Why Remote Workers Still Need Offline Communities: A Kyoto Operator's View
Remote work has been firmly established as an IT engineering work style since 2020. Removing the commute and controlling one's own pace provide enormous benefits.
At the same time, a serious problem has become more visible: isolation.
The benefits and costs of remote work
Engineers working remotely for long periods often report:
- Fewer informal conversations and less technical stimulation.
- Entire days without speaking to another person.
- Slower awareness of practical technology trends.
Online communication helps, but does not completely reproduce every form of contact.
Three forms of offline value
1. Serendipity
Unexpected encounters happen in shared physical space. Miyako de IT mokumoku sessions bring together engineers with different backgrounds, creating perspectives that no scheduled video call was designed to deliver.
2. Embodied communication
Meeting face to face provides additional information about tone, attention, and behavior. It can support a sense of trust that is harder to form through video alone.
3. A rhythm outside the home
A recurring offline commitment creates a boundary in the week. Leaving home, arriving at a venue, working, and returning can separate work from private life.
The Miyako de IT case
Since its founding in 2019, Miyako de IT has grown beyond 615 members and held more than 165 events. Participation by engineers who moved to remote work increased after the pandemic, and some describe the events as a rare place to meet people in person.
Conclusion
Offline communities become more—not less—useful when most work is remote. Sharing a place and time can enrich an engineering career without rejecting the advantages of online work.
For a concrete format combining focus and exchange, see The Effects of Mokumoku Sessions. For local employers, see 20 Technology Companies in Kyoto.
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Source data
The figures cited in this article are based on primary data in the Miyako de IT annual statistics report. It publishes yearly event counts, venue distribution, and event-format data.
Written by
Tomohiro Iida