In December 2018 I was fortunate enough to be part of a short-term academic exchange program called MIRAI (the Japanese word for “future,” 未来).

The purpose of the program was to create and strengthen friendship ties and provide opportunities for intellectual exchange between Japan and other parts of the world. This specific program was targeted at Europe and had the theme economy and business.¹

Meiji shrine in Tokyo.

Participants had been identified as “young leaders who are expected to play an active role in international society” and came from all over Europe. In total, we were 39 people representing 26 countries (I was the only one from Sweden).

There was an ambitious itinerary for the 10-day program, with a cerefully curated mix of activities every day. These activities included, for example, lectures on various topics, university visits, company visits, cultural experiences, and a homestay with a Japanese family. They even managed to squeeze in (a little) time to let you explore on your own.

The majority of the program was spent in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, but during the homestay we took the Shinkansen (high-speed train) south along the coast to smaller cities.

The group was then divided into pairs, and each pair stayed with a Japanese family for the weekend; half the group was with families in Hamamatsu, and half in Toyohashi (I actually went to Kosai, which is a small village on the pacific coast, just between Hamamtsu and Toyohashi).

After the homestay, we visited Toyota city (yes, it is named after the car manufacturer) before taking the train back to Tokyo.

Left: Sophia University in Tokyo. Right: Martin learning calligraphy during homestay.

All in all, I think the MIRAI program was a fantastic experience and a privilege to be part of. The program was well-curated, and we got to learn a lot of different things.

As a foreigner, and first-time visitor to Japan, this was perfect. As I said before, the focus of the program was economy and business. But we learnt a lot about the culture, history, religion, architecture, cuisine (my favorite was unagi kabayaki, grilled eel, a local specialty of Kosai), and people of Japan as well.

One of the small annoyances beforehand was that I found it rather hard to find any good information about what the program was about and what to expect.

If you are interested in learning more about the MIRAI program, please contact me and I will gladly give you more information and tell you of my experience. You can also visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, or the MIRAI program’s Facebook page and blog.

It was a great experience, and I really recommend others to check it out.

I do not hold the rights to the MIRAI logo, contact MoFA for more information.