Tag Archive for: Ireland Japan Association

Cpl Resources team wins the IJA Golf Cup in 2022

/in /by

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

/in /by

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.

***
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.

EU-Japan News | June 2022 Issue Available Now

/in /by

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 June 2022 Newsletter is available in an online and PDF version packed with the EU and Japan related news, partnering opportunities, 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 June 2022 Newsletter online here!

You can read full June 2022 Newsletter in PDF format here!

IJA Annual General Meeting 2022 | Review

/in /by

The 32nd Annual General Meeting for the Ireland Japan Association took place on Thursday, 24th March 2022. Meeting was held as a hybrid event with members attending in person and remotely via Zoom platform.

Raymond Hegarty, IJA Chairperson, thanked the outgoing Council members for their work, participation and team effort throughout the past year, Embassy of Japan for their continued support to the IJA, and all IJA Corporate and Individual members who have supported association and its activities in 2021.

Raymond Hegarty paid his respects to the late Derek Ryan, founder of Yamamori Japanese restaurants in Dublin. Yamamori has been a Corporate Member of the IJA and supporter of the IJA events for years.

In his report, Raymond Hegarty noted that 12 business and culture events were organized online and in person throughout the past year, including IJA Japanese Conversation Group, AGM 2021, Online Book Launch: Black Dragonfly by Jean Pasley, Sake Tasting Night, Origami workshop, Mid-Summer Japanese Outdoor Event, Tokyo Olympics: The Countdown, IJA Golf Outing 2021, Placing Employee Wellness at the Heart of Your Organisational Culture, tickets for the IJA members to the Ireland vs Japan Rugby Match at Aviva Stadium, Business Opportunities in Changing World, and Bounenkai Sake Reception and Dinner.

In 2021 IJA supported and promoted a list of online events organized by the IJA partner organisations, members and friends – UCD Japan, Unique Japan Tours, the Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce, Writers of Kyoto, Chester Beatty, Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens in Tramore, and many more.

The IJA supported Japanese School of Ireland with a donations in 2021.

Raymond Hegarty informed that IJA member’s network had 35 corporate members and 58 individual members in 2021. Two new corporate members joined the IJA in 2021 – VIOTAS and Shikkui Ireland.

An update on the Dr. and Mrs. Ushioda Scholarship was given during the meeting. Raymond Hegarty informed that after pausing scholarship award in 2020 due to Covid pandemic, in 2021 the IJA was honoured to award it to Francis Donnelly, studying for BA in Applied Languages, University of Limerick. Francis is planning to go to Nagoya University of Foreign Studies to continue her Japanese studies abroad. Raymond Hegarty thanked Paula Kelly for her support and assistance with the scholarship management and administration process over the last year.

Summary of the IJA Financial Statements for 2021 was shared with the AGM participants, membership subscription fees were discussed and approved for 2022/2023 and the new IJA Council members were announced.

Raymond Hegarty informed that this year there are 2 Council members leaving the Council. He thanked Verity Swan and Hiroaki Ozaki for their valuable advice, work and participation during their time on the Council. Yasuyuki Ozeki, former IJA Vice Chairperson will continue his work on the Council as an Ordinary Council member.

This year the IJA received enough nominations to satisfy the constitutional requirements for Chairperson and Ordinary Council members, and all places were filled without requiring a vote. This year 2 nominations were received for the IJA Vice Chairperson seat and voting took place from Thursday, 10th March – Thursday, 17th March 2022. Election results were reviewed and confirmed by an independent assessor – Stephen Power, Power & Associates.

We are delighted to announce that the new IJA Vice Chairperson is Tsugumi Yamamoto, IJA Individual member. We would also like to thank other nominee Hiro Ino, IJA Individual member, who will continue his work on the Council as an Ordinary Council member.

Four new Council members were welcomed to the IJA Council this year – Tsugumi Yamamoto, IJA Individual member who will take the seat of the IJA Vice Chairperson, and Brian Marconi, JTI, Hiro Ino, IJA Individual member and Jonathan Kelly, IJA Individual member who all will join the Council as Ordinary members.

The newly elected IJA Council for 2022:

Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson

  1. Raymond Hegarty, IJA Individual Member (Chairperson)
  2. Tsugumi Yamamoto, IJA Individual Member (Vice Chairperson)

Corporate Members:

  1. Brian Marconi, JTI
  2. Catherine Grennell-Whyte, Finnair/ATTS
  3. Darina Slattery, Unique Japan Tours
  4. Laura Goonan, Dillon Eustace
  5. Pamela Connell, Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking
  6. Stephen Mullin, CPL Ireland
  7. Yasuyuki Ozeki, JETRO

Individual Members:

  1. Eddie Hughes, IJA Individual Member
  2. Hiro Ino, IJA Individual Member
  3. Jonathan Kelly, IJA Individual Member
  4. Paula Kelly, IJA Individual Member

Not on Council but invited to attend meetings:

  1. Sou Watanabe (Honorary Member)

 

IJA Bounenkai End of Year Party 2021 | Photo Gallery

/in /by

On 2nd December the IJA members, friends, and supporters came together to celebrate and enjoy one of the most exciting cultural events and celebrations of the year – IJA Bounenkai End of Year Party with Sake reception and delicious Japanese dinner taking place at Yamamori Sushi, Dublin.

Eddie Hughes, IJA Council, welcomed everyone to the event and shared a message from Raymond Hegarty, IJA Chairperson:

Bounenkai – the Japanese traditional year end party is a way to close off the year with friends and colleagues and get ready to welcome a new year. The word Bounenkai literally means ‘a gathering to forget the year’ – to put the troubles of the year behind you and face the future.

This echoes traditional celebrations dating back to 16th century Japan, when the Samurai lords would gather in late December for a day of cultural activities such as writing and reciting poetry. In the evening they would celebrate with a large banquet.

We do not expect much poetry to be written tonight, but we do hope that you enjoy each other’s company at the sake reception and during the meal.

Thank you for supporting the IJA this year. I wish you all the best for this evening and for the end of the year. I look forward to seeing you all again in 2022. – Raymond Hegarty, IJA Chairperson

Colly Murray, RetroVino

Event guests had a wonderful opportunity to taste traditional Japanese Sake drinks, including premium Junmai Sake, accompanied by a short presentation on Sake history and culture by Colly Murray, RetroVino followed by a delicious dinner at Yamamori Sushi restaurant.
We would like to thank everyone  – our individual and corporate members as well as friends and supporters who attended this event. We appreciate your continued support to the IJA throughout this year.
A very big thanks goes to Colly Murray, RetroVino, for sharing his passion and knowledge about Japanese Sake, to Graham Ryan and his team, Yamamori Restaurants, for hosting our event and making sure everyone had the best time, and last but not least – to Eddie Hughes, IJA Council, for his time, support and help to make this event such a great success.
Note: Please note that during this event the IJA followed and complied with the health and safety recommendations and restaurant policy.
Photos: Eddie Hughes

EU-Japan News | December 2021 Issue Available Now

/in /by

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 2021 Newsletter is available in an online and PDF version packed with the EU and Japan related news, partnering opportunities, 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 2021 Newsletter online here!

You can read full December 2021 Newsletter in PDF format here!

Dr. and Mrs. Ushioda Scholarship in 2021 is awarded to Francis Donnelly

/in /by

The Ireland Japan Association is honoured to announce that in 2021 the Ushioda Scholarship is awarded to Francis Donnelly, studying for BA in Applied Languages, University of Limerick. Francis is planning to go to Nagoya University of Foreign Studies to continue Japanese studies during autumn semester next year.

‘I’m studying Japanese because I find both the country and the language fascinating. Japanese is a language that is enjoyable to learn and very rewarding when put into practice, and learning it is a nice change of pace from the European languages we typically focus on in Ireland. I’m hoping to study in Nagoya, where I aim to increase my proficiency in the language while also experiencing and learning about Japanese culture and history.’ – Francis Donnelly
We would like to thank Ms Paula Kelly, IJA Council, and Ms Barbara Geraghty, UL, for their support and assistance with the scholarship management and administration process this year.
***
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.

EU-Japan News | October 2021 Issue Available Now

/in /by

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 2021 Newsletter is available in an online and PDF version packed with the EU and Japan related news, partnering opportunities, 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 2021 Newsletter online here!

You can read full October 2021 Newsletter in PDF format here!

Mitsubishi Electric team wins IJA Golf Outing Cup 2021

/in /by

The IJA Annual Golf Outing 2021 tournament took place on 13th September at the beautiful Foxrock Golf Club, Dublin.

We would like to thank all the teams who supported us and participated in the tournament, and send special congratulations to the winners – Mitsubishi Electric team who came first and won the IJA Golf Cup 2021 this year with a score of 55.6:

Ciaran Moody
Fergus Daly
Liam Hoctor
Brendan Clarke

Mitsubishi Electric team receiving the IJA Golf Cup 2021 from Raymond Hegarty, IJA Chairperson

Congratulations to 2nd and 3rd place winners:

2nd place – CPL Resources team
Stephen Mullin
TJ Kearns
Fionan O’Sullivan
Tom Kennedy
3rd place – VIOTAS team
Mark Gilsenan
Kevin Brophy
Emeka Chukwureh
Rober Forbes

Many thanks to all the teams who participated in the tournament this year: Dillon Eustace, Mitsubishi Electric, Bank of Ireland, VIOTAS, SMBC Aviation Capital, CPL Resources and A&L Goodbody.

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

Big thanks goes to all the teams who sponsored amazing prizes for the prize-giving ceremony.

We are thankful to our hosts at the Foxrock Golf Club for all the help and support before and during our event, and last but not least – our thanks goes to all the participants who joined us on this day and made it such a great success.

We are looking forward to our Golf Outing 2022 next year!

VIOTAS joins the IJA as a Corporate member

/in /by

Ireland Japan Association (IJA) is delighted to welcome VIOTAS, an Irish smart grid energy technology and services company, on board the IJA as a Corporate member and is looking forward to a long lasting and successful cooperation.

VIOTAS is an Irish smart grid energy technology and services company HQ’d in Limerick that is embarked on an international expansion program.

 

We develop both software and hardware to enable industrial and commercial facilities respond in real time to power system conditions, allowing grids absorb more renewable energy, such as wind and solar energy.

In the past year, we set up our first foreign operations in Melbourne, Australia. The team down there is now 5-strong, and we anticipate it to grow further over the coming months.

We are now turning our attention to other markets, including Japan. To that end, we are establishing connections and building our network and relationships with the Ireland/Japan business community, in the lead-up to our anticipated market entry within the next 2-3 years.

 

 

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

Tag Archive for: Ireland Japan Association

Ikebana Workshop with Tomoko Sempo Yanagi

/in /by

We are delighted to invite you to join Tomoko Sempo Yanagi, Professor of Ikenobo Ikebana Society and Chairperson of Ikenobo UK and Ireland Group, at her Dublin ‘Ikebana workshop’ to discover art, history and specific techniques of Ikebana, and have hands-on experience creating beautiful Ikebana flower arrangement to take home with you!

Date: Saturday, 29th October 2022
Time: 10.30 AM – 12 PM | 1 PM – 2.30 PM
Venue: Warrenmount Education Centre, 15/17 Mill Street, Dublin 8, D08 V58X

Tickets:
* €25 for one workshop | €45 for two workshops (workshop, flowers, materials)
* €40 for one workshop | €60 for two workshops (workshop, flowers, materials + 1 Kenzan)
Vases can be purchased at the venue at the face value €10-20.

Bookings: To book your ticket, please RSVP by Friday, 21st October by email: info@ija.ie or call us: 01-6787008.
Cancellations: Cancellations have to be made by Tuesday, 25th October. After this date refunds will not be available.
Event plan:

* History, philosophy and traditions of Ikebana flower arranging art.
* Demonstration of Ikebana flower arranging by Tomoko Sempo Yanagi.
* for participants to create their own Ikebana arrangements with the guidance from Tomoko Sempo Yanagi and her assistants.
* Photo option of the finished arrangements.
* Participants will receive an informative leaflet about Ikebana.
* Optional: For continuous learning, participants will have the opportunity to enroll in Ikebana distance learning courses and attend in-person sessions (workshop and/or demonstration) which will be offered by Tomoko Sempo Yanagi in Dublin. More details will be available at the workshop.

Ikebana is an ancient and meditative Japanese art of flower arranging, initially known as Ikenobo, and cherished by emperors, high-ranked warriors and lords. It dates back to over 550 years ago and and is still practiced as a highly respected cultural art form all over the world maintaining traditional methods and incorporating several new styles that developed over the history.
.
‘Flowers are not only beautiful, but they could reflect the passing of time, and how we respond to an ever-changing future. There is beauty not only in an open flower, but also a flower’s bud which holds the energy of life as it opens towards the future. Together with flowers, humans are vital parts of nature and arranging Ikebana expresses this awareness.’ – Tomoko Sempo Yanagi
About Tomoko Sempo Yanagi
Tomoko Sempo Yanagi holds professor status with the Ikenobo School of Ikebana. Experienced in Ikebana since childhood. Her first public Ikebana demonstration was in California in 1989. After she moved to the UK in 1998, she exhibited her Ikebana works and conducted workshops at various places and occasions including The Embassy of Japan, Hammersmith and Fulham Flower Show, Google European HQ (Dublin), Cisco Poland, Flower Council of Holland, and a range of secondary schools in London. She was awarded a bronze medal at the Royal Horticultural Society, London Flower Show in 2001. Educated and lived in Japan, the US and the UK, she is also a mother of Irish/Japanese boys.

Japanese scrolls and the art of storytelling

/in /by

We are delighted to support UCD Japan Fair 2022 this year and invite you to an online webinar ‘Japanese scrolls and the art of storytelling’.

Date: Thursday, 27th October 2022
Time: 1 PM
Venue: Online and Veterinary Sciences Room 114, UCD
Registration is required: https://bit.ly/Japanese_Scrolls

 

Guest Speaker: Dr. Mary Redfern

Dr. Mary Redfern is Curator for the East Asian Collections at the Chester Beatty, Dublin. A specialist in Japanese art, particularly prints and ceramics, her wider research interests include the creation and consumption of art between cultures. Mary completed her PhD at the University of East Anglia, examining Japanese imperial tableware and diplomatic dining. She worked with East Asian collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Museum of Scotland and Bristol’s City Museum and Art Gallery. Her publications include The Art of Friendship: Japanese Surimono Prints (Chester Beatty, 2017) and Tennō no dainingu hōru (The Emperor’s Dining Hall) written with Yamazaki Taisuke and Imaizumi Yoshiko (Shibunkaku, 2017).

For more information and to register: https://bit.ly/Japanese_Scrolls

***

This event is jointly organised by UCD Japan and UCD Centre for Japanese Studies, and supported by Ireland Japan Association, Experience Japan and UCD Japanese Society.

Mediatization of Japanese politics: the changing nature of political communication

/in /by

We are delighted to support UCD Japan Fair 2022 this year and invite you to an online webinar ‘Mediatization of Japanese Politics: the changing nature of political communication’.

The book deals with the era of television penetration in Japan. Political communication shifted from being dominated by organisations, such as political parties, agricultural associations or trade unions, to mass media, with television playing a significant role.

Date: Thursday, 13th October 2022
Time: 6 PM
Venue: Online and at O’Brien Centre for Science Room 1.37 – Lynch Th F
Registration is required: https://bit.ly/UCD_Mediatization

 

Guest speaker: Prof. Iwao Osaka

Prof. Osaka is Associate Professor in Japanese politics at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law, Komazawa University, Tokyo and the Director of the Komazawa University Institute for Journalism and Policy Studies. [see]

He specialises in political communication, and his research is concerned with how political parties and elected officials communicated with the general public in the post-World War II era after Japan became a democratic country with a parliamentary cabinet system enshrined in its new constitution.

He published a book on the changing nature of political communication in Japan from the 1950s to the 2000s, entitled Japanese Politics and the Media (⽇本政治とメディア). It was published by prestigious Chūō Kōron, Tokyo, 2014.

For more information and to register: https://bit.ly/UCD_Mediatization

***

This event is jointly organised by UCD Japan and UCD Centre for Japanese Studies, and supported by Ireland Japan Association, Experience Japan and UCD Japanese Society.

IJA Japanese Conversation Group

/in /by

Join our weekly FREE Japanese conversation group meetings and improve your Japanese conversational skills in an informal, friendly atmosphere!

Meetings take place every Wednesday from 9-10 p.m. via Zoom.

To join the group, please sign up by sending email to: info@ija.ie.

Basic Japanese language skills are required. Each week participants will discuss a topic named in advance, and, from time to time, native Japanese speakers will be joining the group to help with the advice.

Please note that this conversation group is a fun activity for people who enjoy speaking Japanese, and not a language course/class.

This group is open to the IJA members only.

Please contact us for more information: info@ija.ie