Eight young foreigners shared their unique take on Japanese society and memories of a month-long visit to the country during a symposium Saturday in Tokyo.

The gathering was the final event of a nearly one-month-long program called the Nihongo Summit co-organized by the nonprofit organization Japan Return Program and Nikkei Inc.

This year marked the final year of the annual program, which was launched in 1999 to nurture young global talent keen to study the Japanese language and help their career ambitions.