or watching an animé show.

In its ongoing campaign to support and sustain cross-cultural engagement among the youth, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Japan has opened the fifth batch of the Jenesys 2.0, or the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youth program, with manga, animé and cosplay being the core themes of the exchange program.

The purpose of the program is stimulating interest about Japan, especially its J-pop culture. Under this program, two supervisors and 23 Filipino students from technical institutes, colleges and universities, age 18-30 years old, will be attending a 10-day exchange program in Japan on March 21-30, with the “Animé Japan 2014” exposition as the highlight of their trip. They will also tour corporations and join cultural experiences, as well as visit local government offices and schools, to witness the dual values of modernity and tradition that Japan espouses.

The Jenesys 2.0 Program – Traditional Culture/Heritage/Art is coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Japan, in cooperation with the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) of the Embassy of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE), and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) of the Philippines.

Deadline for submission of applications is Jan. 31 (Friday). For qualifications, guidelines and entry forms, please check the Embassy of Japan website (https://www.ph.

emb-japan.go.jp), or the National Commission for Culture and the Arts website (https://www.ncca.gov.ph/main.php).

For inquiries and application submission, contact Annie Luis of the NCCA, tel. 5272206, or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].

All expenses incurred during the program will be borne by the government of Japan.