Sometimes a project comes along that makes sense for both the web designer and the customer. That is to say, both the web team and the client are on the same page from the beginning, and very little needs to be said about the direction of the project. Recently, we landed one of those projects.

The Irish Network Japan has been around for almost a quarter of a century now, serving the Irish in Japan in many areas. They play a large role in the community by holding events and keeping Irish emigrants in Japan up to date on the latest information. Not to mention, they are the main organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. And who doesn’t like St. Paddy’s day? Rain Interactive for its part is half Irish. Derrick Doherty, one of my partners in crime, may not know much about the first St. Patrick’s day Parade in Boston, but he does know Ireland, and he is really happy that the INJ came to us to build them a new website.

It’s no coincidence that the Irish Network came to Rain. We’ve been a part of the Irish community in Japan for some time now. We also built last year’s Parade Queen website. We are eager to get our creative juices flowing for this project and are glad to be contributing to the Irish presence in Japan.

The current INJ website has played its role. It’s still a valuable source for information, and is not too unpleasant on the eye, but it needs to be more socially connected, especially through social media such as Facebook, and Twitter. So, this project is mainly about merging history with modernity, and maintaining culture, while exploring new ways to express it. And hopefully, after it’s all done, it will lead us to have a few celebratory pints at our favourite Irish pub in Tokyo.

Paul Braganza