The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) is currently seeking applicants for its 2011 Nikkei Youth Cultural Heritage Program (NYCHP).

The NYCHP is being sponsored by the following four cultural centers in the United States: the JCCCNC, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington in Seattle and the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i in Honolulu. It is made possible by support from The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, The Hatsuro and Amey Aizawa Family Charitable Trust, Japan Airlines and Kintetsu International.

The program will bring college-age participants from each of the respective cultural centers to Kobe, Japan for a month-long intensive language and homestay program. The program, in cooperation with the Kobe YMCA Language Program (Hyogo Prefecture, Japan), is designed for Nikkei youth to gain a better understanding of their ancestral and cultural background while discovering Japan in a unique and exciting way.

This program will allow participants to immerse themselves in the Japanese culture through Japanese language and writing classes, attend introductory classes in traditional Japanese art forms, excursions exploring different parts of the Kansai region, all while having the opportunity to practice their Japanese language skills on a daily basis with their homestay families.

The program incorporates a mandatory pre-tour trip to Japan before the language and homestay program officially begins.

Highlights of the pre-tour will include a trip to Hiroshima’s Peace Park and Museum and a visit to Miyajima Island — considered one of Japan’s most beautiful sites — and a walking tour of Kyoto. The students will also be able to partake in local delicacies and regional sites.

This program is open to students at any level of the Japanese language, even those with no experience. Applicants must be 18 years of age and older and have completed a minimum of one semester of college studies.

The NYCHP participants will be chosen based on their application, essay and interview. Applicants will select the cultural center that is most convenient for them to be interviewed (March 24-30) and if selected, be able to attend a pre-trip workshop in preparation for their one-month stay in Japan.

The NYCHP tuition rate for the Kobe YMCA Summer Language Program is $3,500 per student and does not include airfare. The NYCHP price includes the pre-tour (transportation and lodging included), language class tuition, texts and class materials; hotel stay (for two nights); homestay fee, which includes breakfast and dinner daily; participation in traditional cultural art classes such as ikebana, karate or shodo; and day trips to Kyoto and Nara.

Partial scholarships may be available.

The program, with the support of Japan Airlines, has confirmed reduced estimated round-trip rates of $850 from San Francisco or Los Angeles and $800 from Honolulu for its program participants (not including fuel surcharge and tax).

For more information and to download the application, visit the JCCCNC Website at www.jcccnc.org or call Aya Ino at (415) 567-5505. Applications are due on Friday, March 11.