Japanese ambassador Jiro Okuyama says that iSpace Europe is one of his favourite locations in the grand duchy “because it’s a symbol of our bilateral endeavour to explore space business, the goal of our next generation”.

iSpace is a private Japanese company specialising in lunar rovers and robotic lunar landers and is currently working on its first mission launch through its commercial lunar exploration programme. In addition to its Europe and Japan sites, it also has offices in the US.

But it’s not just in business or space exploration that the two countries have bridges. There’s also a “long-standing friendship between the imperial family of Japan and the grand ducal family of Luxembourg”. The ties are likely to deepen, as the next world expo takes place in 2025 in Osaka.

When asked what issues are important for Japanese expats, he answers, “The difficulty to find ingredients to cook authentic Japanese dishes.”

Japanese culture is alive and well in the grand duchy. The , for example, regularly hosts workshops and more, while the cultural section of the Japanese embassy also has a library full of travel information, manga, artwork and more.