The Ireland-Hokkaido relationship began with a single seed

Ireland’s 60 year relationship with Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, began with the planting of a single seed. In 1964, as Tokyo hosted the Olympic Games, Irish Lodgepole Pine seeds were planted in their new home in the forest at Hokkaido Katei Gakko School in Engaru town.

In the 60 years since those first seeds were planted, the connections between Hokkaido and Ireland have continued to grow and strengthen. Those Irish trees have flourished in the woods around Engaru in the northeast of Hokkaido, later providing timber for the construction of the Japan Olympic Museum in Tokyo, built in celebration of the return of the Olympic Games to Japan in 2020.

The trees were replanted in Engaru, and later provided saplings, which were then replanted in Nakajima Park in Sapporo city and in Sapporo Nishi High School in 2024 as a symbol of the enduring bond between our communities.

This connection between Hokkaido and Ireland is a living story of vision, sustainability, and a friendship that continues to grow.

As trees took root, so too has the Irish community in Hokkaido. St Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s national day, has been celebrated with an annual parade in Sapporo City since 2019 with a burst of music, colour, and community spirit. Each year, a small concert is held featuring Irish music and Japanese musicians, organised by lively community groups, followed by a cheerful parade winding through the city streets.

Hokkaido prefecture today is home to the third-largest Irish population in Japan, after the Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures. More than 80 Irish citizens live across the prefecture, including permanent residents and JET participants who teach and work in towns such as Tomakomai city, Iwamizawa city, Higashikawa town, and Yakumo town.

Ireland’s presence here has been marked officially since 2012. Since then, Sapporo has been home to Ireland’s only Honorary Consul in Japan, further supporting the ties between the two regions.

Education and cultural exchanges are important for raising awareness of Hokkaido’s relationship with Ireland. In recent years, more than 120 young Hokkaido highschool students, including those from Sapporo Nishi Highschool and Fuji Girls’ School have travelled to Ireland to experience the life and culture first hand and to return home with the bond between the two places fortified.

This spirit of exchange is carried into even the highest levels of education. Since the early 2000s, Ireland’s leading universities have built close relationships with Hokkaido University, with collaboration and exchange between students, researchers, academics and faculty, on everything from zoonosis control and infectious diseases, to social policy. These partnerships are evidence of the significant value in the exchange of knowledge for cultural growth.

Hokkaido and Ireland may sit on opposite sides of the world, but they have more in common than you might think. Both are island regions of similar size and population, with proud farming traditions that feed tables far beyond their own shores..

Ireland’s business and economic connections with Hokkaido include strong relationships in sustainable agriculture and food production, and thoroughbred breeding and horse racing.

Ireland exports 90% of its food and drink to more than 140 countries around the world each year, while Hokkaido’s farmers and producers are equally committed to quality, sustainability, and innovation.

By learning from one another, farmers and food businesses can build better businesses, protect nature and the environment, and ensure sustainability for future generations.

>> Learn more about the Irish-Japanese connection based in world-class food and drink here

From racetracks to pastures, Ireland and Hokkaido share a deep connection through the world of horses. There is a long tradition and history of Irish-bred and trained horses reaching the height of the sport in Japan, on racetracks throughout Japan and at breeding farms in Hokkaido. In 2024, Auguste Rodin (bred and trained in Ireland, sired by Japan’s Deep Impact) raced his final race at Tokyo Racecourse for the Japan Cup 2024.

This connection has runs both ways when Japanese horses have competed on Irish turf at the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown Racecourse in Dublin, while Hokkaido remains the centre of the Japanese thoroughbred industry. Today, the Irish community in Hokkaido are a part of this story, working in Japan’s thoroughbred breeding and racing industry, including at an Irish-owned horse farm, while more than 100 Japanese professionals have travelled to Ireland as work riders and to gain valuable hands-on international experience. Living and working in farms across Ireland’s towns and villages, they not only bring new skills home with them, but lasting international connections.

>> Read more about Ireland and Japan’s shared story in horse racing and thoroughbred breeding here

In 2025, Sapporo was host to a celebration of 60 years of friendship between Ireland and Hokkaido. Guests gathered to share Irish food, enjoy live music, and reflect on the many ways our communities have grown closer through education, culture, agriculture, sport, and more.

60 years on, the spirit that began with those first seeds being planted continues to thrive and the connections between Hokkaido and Ireland grow and strengthen. This anniversary event was not just about reflection on how far we have come, but also about looking ahead to new exchanges and relationships that continue to put down roots.