When The Japanese first opened their doors to large-scale Western trade in the mid-19th century, one of the technologies they imported from the West was the brewing of beer. More than a century later, the Japanese are world-renowned brewers and beer is the country's leading alcoholic beverage, three times as popular as sake.
A shared love of beer may be one of the reasons why the Irish and the Japanese appear to get on so well, a relationship which has no doubt been strengthened by the involvement of young Irish graduates in the Japanese government's JET programme.
The JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) programme, now in its ninth year in Ireland, aims to promote mutual understanding between Japan and 25 other participating countries. The Irish participation rate has been steadily increasing since the programme began: last year 51 Irish graduates were selected, bringing to more than 450 the number of Irish participants since the programme began.
Graduates work as either assistant language teachers (ALTs) in language schools or as co-ordinators of international relations (CLRs), usually in city or municipal governments. CLR work can include translation, planning and implementing exchange programmes and interpreting at international events.
ALTs typically pick up the language during their time in Japan, if they do not already speak it, but CLRs, for obvious reasons, need a good standard of Japanese to perform the duties required of them. For that reason, the majority of those who travel to Japan on the programme tend to take up ALT positions.
Perhaps surprisingly, the Japanese government has found that Irish students take to Japanese life like the proverbial ducks to sake. It may be the common experience of being island nations, or a shared devotion to music and literature, or even an understanding of the potential offered by various combinations of hops, barley, sugar and water. Whatever the reasons, Irish graduates seem to relish their time in Japan; there are currently 41 Irish graduates in Japan who have renewed their contracts for a second or maximum third year.
"I stayed three years on the programme," says Maeve Butler, a former JET participant who now coordinates the programme in Ireland. "Irish people tend to fit in very well with the Japanese. They are very open to the Japanese culture and lifestyle. Maybe they recognise a good thing when they see it."
Sean Redmond, a graduate of UCD, has just commenced his third year on the programme in the coastal area of Niigata. As the only foreigner for 50 km, his role combines teaching, CLR work and a position as a kind of "professional foreigner". "You have to like children," he says. "If you don't like children, the job can be hell. You also have to like dealing with people, be a very patient person and accept that you're not perfect, that you make mistakes."
Under the programme, the Japanese government covers participants' return flights, assists with finding accommodation and pays each participant a salary of 3,600,000 yen (over £20,000) to cover living expenses. There are also orientation programmes conducted on arrival in Tokyo and later at local level, with a chance to meet other JET participants in the area and exchange phone numbers and useful Japanese phrases. A monthly newsletter is also distributed among participants, so there is a support network for all involved.
Yet the main thrust of the programme is to expose the Irish participants to Japanese life and vice versa, although this can sometimes take unexpected forms. Maeve Butler, for example, joined a Japanese ice hockey team: "After about three months, you really start to become bi-cultural. I got involved in lots of things, but the ice hockey was great. I could get out a lot of frustrations and it was completely separate from my job."
There are initial difficulties to overcome, though, from diet to language. Butler recalls arriving in Tokyo airport dying for a cup of coffee, and then finding that she couldn't read the menu in the coffee bar. "There are still many foods I don't like," grimaces Redmond. "I didn't like rice for a long time. It's not horrible, though, and when I had to eat it, I ate it. For the first couple of months, I ate everything. After that, I decided that there are some foods I just won't eat, like octopus or a whole fish, with its eyes peering out at you. Having studied zoology, I like my food separated."
In the end, the rewards for participants are considerable, both in terms of career and of personal experience. Redmond describes university as "a grand place", but one that doesn't mature a person. "Coming out here, being on my own, supporting myself, I am less selfish, more considerate and a lot more able to deal with money," he says.
"I looked at Ireland in a completely different way when I came back," Butler says. "It made me really open to a lot of cultures and ideas and made me question a lot about my own identity and my own culture. I got to know Ireland a lot better by being away."
Application forms and information on the JET programme are available from the JET Desk, Embassy of Japan, Nutley Building, Merrion Centre, Nutley Lane, Dublin 4 (tel: (01) 269 4244, ext 36).
A series of seminars will also take place this month in connection with the programme. Venues are: St Patrick's College, Maynooth (Careers Library, Arts Building) at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21st; UCD (Room 317, Engineering Building) at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 22nd; TCD (Conference Room, Arts Block) at 2.30 p.m., Wednesday, October 22nd; and DCU (venue to be confirmed) at 5 p.m., Wednesday, October 22nd.
