The Japan Forum		Hoshi-to-Mori International Tanka Contest 2004 Great prizes including a round-trip ticket to Japan are on offer for the winning tanka written in 5-7-5-7-7 syllable, five-line form. Go to http://www.tanka-hoshi.com for more details.     Encounter Japan! Each year, up to 15 British sixth-formers have a chance to live and study in Japan for ten months through the Encounter Japan scholarship programme, sponsored by the Japanese government. Administered by the international exchange organisation Youth for Understanding, the scheme provides a unique opportunity for participants to live with Japanese families and attend local high schools. This enables them to learn a new language, to make lasting friendships and to develop a better understanding of Japanese culture and way of life. If you are interested in applying, send a 500-600 word essay outlining why you would like to go to Japan and what you hope to gain from the experience, with a covering letter to : Lorraine Holliday, Youth for Understanding, 15 Hawthorn Road, Erskine, Renfrewshire PA8 7BT, Scotland; tel/fax : 0141 812 5561; email : yfu@holliday123.freeserve.co.uk
			UK teachers visit Kyohoku Senior High School in Yamanashi Prefecture Castle Hall School and Kyohoku High School have been partnered on the e-link scheme for 2 years. From February 16th to 25th 2003 Damien Heylings and Della Lawson visited the school on a study tour as part of Teachers' International Development Programme. As well as meeting JET participant Laura Phipps, the driving force for the link at the Japan end, the focus was on foreign language acquisition and links between the schools were further strengthened with many plans for future exchanges.
			Okinawan students visit UK partner school Junior High School students from two schools in Chatan, Okinawa took part in a speech contest in August 2001.  Due to the insecure global situation following September 11th, a trip to the UK scheduled for October 2001 was postponed. However, the two winners of the contest joined teachers and officials on a trip to the UK in early February 2002.  They visited London and their partner school in Gloucestershire. On November 12th and 13th 2002 members of the Chatan Board of Education and 4 students from Kuwae Junior High School returned to Dene Magna School. Representatives from the Board of Education also visited Lakers School in Gloucestershire to establish a link with Chatan Junior High. Teachers from Dene Magna School will visit the Okinawan school in May 2003, having applied for and successfully received funding from the Teachers International Professional Development programme.
			Ikuchi Junior High School Take a look at this website featuring work produced by students at a small school located near Hiroshima.  It was made as an example of the type of site classes could make as a "Who Are We?" project.
	The Japan Forum		The Way We Are (UK) Exhibition The Way We Are (UK) is the result of a competition challenging young people in Britain to find a way to present their everyday lives through photographs. The competition was part of a  larger project developed by the Japan Festival Education Trust for Japan 2001 and sponsored by KPMG. It followed on from an exhibition of photographs of - and by - Japanese high school students supported by The Japan Forum. The Way We Are (UK) exhibition will provide a unique window on the everyday lives of individual young people in Britain today. The photographs are personal statements of what is important to them, how they spend their time, and their dreams and ambitions. The exhibition in Japan is produced by the British Council as part of the year-long campaign UKNOW 2002.  Following an exhibition of the young photographers' work at the British Council centre in Tokyo in November 2002, sets of the display are currently available to secondary schools in Japan for use in the classroom together with notes for teachers containing suggestions and guidelines on how to incorporate the photos into lessons. Check out all the winning entries at JFET's website.
		Iwatsuki Nishihara Junior High This school in Saitama has taken part in the BT global schools network project and is also an active e-link participant.
		School Links Coordinator Hi! My name is Pred Evans and I come from Wales in the UK. I spent 3 years as an English teacher on the JET Programme (1997- 2000), based in Junior High Schools in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. I also have experience of teaching English in China. I look forward to the challenge of developing this exciting scheme and to see many new links created between schools in Japan and the UK. Tel  +81 (0)3 3235 8078 (direct) Fax  +81 (0)3 3235 8040 e-mail : school-links@britishcouncil.or.jp