Stage Beyond Borders | Japanese stage performances online

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‘Stage Beyond Borders’ is an online project by The Japan Foundation, which presents outstanding Japanese stage performances with multilingual subtitles for free. The works distributed through this project span the three genres of contemporary theatre, dance performance and traditional performing arts.

Performing arts is one of the earliest forms of entertainment that through strangers and various environments stirs the imagination about ongoing stories and provides hopes and hints about the real world.

For more details and full playlist of performances, please visit: https://stagebb.jpf.go.jp/en/

The ‘Stage Beyond Borders’ playlist is also available on the YouTube channel here:

Photo: The Japan Foundation

A Hybrid Japanese Typewriter project among finalists of the 2023 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition

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A Hybrid Japanese Typewriter project developed by Stratford College 3rd year student Joseph Mudrak was among finalists of the 2023 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition.

 

 

Joseph (14) has always loved to discover new and challenging things to learn. He learned to read when he was two years old, and by the time he was ten, he was teaching himself Chinese characters. He loves learning new languages and currently speaks Polish, English, and Irish, and is learning Japanese, French, and German. Joseph is also a pianist and has won a few competitions in Ireland. He is currently doing RIAM Grade 7 at the age of 14.

His passion has always been languages, different cultures of the world, music and programming. Joseph is also very interested in Japanese culture and language, and it is his dream to visit Japan one day.

After starting to learn Japanese at home by himself, he realised that Japanese is a very complex language, with thousands of different characters, which led Joseph to wondered how a hypothetical typewriter would work with such a writing system. After finding out about what currently exists and is available, he decided to make an electric version that fits all the characters used in Japanese onto a standard QWERTY keyboard. There are still industries where typewriters are in use, and this project is a robust and easy-to-use solution.

 

 

There were more than 1700 projects submitted for the competition of the 2023 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition. The judges chose 550 for the final exhibition at RDS, Dublin, and Joseph’s project ‘エレキタイプ – A Hybrid Japanese Typewriter’ was among the finalists.

 

‘I very much enjoyed talking to you about your project on a Hybrid Japanese Typewriter. I had no idea how difficult  it is to type Japanese and I was surprised by the complexity of the problem. You presented your project with clarity and confidence. Well done!’ – Dr. Peter Taylor, Judge at the BTYSTE 2023

 

Micheál Martin, Tánaiste, Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, and Ivana Bacik, Leader of the Labour Party visited exhibition at RDS, Dublin and showed interest in Joseph’s project.

 

Joseph also had a wonderful opportunity to meet with Ms. Keiko Nakata, Embassy of Japan in Ireland, who was delighted to learn about his invention and received a gift book about Joseph’s project.

The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is much more than a competition – it is the experience of a lifetime for the students and teachers who take part. Designed to raise schools’ engagement in the critical subjects of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM), the Exhibition calls upon students aged 12-19 years from all over the island of Ireland to showcase innovative science and technology project.
Photos and videos: Agata Mudrak personal archive

IJA welcomes its new 2023 Patron Member – ElectroRoute

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Ireland Japan Association is delighted to welcome ElectroRoute, an international, renewables-focused, energy trading and services company, on board the IJA as our new 2023 Patron Member, and we are looking forward to a long lasting and successful cooperation.

 The company, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, has grown rapidly from its establishment in 2011 to now employing over 90 professionals based in Ireland, the UK, Europe, and Japan.

The company’s vision is to make net zero a reality by solving the commercial mechanics of a decarbonised energy system. ElectroRoute intelligently leverages the benefits of new technologies, our advanced methodologies, and the application of unrivalled expertise to develop innovative energy trading and renewable risk management solutions.

Its team of traders trade and optimise a range of renewable assets on a 24/7 basis using its unique, tech-driven, AI-powered platform, ElectroRoute CORE.

If you wish to learn more about ElectroRoute and services they provide, please visit their website: https://electroroute.com/ or visit ElectroRoute profile on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Ichigo Ichie Dinner Event 2022 | PHOTO GALLERY

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On 18th November the Ireland Japan Association invited its members and friends for an unforgettable and timeless experience of exquisite Japanese haute-cuisine at the Michelin star Japanese restaurant Ichigo Ichie, Cork.

 

 

Event started with the welcome words by Hiro Ino, IJA Council, who thanked everyone of attending this every special occasion. Event guests had a unique opportunity to enjoy kaiseki multi-course tasting menu with elaborately prepared and exquisite dishes bringing everybody on an amazing taste journey through Japanese cuisine. We would like to thank chef Takashi Miyazaki and his team for this exclusive experience.

 

 

 

The IJA would like to thank Hiro Ino, IJA Council, for organising this wonderful event, and our hosts at Ichigo Ichie for an unforgettable evening at their beautiful restaurant.

Photos: Hiro Ino and Eva Reavley

Interview with Raymond Hegarty, IJA Chairperson | 2022 Ireland Report for The Japan Times

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We are delighted and very proud that the 2022 Ireland Report for The Japan Times features an interview with Raymond Hegarty, IJA Chairperson. You can read the full interview with Raymond Hegarty here: https://sms-bridges.com/encouraging-connections/
Founded in 1897, The Japan Times is Japan’s largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper with headquarters in Tokyo.
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This interview was prepared in cooperation with media specialists SMS Bridges. Bridges is a digital business and lifestyle magazine for high-level Japanese executives, global business leaders, investors and entrepreneurs.

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Ikebana Workshops in Dublin | PHOTO GALLERY

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On 29th October we welcomed our good friend Tomoko Sempo Yanagi, Professor of Ikenobo Ikebana Society and Chairperson of Ikenobo UK and Ireland Group to Dublin for two in-person Ikebana Workshops at the Warrenmount Community Education Centre.

We would like to thank everyone who joined Ikebana workshops, and we are delighted that so many people had an amazing opportunity to learn about the history and traditions of the beautiful and delicate Ikebana flower arranging art together with Ikebana master Tomoko Sempo Yanagi.

Huge thanks to Tomoko san for sharing her passion for Ikebana with all the participants, and inspiring everyone to discover more about this unique and beautiful part of Japanese culture. During the workshop participants created their own Ikebana arrangements using seasonal flowers and plants.

We also would like to thank Warrenmount Community Education Centre and Pauline McGaley for hosting our event, welcoming everyone at the venue and looking after us on the day!

Photos: Raymond Hegarty and Eddie Hughes

Openskies Aerial Technology Ltd. joins the IJA as a Corporate member

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Ireland Japan Association (IJA) is delighted to welcome Openskies Aerial Technology Ltd. on board the IJA as a Corporate member and is looking forward to a long lasting and successful cooperation.

Openskies Aerial Technology Ltd. builds open source tools, services and specifications to support the existing and future aerial robotics ecosystem, and provides technical expertise, software development capability and project management services to the future aviation systems.

Openskies Aerial Technology Ltd. professionally supports and has founded leading products and opensource communities in the context of UTM and unmanned aviation: Flight Blender (https://flightblender.com) and Flight Spotlight (https://flightspotlight.com) provide open source standards compliant UTM implementations. Aerobridge (https://aerobridge.io) focuses on drone assembly, manufacturing and flight security with software and hardware for trusted flights. – Hrishikesh Ballal, Co-Founder and CEO

 

If you wish to learn more about Openskies Aerial Technology Ltd. and services they provide, please visit their website: https://about.openskies.sh/or visit their profile on LinkedIn.

Cpl Resources team wins the IJA Golf Cup in 2022

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The IJA Annual Golf Outing 2022 tournament took place on 5th September at the beautiful Foxrock Golf Club, Dublin.

We would like to thank all the teams who supported us and participated in the tournament this year, and we send special congratulations to the winners – Cpl Resources team – who came first and won the IJA Ishikawa Cup in 2022!

Stephen Mullin, Cpl Resources, receives the IJA Ishikawa Cup from Raymond Hegarty, IJA Chairperson

1st place – Cpl Resources team
Stephen Mullin
Tom Kennedy
Fionan O’Sullivan
Eoin Greene

Congratulations to 2nd and 3rd place winners:

2nd place – Dillon Eustace team
Paul Breen
Peter Harvey
Darragh Sheehan
David Kavanagh

3rd place – SMBC Aviation Capital team

Tom Tanaka
Tomoo Fukuda
David Swan
Breifne Ryan

Many thanks to all participants of the tournament this year: Dillon Eustace, Mitsubishi Electric, SMBC Aviation Capital, Cpl Resources, Michael Darcy and David Dodd.

 

We would like to thank IJA Council members and event team who helped to organise this event: Stephen Mullin, Darina Slattery, and Raymond Hegarty.

We would like to thank our prize sponsors, the IJA Council and Cpl Resources, our hosts and team at the Foxrock Golf Club for all the help and support before and during our event, and last but not least – all our event participants who joined us on this day and made it such a great success.

We are looking forward to our Golf Outing 2023 tournament next year!

Raymond Hegarty, IJA Chairperson (left) and Michael Darcy, IJA Individual Member and former Chairperson (right)

Dillon Eustace Team – 2nd place winners

 

Dr. and Mrs. Ushioda Scholarship in 2022 is awarded to Joseph Peter Talento

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The Ireland Japan Association is delighted to announce that in 2022 the Ushioda Scholarship is awarded to Joseph Peter Talento, studying Business Studies International at DCU. Joseph will be travelling to Japan for an exchange year at Toyo University.

‘My name is Joseph, a Filipino who is in love with Japanese culture. Growing up I was surrounded and influenced in many ways by Japanese culture, including the language and media. I often found myself staring at videos, watching people visiting Japan and vlogging their experiences studying in the country. When I saw the option to complete an exchange year abroad in Japan with DCU, I thought – why don’t I try that myself? Along the way, I was able to learn more and more about Japanese society. Today, I am months away from beginning my exchange year abroad at Toyo University, under the Faculty of Economics. During these coming 11 months, I plan to really develop my strength in the language, travel as much as I can and overall, see what the realities of life in Japan is truly like!’ – Joseph Peter Talento

We would like to thank Ms Paula Kelly, IJA Council, for her support and assistance with the scholarship management and administration process this year.

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Dr. and Mrs. Ushioda Scholarship was established in 2019 in honour of Dr. and Mrs. Ushioda’s major contribution to the development of the Ireland Japan Association and Ireland-Japan relations, and to underpin the association’s strong commitment to supporting Japanese studies in Ireland.

IJA Annual Dinner 2022 | Photo Gallery

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On 17th June the IJA members, friends, and supporters came together to celebrate and enjoy one of our biggest events of the year – the IJA Annual Dinner 2022. This year it took place at one of the most beautiful Dublin venues – Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel.

 

The evening began with Sake reception, kindly supported by our corporate member – Retro Vino Wine & Sake. Reception was followed by welcome words from Catherine Grennell-Whyte, Master of Ceremonies, and after that guests enjoyed a delicious 3-course meal in the beautiful Le Panto Suite.

 

Catherine Grennell-Whyte, Finnair/ATTS, Master of Ceremonies

 

Speeches were given by Raymond Hegarty, IJA Chairperson and Mr. Makoto Honda, Counsellor, DHM, Embassy of Japan.

 

 

Prize Giving this year was sponsored by the IJA Corporate members – Bank of Ireland, Cpl Resources, Dillon Eustace, KWE Ireland, Retro Vino, Unique Japan Tours and Yamamori. The Grand Prize this year was sponsored by Finnair, IJA 2022 Travel Partner, and we would like to congratulate the lucky winner who received 2 return flights to Japan.

 

Grand prize winner received 2 tickets to Japan from Finnair/ATTS.

 

It was great to see everyone back together after so long. We are happy for you attending the event and look forward to seeing you again in coming events. – Tsugumi Yamamoto, IJA Vice Chairperson

 

We would like to thank all our members and friends who attended the IJA Annual Dinner this year, and special thanks go to our 2022 Travel Partner – Finnair, and all our Corporate members for their continued support and very generous prizes.

We would also like to thank Dublin School for Japanese Children who made beautiful origami decorations for our dinner guests, and to Mrs. Tomoko Ozaki who created Ikebana flower arrangements for the event. Huge thanks to the event team at the Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel for being great hosts and providing excellent service during our event.

We would like to thank Catherine Grennell- Whyte, Master of Ceremonies, and our event team and volunteers from the IJA Council – Raymond Hegarty, Tsugumi Yamamoto, Darina Slattery, Laura Goonan, Jonathan Kelly, Hiro Ino and Eddie Hughes – for their time, support and help to make this year’s event such a great success.

More photos from the IJA Annual Dinner 2022 are in the photo gallery below. Please click on the image to enlarge it.

 

Photos: Kevin O’Neill, Laura Goonan, Darina Slattery, Eddie Hughes, Raymond Hegarty and Jonathan Kelly