The Japan Foundation has been engaged in a various cultural initiatives with the objectives of deepening understanding of Japan overseas and promoting mutual understanding between Japan and other countries. We believe it is important that our work, including our work in Japanese education, proceeds in a way that encourages mutual understanding between people in situations where international cultural exchange takes place. This coursebook, Marugoto: Japanese Language and Culture, was developed for adult learners of Japanese as a foreign language, based on this way of thinking. Marugoto: Japanese Language and Culture is based on the JF Standard for Japanese Language Education, and was designed with an emphasis on using Japanese to communicate, and on understanding and respecting other cultures. In addition, the coursebook's contents and approach were devised so that students can enjoy studying language and culture for its own sake, even if they are not in Japan. Each topic in Marugoto: Japanese Language and Culture contains situations where people from a variety of cultural backgrounds interact in Japanese. You can experience various aspects of Japanese culture through photographs and illustrations while listening to a number of natural conversations taking place in each situation. We will be very happy if, through this book, people throughout the world feel completely familiar with the language and culture of Japan, and the people who actually live in this culture and speak this language.