The 11th HIGASHIKAWA Youth Photo Festival Exchange Project (Ireland)
2026/6/11
(From left) Ambassador MIYAGAWA Manabu, students and teachers from St. Aloysius College, Salerno Secondary School, Ursuline College, Ms IJICHI Nobuko, UCD Centre for Japanese Studies, Embassy Staff Member.
Salerno Secondary School, winners of the 11th HIGASHIKAWA Youth Photo Festival Exchange Project (Ireland), with their teachers.
On 11 June, at the official residence of the Japanese Ambassador, an award ceremony was held for the top three Irish teams in the secondary school photography competition for the 11th HIGASHIKAWA Youth Photo Festival Exchange Project (Higashikawa Youth Fest).
This is the second time that Ireland has participated in the Higashikawa Youth Photo Festival Exchange Project, which is open to schools worldwide interested in international cultural exchange through photography.
The Embassy of Japan extends its heartfelt congratulations to the three students from Salerno Secondary School in Galway for winning the competition! The team is scheduled to visit Higashikawa in August to participate in the festival alongside teams from around the world. We also offer our sincere congratulations to the teams from Ursuline College in Sligo (2nd place) and St. Aloysius College in Cork (3rd place).
【Congratulatory remarks by Ambassador MIYAGAWA】
Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the residence of the Japanese Ambassador. Thank you very much, IJICHI-sensei, for your kind efforts in helping to make this gathering possible today.
First of all, congratulations on your awards in the International High School Photo Festival hosted by Higashikawa Town, Hokkaido.
Hokkaido is the second-largest island in Japan, located in its northernmost region. It is as beautiful as Cork, Galway, and Sligo. Of course, there is also plenty of delicious food there.
I am deeply impressed by the fact that there were many applications to this photo contest from various places across Ireland. For this, let me pay tribute to each school, and to the distinguished principals and teachers for their valuable encouragement of the students to participate in the contest.
My first visit to Ireland took place about forty years ago. I was a young diplomat, driving from Dublin through Belfast and Derry, finally reaching Sligo. At that time, some Irish people seemed to be becoming interested in Japan through anime and manga.
Twenty years ago, I revisited Ireland. By that time, Japanese food, including sushi, seemed to be widely accepted by many more people, which was not the case in the 1980s. Eating raw fish was often regarded as something rather daring, or even barbaric.
More recently, after my arrival in Ireland in November 2025, I visited Galway three times and Cork twice.
Dear students, today you are looking at Japan through the lens of a camera. This is an even more universal perspective. You will probably also be seen through the camera lens by your Japanese friends there. I do hope that you will continue to explore the world through your cameras. Future relations between Ireland and Japan will be shaped by young people like you and your friends in Japan.
Finally, I would like to let you all know that 2027 is the 70th anniversary of Japan-Ireland diplomatic relations. We are currently running a competition to create a logo for the celebration of this anniversary. The winner of this competition will receive a return ticket between Ireland and Japan, provided by Japan Airlines and Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade! If you or anyone you know would like to try submitting a logo, please do so before the end of this month! You can find information about the contest on the Embassy’s website.
Please enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Later on, the Embassy's Japanese chef, Mr MATSUNO Yuki, will treat you to a variety of Japanese dishes.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.
第11回高校生国際交流写真フェスティバル（Higashikawa Youth Fest）
https://higashikawa-youth-fest.jp/2026/index.html
This is the second time that Ireland has participated in the Higashikawa Youth Photo Festival Exchange Project, which is open to schools worldwide interested in international cultural exchange through photography.
The Embassy of Japan extends its heartfelt congratulations to the three students from Salerno Secondary School in Galway for winning the competition! The team is scheduled to visit Higashikawa in August to participate in the festival alongside teams from around the world. We also offer our sincere congratulations to the teams from Ursuline College in Sligo (2nd place) and St. Aloysius College in Cork (3rd place).
【Congratulatory remarks by Ambassador MIYAGAWA】
Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the residence of the Japanese Ambassador. Thank you very much, IJICHI-sensei, for your kind efforts in helping to make this gathering possible today.
First of all, congratulations on your awards in the International High School Photo Festival hosted by Higashikawa Town, Hokkaido.
Hokkaido is the second-largest island in Japan, located in its northernmost region. It is as beautiful as Cork, Galway, and Sligo. Of course, there is also plenty of delicious food there.
I am deeply impressed by the fact that there were many applications to this photo contest from various places across Ireland. For this, let me pay tribute to each school, and to the distinguished principals and teachers for their valuable encouragement of the students to participate in the contest.
My first visit to Ireland took place about forty years ago. I was a young diplomat, driving from Dublin through Belfast and Derry, finally reaching Sligo. At that time, some Irish people seemed to be becoming interested in Japan through anime and manga.
Twenty years ago, I revisited Ireland. By that time, Japanese food, including sushi, seemed to be widely accepted by many more people, which was not the case in the 1980s. Eating raw fish was often regarded as something rather daring, or even barbaric.
More recently, after my arrival in Ireland in November 2025, I visited Galway three times and Cork twice.
Dear students, today you are looking at Japan through the lens of a camera. This is an even more universal perspective. You will probably also be seen through the camera lens by your Japanese friends there. I do hope that you will continue to explore the world through your cameras. Future relations between Ireland and Japan will be shaped by young people like you and your friends in Japan.
Finally, I would like to let you all know that 2027 is the 70th anniversary of Japan-Ireland diplomatic relations. We are currently running a competition to create a logo for the celebration of this anniversary. The winner of this competition will receive a return ticket between Ireland and Japan, provided by Japan Airlines and Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade! If you or anyone you know would like to try submitting a logo, please do so before the end of this month! You can find information about the contest on the Embassy’s website.
Please enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Later on, the Embassy's Japanese chef, Mr MATSUNO Yuki, will treat you to a variety of Japanese dishes.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.
第11回高校生国際交流写真フェスティバル（Higashikawa Youth Fest）
https://higashikawa-youth-fest.jp/2026/index.html
Runners-up Ursuline College Sligo with their school principal.
Third place students from St. Aloysius College with their school principal.
Conversations in the hall of the Ambassador’s official residence.
Conversations in the hall of the Ambassador’s official residence.
Conversations in the garden.