#SaveOurIrishPubs

Irish pubs in Japan are the place for Irish culture fans and tourists from abroad can freely drop by and enjoy a pint of Guinness, genuine Irish dishes, live music performances and sessions, dance and conversations. We are always thankful for pub owners and managers who have offered wonderful places to us. Please join us to express our appreciation for their hospitality!

This project aims to express our gratitude to Irish pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants which are hubs for Irish culture fans and friends in Japan and to raise funds to support them. 

You can send messages for pubs from this URL, for free!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdpq3yHebCvrYRkRglSi5HVjSomLabkWQkAOYXrW1iMCA0lXA/viewform

Message Example)
“Thank you for everything!”
“I'm coming back for more Guinness!”
“I love to enjoy fish and chips again!”

Quick Instruction

For non-Japanese speakers, we have made a step-by-step instructions to donate this cloud funding.
Please try and let us know if you have any difficulty to complete!

Reasons for launching this project

“Because pubs are essential places for us.”
It’s pretty obvious for people who love Ireland and Irish culture. There are many different reasons why they feel “pubs are essential.”
Owners, managers, and staff workers’ personalities and their hospitalities,
Conversations with regular customers over tasty dishes and drinks,
Music and dance, and atmosphere of each venue,
And more...

As you might feel the same way, the time I spent at those places is very invaluable and memorable.

As you might know the fact that most pubs and restaurants (especially in big cities like Tokyo or Osaka) are going through a hard time with shorter operating time and fewer customers than before the pandemic.

They are making the best efforts to keep their relatively cozy venue safe and enjoyable for customers.

Maybe you have felt, “What can I do for the places I love?” or “I love to spend great time again at those places.” I hope to share this feeling with as many people as possible.

“Stay connected” is my favorite phrase.

It’s sad but we have to admit the reality that COVID-19 is likely to last for a while. But I’d like to do something so that we can all “stay connected” through our favorite places under the current circumstance.

I definitely want to raise funds to support those pubs and restaurants. On top of this goal, I want to show them how many supporters care about them. And I want to tell supporters how they can contribute to achieve the goal.

I hope to SAVE our cultural hubs and to meet friends, owners, managers and staff workers again soon!

What are Irish pubs like?

A pub (Public House) originally meant "a place where people gather" or "a base for community.” We have similar places such as community centers and izakayas in Japan. Pubs that serve Irish drinks and foods are called Irish pubs.

The history of pubs goes back over 600 years. Every town and village in Ireland has at least one church and AT LEAST one pub or more. As the word "Public House" suggests, it’s the place where the people in towns and villages socialize.

Ireland is an idyllic country with lush green hills and meadows, located to the west of the UK.

Some of you probably have some images about Ireland, such as:

Drinks: You can find Guinness beer and Irish whiskey at Japanese supermarkets. The Guinness Book of World Records was originally started by the Guinness beer company in Ireland.

World class Literature: Ireland has produced many renowned authors including Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver's Travels,” Oscar Wilde, James Joyce and Lafcadio Hearn, aka Lafcadio Hearn who compiled “Kwaidan.”

Sports: Rugby. Japan hosted the World Cup last year, so many of you remember the Japan vs Ireland match. Or soccer is also popular.

Music: Music sessions at pubs. Locals regularly bring their own instruments and enjoy playing traditional tunes as well as socializing.

Traditional Irish music sessions are inextricably connected to Irish pubs.

It's a unique ensemble method that's a bit different from the "jazz session" you might imagine, but in Ireland (and in Japan, too!), Irish Session is a great way to play and listen to traditional Irish music. There are sessions scheduled at some pubs on a daily basis in town.

You may have heard Irish music through the movie Titanic or Muji’s background music. On the days when there is a session, men and women of all ages bring their instruments and share in the fun by playing and dancing. You don't have to be a musician to enjoy chatting and drinking to your heart's content in the restaurant. There's even an Irish word, "Craic," to describe an atmosphere that combines drinking, food, music, chatting and socializing.

Irish pubs are the place for Irish food and drink, live irish music and A gathering of men and women of all ages. The pub is the showcase of the Irish culture and tradition.

What you can do in this project

- support all pubs on the list
- support specific pub(s) you like
- send thank-you-message to pub(s)

This project will be carried out on an all-in basis. Even if we can’t achieve our goal, we will continue the project and deliver a return.

How we use funds

＊Fees and expenses are deducted from the total amount.
＊We leave it up to each pub to decide how to use the funds. No obligation to report.
＊Even if a pub closes down during this fundraising period, the money raised will be donated to pubs.

Pubs

Please see the list of pubs below.

＊”Pubs” incluede cafe, restaurants used as the ’public house’.
＊Pubs may be added.

Tickets & Returns

If you donate 1000 yen, we will send you
・Thank you message from the Ashioto-Renrakushitsu
・Supporters’ messages to pub(s) (Image Data)

If you donate 3000 yen, we will send you
・Thank you message from the Ashioto-Renrakushitsu
・Supporters’ messages to pub(s) (Image Data)
・Thank you message from pub(s)

If you donate 5000 yen, we will send you
・Thank you message from the Ashioto-Renrakushitsu
・Supporters’ messages to pub(s) (Image Data)
・Thank you message from pub(s)
・A book of recipes of pub foods (PDF)

If you donate 10000 yen, we will send you
・Thank you message from the Ashioto-Renrakushitsu
・Supporters’ messages to pub(s) (Image Data)
・Thank you message from pub(s)
・A book of recipes of pub foods (PDF)
・Gift from pub(s)

＊“Gift from pub(s)” is a random package.

Please post your message to the pub(s) in the remarks field. Supporters’ messages will be compiled in a message card (image data) for the each pub.

Who We Are

Planning: Ashioto-Renrakushitsu & Irish Pubs
Operation: Ashioto-Renrakushitsu

Ashioto-Renrakushitsu is an online-community for promoting Irish culture in Japan.

Official Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/ashioto0315
E-mail: ashioto315(a)gmail.com

Schedule

End of the fundraising period: Mid October.
Returns will be sent out: November 2020 - January 2021
We will send funds to each pub: December

In order to increase the transparency of this project, we will announce the total amount of money raised, breakdowns of the amount distributed to each pub and administrative costs (e.g., commission fees to CAMPFIRE, administrative costs of this initiative, and bank transfer fees).

Illustration

Illustration by Reiko Nishimura, © Eiji Press, Inc

Support

Magners Original Cider and o'hara's are imported by Ikon Europubs KK.

PLEASE JOIN US!