Mombusho Scholars Association of India (MOSAI)

Indian scholars who had been to Japan for higher study and research on Monbukagakusho Scholarships initially formed an alumni association. Subsequently its membership was extended to all Indians with higher study/research experience in Japan and in 1986 MOSAI was registered as a non-profit voluntary organisation under the Societies Registration Act of Delhi to promote Indo-Japan cooperation. Its membership is only for those with at least one year of continuous study or research experience in Japan. Current members (202 in number) are specialists in areas Social Sciences, Science & Technology, Language, Literature, Public administration, etc. occupying important positions in universities, research institutions, industry and government.

The annual activities of MOSAI are:
Guidance to Indian students on graduate & postgraduate studies in Japan by its Higher Educational Counselling Cell, in cooperation with JASSO organisation of Japan education fairs in New Delhi & Pune and entrance-tests for Japanese Universities (EJU).

Teaching of Japanese Language at MOSAI Institute of Japanese Language in New Delhi to about 400 students and to encourage language learners in India organising All India Japanese language speech contest participated by regional contest winners from west (Pune), east, (Kolkata), South (Chennai) and north (New Delhi). The well known Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) of Japan Foundation was also started in India by MOSAI and continues to be organised in New Delhi by MOSAI.

MOSAI participates in South and South West Asia Scholars Alumni meeting in Tokyo organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Govt. of Japan. As out-come, South Asian Federation of Japanese Universities Alumni Associations (SAFJUAA) has been formed. Its latest meeting was in New Delhi on March 19-20th, 2009. Proposed activities of SAFJUAA include regional survey of study experiences of Japanese Alumni and regional Japanese Language Speech Contest.

Occasional activities such as preparation of a report for Nomura Research Institute on 'India & Asia in 2010's: Perspectives from India' and organisation of exhibitions and conferences are also undertaken. With encouragement, support and cooperation from the Government of Japan, its Embassy and Consulates, the Japan Foundation, Japan Student Services Organisation (JASSO), Associations of Japanese residents in India and others, MOSAI has emerged as a lead voluntary organisation specialising in promotion of educational and academic cooperation between India and Japan. Its President received Emperor of Japan's Medal of Honour and the Foreign Minister of Japan accorded commendation to the association.

Furoshiki

Have you ever been out shopping in Japan and surprised by how carefully your purchase was wrapped?

Something that the Japanese have traditionally used for wrapping things is a square piece of cloth called a Furoshiki. It is a reusable tool that can be utilized in a variety of ways including wrapping, tying, carrying, bundling, shrouding and decorating something.

It is particularly used for wrapping purposes and is versatile in that it can be used to wrap things in just about any shape or form such as square boxes, cylindrical objects like bottles and round items like soccer balls.

There is also a great variation in the way of wrapping items. Look here for some examples:

Its decorative aspect is also worth noting, and there is a great variation in the designs of the cloth, from very traditional motifs to ultra modern patterns, so you can also make a fashion statement when using a Furoshiki to carry something. In the spring, you could express the seasons by selecting a Furoshiki with cherry blossom designs. If you are wrapping a gift for a special occasion, you can wrap it in a traditional auspicious pattern and let your friend know how much you care.

Why not experience Japan's wrapping culture using Furoshiki?

Japanese Movies

The 81st Academy Awards ceremony was held in Los Angeles on February 22. Two Japanese films won Oscars this year, with "Okuribito (Departures)," directed by Yoji Takita receiving the first award for Best Foreign Language Film won by a Japanese movie, and "Tsumiki no Ie (La Maison en Petit Cubes)" directed by Kunio Kato selected as Best Animated Short Film, also a first for a Japanese piece. There are many Japanese films that have received international critical acclaim in recent years. They include Japanimation pieces such as director Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira" and Hayao Miyazaki's "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away)," as well as live action films like "Hana-bi (Fireworks)," directed by Takeshi Kitano and Hideo Nakata's "Ring." It is not just in recent years that Japanese movies began winning high acclaim. Japan has produced many internationally recognized films for some time. For example, movies directed by Kenji Mizoguchi including "Ugetsu Monogatari (Tales of the Pale and Silvery Moon After the Rain)" won prizes at the Venice Film Festival for three years in a row between 1952 and 1954. In 1983, Shohei Imamura's "Narayama Bushiko (Ballad of Narayama)" was awarded the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. Other internationally noted Japanese directors include Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse, whose legacies live on to this day. One of the most famous of Japanese directors is Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa first received international recognition in 1951 when his "Rashomon" won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. In 1954, "Shichinin no Samurai (Seven Samurai)," a film about seven Samurai protecting a village from bandits, was awarded the Silver Lion, again at the Venice Film Festival. Kurosawa continued to make many masterpieces until his death in 1998, including "Tengoku to Jigoku (High and Low)," a suspense-filled police story about a kidnapper and detective; "Aka Hige (Red Beard)," a drama about a doctor who saves the poor at a charity hospital; and "Kagemusha," an epic drama of feudal conflict. Akira Kurosawa is also known to have had influence on many film directors around the world. George Lucas, who professes of being a Kurosawa fan, has said that the relationship between C-3PO and R2-D2 in his "Star Wars" series was inspired by characters in Kurosawa's "Kakushi Toride no San Akunin (The Hidden Fortress)." Meanwhile, the "Magnificent Seven" directed by John Sturges was a resetting of Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai." Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas served as the executive producers of the international version of Kurosawa's "Kagemusha." A great many directors have also expressed their love and respect for Kurosawa, including Federico Fellini and Steven Spielberg. Movies are said to be one of the best ways of getting to know a country's culture. Why not find out more about Japan by going to see a Japanese movie?

"Departures" director Yoji Takita (R) and actor Masahiro Motoki holding their Oscar "Departures" poster *Unauthorized reproduction of photos prohibited.

The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Will Be Revised in 2010!

Those of you who have completed your studies in Japan have probably taken the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at one time or another.

The JLPT is a certification test begun in 1984 with the objective of enabling students of the Japanese language, whether in Japan or overseas, to make an objective evaluation of their proficiency level as compared to others around the world studying Japanese.

In December 2008, the JLPT was taken by more than 560,000 people and administered in 173 cities in 52 countries and regions around the world, including Japan. It is the most widely recognized certification test for the Japanese language in the world. While the JLPT has traditionally been administered in December, the JLPT certification test for Levels 1 and 2 will also be carried out in July 2009 in Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea.

Outside of Japan, the JLPT is administered by the Japan Foundation (Interchange Association, Japan for tests in Taiwan) with the cooperation of local organizations and in Japan by the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services.

The JLPT is going to be revised in 2010 and the outline of changes is as follows. Please refer to the official Japanese-Language Proficiency Test website (http://www.jlpt.jp/e/index.html) if you would like further details.

Why not use this as an opportunity to undertake Japanese-language studies again and try to see if you can get a new certification?

• Goals of the New Test

The goal of the new JLPT is for it to be a test that measures communicative competence in accomplishing tasks. Linguistic knowledge that is the basis for communicative competence is of course also measured. The test aims to reflect real-life situations in which the student of Japanese language will be using Japanese.

• Setting Levels (Change from 4 Levels to 5 Levels)

There have been requests in the past to address the fact that those who have passed the Level 3 test often have trouble passing the Level 2 test as well as to measure abilities higher than that targeted by the current Level 1 test. Furthermore, advances in Japanese-language education and changes in social circumstances have resulted in a more diverse range of needs among examinees as compared to when the test was first introduced. In order to better respond to such diverse needs, the test will be reorganized into a 5-level format from the current 4-level format.

The current test has 4 levels: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4. After the revision, there will be 5 levels: N1, N2, N3, N4 and N5. The "N" stands for both "Nihongo" and "New."

N1: This is at about the same passing level as the current Level 1 test. However,
      it is designed to measure slightly more advanced abilities as well.
N2: This is at about the same passing level as the current Level 2 test.
N3: This is at a passing level bridging the current Level 2 and Level 3 tests.
N4: This is at about the same passing level as the current Level 3 test.
N5: This is at about the same passing level as the current Level 4 test.

• Reading and Listening Test Sections

Reading Section: This corresponds to both Writing-Vocabulary and Reading-Grammar in the current test.
Listening Section: This corresponds to Listening in the current test.

The graduation season has ended in Japan and the foreign students who came to study in Japan after you have embarked on new journeys, whether it is to go on to the next step in their education, work for a Japanese company or return to their home country. We are sure that the graduation ceremonies they experienced during this season of cherry blossoms will be remembered as important milestones in their lives.

This Email Magazine is brought to former foreign students to help you maintain ties with Japan even after return to your home country and in the hope that you will become a bridge between your country and Japan. If you have comments about articles in this issue or topics that you would like to see featured, please send an email to: webmaster@studyjapan.go.jp. We will use your comments to help make the content of this Email Magazine even richer in the future. We look forward to hearing from you.