Interview information and hints
Candidates who successfully pass the exam are notified by the Embassy of Japan of the date and time of the interview. The interview is usually given in English, although variations might apply according to the country you live in.
Tips & Hints:
- It is advisable that you dress formally for the interview. A suit usually does the trick.
- This is basic as far as any interview goes, but I’ll wite it anyway: keep your cool. When I took the interview, there were about six or seven interviewers. All except one were Japanese; don’t let that intimidate you.
- Although the interview is supposed to be testing your English language skill, it’s advisable to keep your vocabulary simple. You’ll figure out the reason for that as soon as you enter the interview room.
- When you enter the interview room, remember to bow and greet [“Konnichiwa” is OK]. Take a seat and wait for the first question; oh, and don’t be too surprised at their English 
- The questions will mostly refer to the answers to the three questions I mentioned before, in the application form: ‘Why do you want to study in Japan’, ‘Why have you chosen your field of study?’, and ‘What do you intend to do upon returning to your country?’.
- [This one’s important – I found it the hard way >_>]: Never interrupt your examiners. Most of them speek slowly (it seems like they’re searching for words every few sentences), so you may be under the fake impression that they’re done, even though they’re not. Make absolutely sure they’re finished before replying.
- General interview hints again: keep your focus, don’t let your eyes stray (to the other objects in the room, out the window, etc.); look at each examiner in turn, speak loudly and clearly, and try to at least act confident (even if on the inside you’re shaking like a leaf). That usually makes a good impression.
AFTER THE INTERVIEW
After you’ve taken the interview, gather your wits and prepare for a looooong wait. You’ll be notified whether or not you’ve been granted the scholarship sometime around February or March in the next year, so in the meantime it’s OK to turn your attention to other things. However, remember that it is advisable to study as much Japanese as you can, as most foreign students here at Oosaka Gaidai (and probably everywhere else) are already skilled in the language. I’ll try to compile a list of Internet resources for Japanese language studies later on; in the meantime, check to see if there are any courses around your area and try to make Japanese friends [or penfriends, there’s loads of websites for that]. All these help a lot.
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