Ireland in Japan Official Visit - FAQ Irish National Holidays Irish Societies in Japan Saint Patrick's Day

   Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs in May 2006
   Visit by Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in March 2006
   Japanese Emperor's Visit to Ireland 2005
   President Visit to Japan 2005
   Taoiseach Visit to Japan 2004

Visit by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in June 2006
	Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Michaél Martin T.D.visited Japan from 24 to 28 June 2006 and called on Mr Yasuhisa Shiozaki, Senior Vice- Minister for Ministry of Foreign Affairs to sign an Ireland-Japan Working Holiday Programme.

January 1st - New Year's Day March 17th - St. Patrick's Day (National Day) End of MarchMid-April - Good Friday and Easter Monday (Depending on the year) First Monday in May - May Bank Holiday First Monday in June - June Bank Holiday First Monday in August - August Bank Holiday Last Monday in October - October Bank Holiday December 25th - Christmas Day December 26th - St. Stephen's Day

17 March is Ireland's National Holiday. It is the feast-day of St. Patrick, a missionary who came to Ireland in the 5th century and converted Ireland to the Christian faith. St. Patrick's Day is an occasion of great celebration not only for the Irish themselves but also for many thousands of people of Irish background throughout the world. On that day, many Irish cities and towns hold parades, the principal one being in Dublin, where the festivities last a week or more (see www.saint patrick's day.ie) Parades held in cities outside Ireland such as New York, London and Toronto are also spectacular. The biggest one of all probably being the famous parade down fifth avenue in New York. The Tokyo parade was the first and biggest Parade in Asia. It started in 1991 and has been held on Omotesando dori since 1996. Since then parades have been organised also in Yokohama , Kyoto, Ise (Mie Prefecture) and Nagoya. Many of these festivities aremade possible by the work of the members of the Irish Network Japan. For more information about the St. Patrick's Day Parades around Japan visit the Irish Network Japan's homepage http://www.inj.or.jp . We hope to see you at the next parade and don't forget to wear something green!

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Q	Is it possible to visit the Embassy and look at information material on Ireland ?
Q	Where can I obtain some general information about Ireland?
Q	I would like to study in Ireland. Can I obtain information about schools in Ireland?
Q	Are there any scholarships for Japanese to study in Ireland?
Q	Does the Embassy have any books or videos about Ireland which can be borrowed?
Q	Are there any Irish societies in Japan which I can join.
Q	Who is the most well-known Irish person in Japan?
Q	Are there Irish Pubs in Japan?

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Japan Ireland Society http://japan-ireland.karugo.com/ Kanazawa Ireland Association Fax: (076)233-8638 Kumamoto Ireland Society http://www.kumamoto-ireland.org/ Kyushu Irish &Celtic Network Email: jparaki@po.iijnet.or.jp Nagoya Ireland Society Fax: (052)782-6908 Ryukyu Ireland Friendship Association Email:ishiryu@ll.u-ryukyu.ac.jp San’in Ireland Friendship Association Email:Bonkzn@swc.ac.jp Okayama Celtic Society Email:miyake@c.oka-pu.ac.jp Oita Ireland Society Email:yahata@mc.beppu-u.ac.jp     Irish Network Japan http://inj.or.jp The Shamrock Ladies Society n/a Japan GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) http://www.japangaa.com Irish Asia http://www.irishasia.com/ CCÉ Japan http://www.comhaltas-jp.com/index     The Bernard Shaw Society of Japan Fax: (0561) 73-1860 The Celtic Society of Japan http://www.celtic.or.jp IASIL Japan (International Association for the Study of Irish Literature) E-mail:shimox@suac.ac.jp The Irish Literature Society of Japan Email:t-kiuchi@mbj.nifty.com The James Joyce Society of Japan Email: Ahbeesee@aol.com Japan Celticists Society Email:nagai@kokugakuin.ac.jp Lafcadio Hearn Society Fax: (0852)26-0094 Samuel Beckett Research Circle, Japan http://beckettjapan.org The Yeats Society of Japan Tel: 0463-58-1211     Japan Ireland Economic Association http://www.jiea.org Ireland Importers Association Ireland Fax: 03-3295-8545     Trinity College Dublin Association Japan Email: h-declan@sophia.ac.jp UCD Alumni Japan http://www.ucd-alumni-japan.com/index.php?id=2&type=0

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