Finnair reveals its fifth Japanese destination – Sapporo

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Irish ski lovers can enjoy a piste of the action in the Far East when Finnair starts twice weekly flights to the stunning Japanese ski resort of Sapporo.

The prestigious new winter route for 2019/2020 is the Finnish flag carrier’s fifth destination in Japan, in addition to Tokyo Narita, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Finnair also becomes the only European carrier to operate services to Sapporo.

Sapporo is well known as a great winter and skiing destination offering stunning landscapes and fantastic winter-themed activities in a traditional Japanese setting.

Christian Lesjak, Finnair Senior Vice President, Network and Resource Management, said: “Japan is a key market for us, and we are excited about adding Sapporo to our network.”

“With the new route, Finnair is the only European airline to fly a scheduled route to Sapporo. With five key Japanese cities in our network, we are now the largest European carrier flying to Japan.”

It also means customers benefit from extra flights to Tokyo and Hong Kong. Finnair is adding two weekly frequencies on its Tokyo Narita route for the winter, flying a total of nine times a week.

Fabulous flight fares to your favorite cities in Japan | Finnair

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Finnair has just announced fabulous flight fares campaign giving you the chance to fly from Dublin to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka from €599 only.

Treat yourself or your loved ones to a wonderful experience and visit Japan in 2019!

The selling period is between 20th December 2018 – 31st January 2019.

Log on to www.finnair.ie or contact your Local Travel Agent for booking or more information
about the fare rules. Campaign fare includes all taxes and surcharges.

Welcome aboard Finnair!

EU-Japan News – December 2018 Issue Available Now

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EU-Japan NEWS is the quarterly newsletter of the EU-Japan Centre launched in 2003 and containing EU-Japan-related news and features on topics of interest to EU and Japan businesses and public bodies.

The newest issue of the December 2018 Newsletter is available now with the EU and Japan related news, partnering opportunities, Enterprise Europe network news and lots of other useful information and links.

EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is a unique venture between the European Commission and the Japanese government. It is a non-profit organisation established as an affiliate of the Institute of International Studies and Training (IIST).

It aims at promoting all forms of industrial, trade and investment cooperation between the EU and Japan and at improving EU and Japanese companies’ competitiveness and cooperation by facilitating exchanges of experience and know-how between EU and Japanese businesses.

You can read full December 2018 Newsletter here!

Grant Thornton joins IJA as a Corporate member

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Ireland Japan Association (IJA) is delighted to welcome professional services firm Grant Thornton on board IJA as a Corporate member and is looking forward to a long lasting and successful cooperation.

Grant Thornton Ireland is the fast-growing professional services firm and the Japan Desk has been established in Dublin to deliver services to Japanese companies. Grant Thornton provide assurance, tax, advisory, and especially is focused on BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) services by collaborating across global member firms.

Please follow the link to see Japan Desk brochure here!

Please follow the link to see FAAS brochure here!

If you wish to learn more about Grant Thornton and services they provide, please visit their website: www.grantthornton.ie

Fantastic seat sale to Osaka | Finnair

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If you have always dreamt about visiting Osaka – one of Japan’s largest cities – now is the right time to book your flights because Finnair has just launched a massive seat sale to this charming Asian destination!

Osaka, which is known for its history, architecture and delicious food, also offers countless tourism attractions and nightlife entertainment.

You should definitely visit impressive 16th-century Osaka Castle and its surrounding park, Universal Studios at Osaka’s waterfront which is the first Universal Studios to open in Asia, Aquarium or Kaiyukan which offers amazing sea-life experience, and Minami (Namba) district which is famous for entertainment, dining and shopping, and is lit by thousands of neon lights at the nighttime.

Log on to www.finnair.ie or contact your Local Travel Agent for booking or more information
about the fare rules. Campaign fare includes all taxes and surcharges.

Welcome aboard Finnair!

Bank of Ireland team wins IJA Golf Outing Cup 2018

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Annual IJA Golf Outing took place on 11th October at the stunning Hermitage Golf Course on the banks of the river Liffey.

We would like to thank all the teams who participated in the tournament and send special congratulations to the winners – Bank of Ireland Team!

The list of winners:

1st place & winners of the IJA Golf Cup 2018 – Bank of Ireland Team

  • Dan O’Donnell
  • Liam Marnane
  • Gavin Rylands
  • Ciaran Cash

2nd place – Allied Irish Banks Team

  • Niall Moriarty
  • Aidan Byrne
  • Robert Cooke
  • Kean Gilbert

3rd place – SuMi Trust Team

  • Colm Geary
  • Peter Callaghan
  • Karl McEneff
  • David Carroll

Congratulations also to Uniqe Japan Tours team and Dillon Eustace team for participating in the tournament.

Many thanks to everybody who helped to organize this event, our hosts at the Hermitage golf club and all the participants. Many thanks to KWE Ireland, ANA, Dillon Eustace and BOI for prize sponsorship.

We are looking forward to our Golf Outing 2019 next year!

Reading of Noh drama ‘Between The Stones’ | Dublin

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On Sunday, 23rd September, we were delighted to welcome Jannete Cheong, London based poet, writer, designer and curator, and the first British person to write an English-language Noh, to Dublin for an afternoon of reading of new Noh drama ‘Between The Stones’.

Event took place and was hosted by Royal Hibernian Academy, and was attended by IJA members, representatives of Embassy of Japan in Ireland and general public.

It was a great opportunity to everyone interested in Japanese culture and arts to learn about Noh and its development from ‘page to stage’. Event also helped to build new relationships and share ideas and learning through cultural and educational engagement both inside and outside the world of Noh.

Noh is classical Japanese theatre which combines elements of dance, drama, music and poetic text into a highly aesthetic for or art and uses elaborate costumes and exquisitely carved wooden masks.

Review about Dublin event can be found here!

Screenshot: www.betweenstestones.com

IJA would like to thank Jannette Cheong and everyone at the ‘Between The Stones’ project, RHA for hosting this event and everyone who attended. Thank you!

More information about the project: www.betweenthestones.com 

EU-Japan News – October 2018 Issue Available Now

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EU-Japan NEWS is the quarterly newsletter of the EU-Japan Centre launched in 2003 and containing EU-Japan-related news and features on topics of interest to EU and Japan businesses and public bodies.

The newest issue of the October 2018 Newsletter is available now with the EU and Japan related news, partnering opportunities, Enterprise Europe network news and lots of other useful information and links.

EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is a unique venture between the European Commission and the Japanese government. It is a non-profit organisation established as an affiliate of the Institute of International Studies and Training (IIST).

It aims at promoting all forms of industrial, trade and investment cooperation between the EU and Japan and at improving EU and Japanese companies’ competitiveness and cooperation by facilitating exchanges of experience and know-how between EU and Japanese businesses.

You can read full October 2018 Newsletter here!

Day trip to Lafcadio Hearn Japanese gardens in Tramore

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On 9th September 2018, Ireland Japan Association organised a day trip for its members and friends to Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens in Tramore, Co. Waterford.

We were happy to see so many IJA members, families and friends joining us and it definitely was a wonderful day spent together outdoors learning about the history of the gardens and exploring its beauty.

The Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens are set in the beautiful seaside town of Tramore and reflect the life of Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo), who grew up in Ireland, and whose life journey embraced several parts of the world.

Japanese gardens feature many Japanese plants and Japanese architectural features and are a haven of beauty and tranquility for all who visit. You will also find a beautiful traditional Japanese Tea Garden, a Stream Garden, ponds, a waterfall and an extensive woodland area. Children are introduced to these magical gardens through a special children’s discovery trail, secret pathways, woodlands and Lafcadio Hearn’s fairytales and folklore.

After the walk through the gardens, we were treated to a delicious Japanese lunch provided by Yamamori restaurants.

IJA would like to thank everyone who joined us for this amazing trip, everyone at Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens for hosting and guiding us through the gardens, and Yamamori Restaurants for providing us with delicious Japanese Bento lunchboxes.

*Information about the gardens from: Lafcadiohearngardens.com

Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) | 2 December 2018

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If you are studying Japanese language, would like to test you language level and receive an internationally recognised qualification for non-native speakers, please note that in Ireland, the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) will take place on 2nd December, 2018.

JLPT in Dublin, 2018
Next Exam:  Sunday, 2nd December 2018
Venue:  John Henry Newman Building, Newman Building, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4
Time:  You will be asked to arrive by 12:00
Fee:  €85

Registration closes on Friday 5th October 2018 at 23:59 (Midnight)

If you wish to book your JLPT examination, you can do it here!

In Ireland, the JLPT is administered by UCD Japan on behalf of the Japan Foundation.

You can find more information about the JLPT in the brochure here!