MAY 2024 SPEAKING TOUR JAPAN

Announcement of speaking tour in English-language online edition of Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s 3 top newspapers, with a sample of my haiku

With 7 books translated into Japanese and published by Kodansha, Japan’s leading house, with several reprints, this was a dream come true and a highlight of my writing career. The venues were universities and libraries, all open to the public.  

My talk included Q & A after a PowerPoint presentation in English with smatterings of Irish and Japanese. Slides displayed Japanese book covers and maps along with photographs s of places and artefacts around Ireland mentioned in the stories.  

Sample Slides: 

UNIVERSITIES

TOKYO:

Waseda University, May 10, 2024

Host: Professor Tochigi Nobuaki 

Waseda flyer, front and back.

PowerPoint presentation. Professor Tochigi (Nobi) in his office.

Meiji University, May 14, 2024

Host: Professor Toraiwa Naoko

Left: Meiji flyer. Professor Toraiwa and myself. 

Presentation to Professor Toraiwa’s class. Q & A afterward. 

University of the Sacred Heart, May 16, 2024

Hosts: Professors Fuse Mikio and David (Dáithí) McNeill

Sacred Heart flyer. Book signing after talk. 

 Write-up of event on university website by Professor McNeill. (Full write-up:      https://www.u-sacred-heart.ac.jp/news/20240610/17622) 

KAGOSHIMA (Kyushu): 

International University of Kagoshima, May 24, 2024

Host: Professor David McMurray

Kagoshima flyers.

“Librarians created a book display & flyer. 50 students borrowed The Hunters Moon.” (Professor McMurray). Right photo shows author with students onstage

LIBRARIES

Yamanashi Prefectural Library, Kofu, May 5, 2024 

Invited by librarians and artist/author/illustrator Nishina Sachiko (one of my readers) whose picture book exhibition was on display. Train trip to Kofu. Afterwards, Sachiko arranged for us to have bento box lunch at the magical Yumeya Children’s Bookstore. 

Signing library poster. Yumeya Children’s bookstore.

With Sachiko & librarians in front of stand with library copies of my books. Sachiko & I hold each other’s books. 

Itabashi Bologna Picture Book Museum, May 18, 2024

Library with 30,000 children’s picture books in 70 languages from around the world. The talk was booked out 3 weeks beforehand. 

Host: Event co-ordinated by Aisling Braiden of the Embassy of Ireland in Japan, who provided an interpreter, and Matsuzaki Eiji, Central Library Director and Umesato Yuko, Book Section Chief. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A dinner was held in my honour May 20, 2024, hosted by His Excellency Damien Cole, Ambassador of Ireland. My many hosts and friends in Japan – Japanese, Irish and Canadian – were all invited.  A wonderful evening!

Thank you speech to my hosts in Irish, Japanese & English. After a delicious dinner, a dessert with ice- cream in colours of the Irish flag .

Note: for other travels in Japan see ADVENTURES – ASIAN.

MAY 2024 SPEAKING TOUR JAPAN

Announcement of speaking tour in English-language online edition of Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s 3 top newspapers, with a sample of my haiku

With 7 books translated into Japanese and published by Kodansha, Japan’s leading house, with several reprints, this was a dream come true and a highlight of my writing career. The venues were universities and libraries, all open to the public.  

My talk included Q & A after a PowerPoint presentation in English with smatterings of Irish and Japanese. Slides displayed Japanese book covers and maps along with photographs s of places and artefacts around Ireland mentioned in the stories.  

Sample Slides: 

UNIVERSITIES

TOKYO:

Waseda University, May 10, 2024

Host: Professor Tochigi Nobuaki 

Waseda flyer, front and back.

PowerPoint presentation. Professor Tochigi (Nobi) in his office.        

Meiji University, May 14, 2024

Host: Professor Toraiwa Naoko

Meiji flyer. Professor Toraiwa and myself. 

Presentation to Professor Toraiwa’s class. Q & A afterward. 

University of the Sacred Heart, May 16, 2024

Hosts: Professors Fuse Mikio and David (Dáithí) McNeill

Sacred Heart flyer. Book signing after talk. 

 Write-up of event on university website by Professor McNeill. (Full write-up:      https://www.u-sacred-heart.ac.jp/news/20240610/17622) 

KAGOSHIMA (Kyushu): 

International University of Kagoshima, May 24, 2024

Host: Professor David McMurray

Kagoshima flyers.

“Librarians created a book display & flyer. 50 students borrowed The Hunters Moon.” (Professor McMurray). Right photo shows author with students onstage.

LIBRARIES

Yamanashi Prefectural Library, Kofu, May 5, 2024 

Invited by librarians and artist/author/illustrator Nishina Sachiko (one of my readers) whose picture book exhibition was on display. Train trip to Kofu. Afterwards, Sachiko arranged for us to have bento box lunch at the magical Yumeya Children’s Bookstore. 

Signing library poster. Yumeya Children’s bookstore.

With Sachiko & librarians in front of stand with library copies of my books. Sachiko & I hold each other’s books. 

Itabashi Bologna Picture Book Museum, May 18, 2024

Library with 30,000 children’s picture books in 70 languages from around the world. The talk was booked out 3 weeks beforehand. 

Host: Event co-ordinated by Aisling Braiden of the Embassy of Ireland in Japan, who provided an interpreter, and Matsuzaki Eiji, Central Library Director and Umesato Yuko, Book Section Chief. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A dinner was held in my honour May 20, 2024, hosted by His Excellency Damien Cole, Ambassador of Ireland. My many hosts and friends in Japan – Japanese, Irish and Canadian – were all invited.  A wonderful evening!

Thank you speech to my hosts in Irish, Japanese & English. After a delicious dinner, a dessert with ice- cream in colours of the Irish flag .

Note: for other travels in Japan see ADVENTURES – ASIAN.