Dundalk man wins business award in Japan
Dundalk native Alan Fisher was presented with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce at their annual business awards dinner last week.
A delighted Alan, who is originally from St. Gerard’s Square said: ‘It was very kind of them to recognize the hard work we’ve been doing. Thank you very much for the lovely gesture.’
He dedicated the award to his ‘ best friend and lovely wife Ai Tamura’.
‘I’d never have lasted this long were it not for your valuable insight and support.’
Alan, who originally went to Japan to work for the tech company Fujisoft in Toyoko but left in December 2014 to pursue his dream of opening an Irish restaurant.
He opened the Kyojin no Stewhouse (The Giant’s Stewhouse) in February 2015 with the aim of serving up authentic Irish food such as Irish stew and Dublin coddle to his Japanese customers. He has also introduced Irish craft beers to the menu and is very much involved in promoting Irish culture, regularly holding music nights and taking an active part in the city’s Irish Culture Week each November. The Kyojin no Stewhouse has featured regularly on Japanese television and in newspaper and magazine articles.
Alan also turned his hand to literature when he wrote the Celtic fantasy novel ‘ The Giant’s Dream’ last year.
The Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce presented the awards to the winners of the 2018 Ireland Japan Business Awards at the Conrad Tokyo in the company of the Ambassador of Ireland to Japan, Paul Kavanagh, last week.