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615-member IT engineer network

Across 7 years and 165 events, the community grew to more than 615 members centered on Kyoto and Kansai, forming a mixed network of students, early-career and senior professionals, and business leaders.

Background

Local IT communities often face the same early barriers: no one comes, or no one returns. Miyako de IT was no exception, with many single-digit sessions in its first year. By concentrating on continuity and relationships, it gradually reached a balance of regulars and newcomers.

Trigger

The organizers committed to holding a co-working study session every month without exception. Not canceling for venue or organizer convenience allowed participants to build the event into their schedules.

How it developed

Miyako de IT is a Kyoto IT engineer community founded in February 2019. The first archive record is a Miyako co-working study session on February 24, 2019. Early programs also covered machine learning, an introductory Haskell reading group, and an accessible AI study session in Kyoto.

After a development retreat and reading groups in 2020 and online co-working sessions in 2021–2022, a blockchain application development series began in December 2022 and broadened the themes. The commitment to hold at least one co-working session every month without pausing helped the series become a regular fixture in participants’ schedules.

By June 2026, the community had held 165 events and reached 615 connpass members. Registration data shows a 33.9% first-registration share and a 37.9% rate of unique registrants signing up at least twice; these are registration metrics, not attendance. Ten venues have included Butsugenji and Daikoji temples, Kochi-do machiya, Takahashi in a former teahouse, KOIN, and Taisho University Kyoto Academia. Formats now range from events in Gunma, Seoul, and Okinawa to online book discussions.

Activity by community-connected people includes Cycle, a blood-donation DApp that won the HACK+2023 grand prize after its team formed at a 2018 AI event; the team did not originate in Miyako de IT. Collaboration has expanded to 14 organizations, and the community functions as a hub connecting Kyoto IT talent, companies, universities, and government.

People and organizations involved

—The Miyako de IT organizing team
—615 registered members on connpass
—Regular participants who attend monthly

What we did

—Continued holding one or two connpass co-working sessions every month without pausing
—Used introductions to create relationships within the first 30 minutes for newcomers
—Maintained ongoing exchange after offline events through Discord
—Designed seating where students, early-career and senior professionals, and executives share the same space

Outcomes

More than 615 connpass members as of April 2026

More than 165 events in total

33.9% first-registration share and 37.9% repeat-registration rate on connpass, showing newcomers and repeat participants coexist

Projects continue to emerge from people connected to the community, including the HACK+2023 grand-prize-winning Cycle project

What came next

The next goals are 1,000 members and 200 events. The community aims to strengthen its position as a Kyoto IT talent hub that includes business leaders, students, and university researchers as well as IT engineers.

Next actions

Choose the route that best fits how you want to engage with this outcome.

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Join the next event

See upcoming co-working sessions, study groups, and networking events

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Discuss a collaboration (Japanese)

Ask about co-hosting, venues, talks, educational programs, and more

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Read the annual report

7 years and 165 events, with collaboration history