About Wochi Kochi

Wochi Kochi is an online magazine run by the Japan Foundation, cultivating friendship and ties between Japan and the world through culture.

Wochi Kochi was established in 2010 to publish information about international cultural exchange. It is the successor to the paper-based magazines International Exchanges (1974-2004) and Wochi Kochi (Far and Near) (2004-2009), publications by the Japan Foundation that were the only magazines in Japan dedicated to the topic of international cultural exchange.

“Wochi kochi” is an ancient Japanese expression denoting “far and near” in terms of location or time, and used to mean “here and there” or “the present and the future.” It was chosen as the name of Wochi Kochi magazine to express the desire to share the Japanese language and culture with the people of the world, deepen mutual understanding with other countries, and serve as a cultural bridge that brings people together, both individually and on the national level.

The Wochi Kochi online magazine follows in the spirit of its printed predecessor, Wochi Kochi (Far and Near), bringing you articles on a special topic in each edition. It includes interviews with and articles contributed by professionals at the forefront of cultural exchange, and also has reports on cultural exchange programs by Japan Foundation staff located across the globe. Experiencing a variety of different cultures helps to broaden horizons and enrich lives. Continually sharing new discoveries, surprises, and joys, Wochi Kochi aims to bring you the latest on cultural exchange involving Japan throughout the world.

We welcome feedback and look forward to hearing your thoughts and views. You can contact the Wochi Kochi web magazine at the Japan Foundation Public Relations Department at jf-toiawase@jpf.go.jp (Replace the non-standard ‘@’ with a standard ‘@’ character).

Use Wochi Kochi Search to search the online magazine and printed magazine archives

Using Wochi Kochi Search, you can freely search articles in the Wochi Kochi web magazine as well as all thirty-two issues of the Wochi Kochi (Far and Near) magazine by keyword, location, and author. Articles in the magazine Wochi Kochi (Far and Near) are also available in PDF form.

Website policy

Copyright
  1. 1. Copyright and other intellectual property rights in all information on this website, including text, graphics, and images, belongs to the Japan Foundation unless otherwise specified.
  2. 2. Information on this website may not be reproduced or reprinted, either wholly or partially, except for personal use.
  3. 3. Information on this website may be cited for mainly educational purposes and other purposes as explicitly permitted by law. When citing information from the website, credit must be given to the Japan Foundation.
    * Examples of acceptable credits
    In Japanese: “提供:国際交流基金(JF)” or “出典:国際交流基金(JF)”
    In English: “Copyright: The Japan Foundation” or “Source: The Japan Foundation”
  4. 4. Any use of images on this site relating to specific individuals or organizations requires the permission of said individuals or organizations in order to protect their rights. Please contact the Japan Foundation Public Relations Department to find out how to obtain the permission of said individuals or organizations.
  5. 5. Use of information on this website for advertising, sales, or other commercial purposes is prohibited.
Disclaimers
  1. 1. The Japan Foundation shall not be liable for any loss or damages that may result from the use of this website or the information on this website. While the Japan Foundation pays scrupulous attention to the security of this website, this does not guarantee the complete elimination of errors in content, or modification of content due to causes beyond the control of the Japan Foundation, such as intentional falsification by third parties.
  2. 2. For the convenience of users, this website includes content, links, and other information supplied by third parties that is beyond the responsibility of the Japan Foundation, as well as translations thereof by the Japan Foundation. Information and URLs on this website may be changed or removed without prior notice.
  3. 3. Due to the technical limitations of electronic media, appearance of text may differ from paper-based publications. In particular, there may be differences in the way that personal names or platform-dependent characters are rendered.
  4. 4. This website may be temporarily unavailable from time to time for reasons such as system failure or maintenance.

Privacy policy

The Japan Foundation gathers information on users of this website as part of the service involved in the provision of this website (such as providing information on this website and receiving input and feedback). The information gathered is handled in an appropriate manner as follows.

1. Scope of information gathered and purpose of use

This website gathers information such as internet domain names and IP addresses. It also uses cookies to automatically gather information such as information about the viewing of this website by users. This information is used to facilitate the provision of information on this website and to facilitate the operation of Japan Foundation projects.

2. Restriction on use and provision

Except for the following three cases, the Japan Foundation does not intentionally disclose to third parties any information gathered from users that can identify individual users.

- When disclosure of information is required by law.
- When the information has been provided with permission given specifically for disclosure of said information to a third party from the provider of said information.
- When the Japan Foundation discloses information that it has gathered to businesses or other third parties in so far as is necessary for said businesses or other third parties to process the information on behalf of the Japan Foundation.

Linking to this website

In principle, this website may be linked to freely. However, the Japan Foundation shall not be held responsible for any problems that may occur due to such links.

- Links should normally be made to the top page of this website
(https://www.wochikochi.jp/english/).
- Linking to this website in ways that do not make it clear that the information shown is Wochi Kochi content, such as linking to individual webpages from within a frame layout, is strictly prohibited.
- Actions that violate copyright, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights, privacy, image rights, or other rights are strictly prohibited.
- Unauthorized reuse or reproduction of the content of this website is also strictly prohibited.
- Please contact the Japan Foundation Public Relations Department in advance if you wish to include the content of this website in paper publications or storage media such as CD-ROMs, rather than linking to it on the web.