Tuesday, 22 January 2013

Being Irish and proud in Tokyo, Japan.

I am very proud to be Irish. There, I said it. I may bemoan the country I come from at times; berating our national sports teams, hating the weather, worrying about the recession and its effects on those closest to me, wondering constantly about why we drink so much and not fully understanding why we moan constantly and never do anything about it. I know, I know i'm moaning now, but i'm Irish its what we do.


The place I call home. 


But nowhere will you find a more fiercely proud Irish woman than me. In my mind anyway. Something happens when you move far away from the place you call home. You become protective, idealised and full of poetic notions of where you come from. Irish culture, traditions, values, history and language are all treasured and I love talking and sharing them with others. With that, I want to share a moment that was and still is a very proud moment of mine. My participation in the St. Patrick's Day parade 2012, Tokyo Japan. Almost a year ago I know, but the Irish Network Japan has just released video footage of the event.


Skip to 00:27 and 27:00 to see 'us' take part. 


I took part in the parade with my group of Irish dancing students, none of whom were Irish, all of whom were extremely excited. We danced, walked and laughed through the streets of Omotesando, Tokyo where the street had been closed for the day and thousands upon thousands came to watch the event. It was magical, uplifting and gave me such pride. Tokyo is thousands of miles away but yet here they were, celebrating one of Irelands most cherished festivals.

This year I plan to take part with my dancers again and I cannot wait. The lead up to and the event itself will be detailed on this blog. But for now, wherever you are, be proud of where you come from and be sure to share your pride with others.



Please follow me on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JapanAsIFindIt
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ciaralml



Have you ever experienced moments of pure pride in your country at home or abroad? Please press the comment button and share.  
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

13 comments:

  1. Interesting. I came to Japan because I wanted to escape England..the jobless nannying hole that it is. I do however, have pride and support the image of England that seems to still exist abroad: the tea drinking, soccer loving gentleman with their wry humour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi there :)

      Yes it's funny how patriotic you become about your home country when you don't live there. I, too, wanted to escape Ireland but always look forward to going back to visit. My 'Irishness' comes out quite a lot here, found myself speaking Irish today - I got a few strange looks thats for sure!

      Ciara.

      Delete

    2. The Irish accent is good! I don't have an accent, but it makes me easy to understand apparently!

      Delete

    3. Ha, exactly. The amount of patriotism I feel for England on the road... then come the first N207 nightbus from liverpool st to my house after getting off the plane, and seeing all the fighting chavs, and vommiting drunkards, loafer and jean clad men and slappered up dollies... I think, man... I LOVE THIS PLACE EVEN MORE.

      Nah, joking, I get kind of disgusted. Though actually after living in Italy where no-one gets drunk, I was also kind of like, yeeeeeee, can't wait to get vommiting on the pavement again.

      Just arrived in Japan, enjoying it. Looking forward to continuing reading your blog too :)

      Delete

  2. My family is Irish, but I was born in London, so I have dual nationality. I tend to pick and choose which one I am on any given day! But I'm inordinately proud of both, they're bith pretty cool countries to be associated with, as far as I'm concerned!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. I agree Sarah - I love being from Europe / Ireland, something about the culture and history I think. Where in Ireland are your family from?

      Ciara

      Delete

  3. I'm really looking forward to Paddy's Day here. There's an Irish bar in Hiroshima and I'm curious to see what they're going to do for it. I'll be bringing my Irish flag and my tin whistle :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hello Ciara - nice article! Is it okay for me to be here? I'm Canadian, born in England of Indian parents - you should have seen me at the border when I still had my passport 'issued in Tokyo, Japan'.
      Interesting that there's an Irish pub about - it's good to see Japan becoming a bit more international.
      Take your camera THIS St. Paddy's day and tell us what's Irish in Japan!
      Cheers!

      Delete

    2. Sound great Ciara! I am really looking forward to it too, we're participating again. Its crazy to think how far Irish culture has travelled. I'll be playing my tin whistle and wearing green on the day too! Keep in touch.

      Ciara

      Delete

  4. What a good video!

    By the way, I have my own blog which focuses on Asian culture and entertainment such as video games and I wonder if it is possible for you to view it and tell me what you think and how to improve my blog in the “About the Writer” page please: http://nynyonlinex.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi there, thank you for your comment. I am happy to take a look at your blog but I am no expert! How are you finding life in Japan?

      Delete

  5. Hi Ciara,
    I noticed your blog on the Japan blog directory list. Just thought I'd say hello as I'm an Irish gal living in Saitama. Might see you at the parade this year!?
    Great job on the blog.
    Is mise le meas,
    Elle

    ReplyDelete

  6. Hi Elle,


    Thank you for your comment! It's always great to hear from another Irish person living in Japan, doesn't happen very often! Yes you will of course see me at the parade, are you involved or a spectator?


    Really like your blog too, I enjoy reading about other people who live in Japan especially those who have settled with a family here - makes for a great read so thank you! Have you been living here long?


    Ciara

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)