Austrian-Japanese Youth Exchange ÖJJ

Until 2020, every other year in summer a group of ten to twelve young people from Austria traveled to Japan. Alternately a Japanese group of the same size traveled to Austria the following year. In 2024, activities resumed after the pandemic and ÖJAB dispatched a youth group to their partner organisation YUAI in summer.  A report about the journey in German can be read here. Exchange programs with Kai-You-Kai are expected to resume in 2025.

The length of stay each is about two weeks.

The exchange programs are noncommercial, mostly organized by volunteers and supported by sponsors and donations.  The participants pay a cost contribution.

The goal of this youth exchange is to show young people the other country’s culture, history and way of life in a way that regular tourists are not able to. Ultimately, this experience enables the participants to get a comprehensive understanding of each other and develop lasting transnational friendships. Therefore, the program does not only include “regular” sights, but also visits at educational institutions, meet-ups with young locals and in case of the exchange program with Kai-You-Kai staying a couple of nights with host families to get to know the typical everyday life of the hosting country.

Those young people who travel to Japan with ÖJJ help, in return, hosting the Japanese guests in Austria. In this way, one-time encounters turn into long-lasting friendships and communities.

How can one participate in the Austrian-Japanese Youth Exchange?

The Austrian-Japanese Youth Exchange is primarily supported by its two member organizations ÖJAB and the Austrian-Japanese Society (ÖJG). Hence 18 to 30 year-old members affiliated to one of these two organizations or the third member organization Österreichisches Ferienwerk take priority. People affiliated to ÖJAB include persons living in one of ÖJAB’s student dormitories or did so in the past, persons attending courses in the Education & Integration sector and persons being members of ÖJAB. To become a member of the Austrian-Japanese Society one has to join via www.oejg.org.

To find out more about current youth exchange projects, please visit the German version of this page

Support the youth exchange with Japan!

The Austrian-Japanese Youth Exchange is looking for donors to be able to finance the material costs of the program in the upcoming years. Assist to make this exchange possible in the future and enable young people to make international experiences and friendships!

Information: Wolfgang Mohl, japan@oejab.at, 01 5979735-826

Donation account: 

Account name: Österreichisch-Japanischer Jugendaustausch
Bank: Erste Bank der oesterr. Sparkassen AG
IBAN: AT30 2011 1840 3542 6600
BIC: GIBAATWWXXX