Co-hosting with Digital Nomad Kyoto
Regular events with Digital Nomad Kyoto, a community of overseas digital nomads staying in Kyoto. Co-working study sessions at Butsugenji Temple create space for technical exchange across borders.
Background
Kyoto is both a global destination and an increasingly common base for overseas IT professionals working remotely. Yet local engineers and visiting digital nomads rarely met without a deliberate point of connection.
Trigger
An organizer from Digital Nomad Kyoto joined a Miyako de IT co-working session. A conversation about working together led to a recurring co-hosting format.
How it developed
The first co-hosted record in the event archive is Miyako Co-working Study Session #28 with Digital Nomad Kyoto at Butsugenji Temple on April 28, 2024. The archive records 23 co-hosted events through the end of May 2026. Alongside regular co-working sessions, the partners jointly held the 2024 and 2025 Miyako year-end gatherings, typically drawing 10–20 participants. In May 2026, they also held their first event at Daikoji Temple in Fushimi Ward.
A defining feature is bilingual design. Introductions and lightning talks run in both Japanese and English to lower language barriers. At #54 in January 2026, Japanese IT engineers worked alongside remote workers from the United States, France, and Germany, and mixed-language conversation arose naturally in the main hall. #56 in April 2026 added special yoga and quantum-physics sessions.
The series gives Kyoto IT professionals routine exposure to international approaches to work and careers. Overseas participants increasingly experience Kyoto not only as a destination, but as a city where they can work. The temple setting is also a memorable brand element, creating a distinctive position for an international co-working session in a Kyoto temple.
People and organizations involved
- —Digital Nomad Kyoto
- —The Miyako de IT organizing team
- —Butsugenji Temple, venue provider
What we did
- —Made co-working study sessions at Butsugenji Temple a regular series with Digital Nomad Kyoto
- —Designed a naturally bilingual environment where Japanese and English coexist
- —Added introductions to deliberately create connections among participants
- —Welcomed participants from more than ten countries, including Germany, France, and the United States
Outcomes
What came next
In May 2026, the partners began co-hosting at a second venue, Daikoji Temple in Fushimi Ward. International exchange is now developing across multiple Kyoto locations.
Related reading
Related events
- Miyako co-working study session with Digital Nomad Kyoto at Butsugenji Temple
- Miyako co-working study session #57 at Daikoji Temple
Related organizations and venues
- Digital Nomad Kyoto
- Butsugenji Temple
- Daikoji Temple
Official Japanese names: 佛現寺, 大光寺
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