Hi, this is Chichi from S-TOKYO!

I recently attended Colive FUKUOKA in Fukuoka Prefecture! S-TOKYO was involved in the event as a partner community. I had a wonderful time with digital nomads from all over the world, including S-TOKYO community members, so I'd like to share some of the highlights! (It was so much fun!)

Colive FUKUOKA Overview

• Dates : October 1st (Tue) - 31st (Thu), 2024

• Main Week : October 22 (Tue) - October 31 (Thu), 2024

• Location : Ohori Park and other locations in Fukuoka City, and throughout Kyushu

  
  

Organizer: Fukuoka City / Planning and Management: Yugyo Co., Ltd. / Cooperating Companies and Organizations: Nomad University, Japan Digital Nomad Association, Japan Workation Association, RoccaN Co., Ltd., ELENTO LLC

Program Contents

In the first half of the event, various events were held that allowed participants to experience life in Fukuoka City and its potential as a region, including networking events centered around startup companies, experiences using co-working spaces, and experiences of traditional culture, including food. In the second half, in addition to a Kyushu tour where participants could experience various regions of Kyushu, a variety of events were held during the Main Week from October 22nd (Tue) to 31st (Thu).

This event aims to bring together people with diverse values in Fukuoka and Kyushu, the gateway to Asia, and to foster exchanges that involve the local community. It updates the concept of Fukuoka as a new mecca for digital nomads, transforming it into "a place that creates opportunities that transcend borders, race, and gender." The goal is for this Fukuoka-based culture, where local communities, businesses, startups, and digital nomads co-create and generate innovation, to spread from Asia to the world.

■ Example of the "Colive Fukuoka 2024" schedule

<Example Schedule>

Sunday, the 6th: Sake brewery tour

Saturday, the 12th: Zen and meditation experience

Tuesday, the 15th: Food stall hopping

Tuesday, the 22nd - Thursday, the 31st: Main Week

• Monday, the 21st - Wednesday, the 23rd: Global startup event "Softlanding"

  • Organized by: Manabu Community

• Wednesday, the 23rd - Friday, the 25th: COLIVE FUKUOKA 2024 World Nomad Conference

  • Organizer: Fukuoka City

  • *Digital Nomad Summit 2024 (organized by the Japan Digital Nomad Association) and others.

• Saturday, the 26th - Sunday, the 27th: Synapse Festival

  • Planning and operation: RoccaN Co., Ltd.

• Thursday, the 31st: Halloween Party

During the main week, I had the opportunity to speak at two sessions at the World Nomad Conference, which took place over three days.

"Where to go after Colive Fukuoka"

In this talk, people from six different regions of Japan shared the unique charms of their respective areas and why digital nomads should visit them.

Chichi took the stage as the representative of Kanazawa. Since he only had 5 minutes to give his speech, he condensed it into "The charm of Kanazawa is that you can feel the traditions of Japan and the food is abundant!" and introduced the Coliving Program in Kanazawa, which will be held in November.

The representatives from Shimoda and Kotohira were dressed as Pokemon and had a great time giving their speeches, which really livened up the venue. (laughs)

While other teams were dressed in kimonos or brought along guitar samurai, I was waiting alone in the waiting room when Elena Shimoda, who always helps me run events at S-TOKYO, asked me, "Shall we perform together as Pokémon?" (tears) (laugh) So kind...

And so, with the Pokémon livening up the atmosphere from behind me and literally backing me up, I successfully finished my presentation.

I'm filled with gratitude to everyone in Shimoda and Kotohira, and to everyone who helped me practice my speech! I hope all the nomads will come visit my hometown, Kanazawa!

Secret voice sent from A Community Manager

The second session was a session by community managers. Shelly from Hoi An HUB served as moderator, and I was on stage with Duncan from hoppin' Korea and Harry from TAIWAN DIGITAL NOMAD.

It was a very educational session for me, even though I was one of the speakers, as we shared our struggles as community managers and exchanged ideas and case studies.

For example, I talked about the difficulty of drawing boundaries with guests and separating work from private life. I also discussed how I deal with situations where I'm constantly in contact with guests but can't ignore them.

What was particularly striking about that topic was the response, "Instead of trying to manage all the community work yourself, it's better to gradually delegate those responsibilities to community members." In their co-living space, the core residents give new guests a brief orientation. When a facility problem occurred while the community manager was absent, the local members managed to resolve it on their own.

I believe that the members are willing to cooperate because there is a relationship of trust between them and the community manager. Also, having previously worked in hotels, I had a strong sense of viewing guests as "customers," but I realized that it might be okay to welcome coworking guests as "members" who are working together to create a good space. Through the session, I realized how important it is to build trust and create a sense of psychological safety to that extent.

I had the honor of performing on the stage of the Noh theater, where you can't go up without wearing tabi socks. We took a commemorative photo in the waiting room! I'm so happy that I was able to spend such meaningful time with everyone who is working as a community manager in Asia.

I hope we can meet again!