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IT Engineer Networking Event in Kyoto series

Eight editions of the IT Engineer Networking Event in Kyoto have been co-hosted with Kyoto Chie-Sangyo Sozo-no-Mori at a pace of three or four per year, creating a recurring cross-sector gathering for engineers, business leaders, and students.

Background

Kyoto had scattered opportunities for IT engineers to meet, but few larger events crossed industries and participant types. The community alone faced limits of scale and needed a trusted partner able to bring a venue and broader network.

Trigger

After connecting with Kyoto Chie-Sangyo Sozo-no-Mori (KOIN), the partners saw that KOIN’s venue, Miyako de IT’s recruitment, and the support organization’s network could create a cross-industry gathering. Co-hosting became the regular model.

How it developed

The IT Engineer Networking Event in Kyoto series began with its first edition at KOIN on the third floor of the Kyoto Economic Center in Shijo-Karasuma on November 13, 2023. Co-hosted with Kyoto Chie-Sangyo Sozo-no-Mori, it has continued for eight editions at three or four per year. Each KOIN event draws about 30–40 engineers, business leaders, and students.

The format combines KOIN’s need as an industry-support organization to connect with Kyoto IT talent and the community’s need for a partner capable of supporting greater scale. Miyako de IT leads program and theme design, connpass promotion, on-site facilitation, speaker coordination, and participant follow-up, combining these functions with KOIN’s venue and network.

Themes change for each edition. The eighth event in January 2026 drew about 30 participants and included a startup-law session by attorney Shunsuke Mizobata of TMI Associates’ Kyoto office and an industry–academia conversation between Daichi Iwadare of VIG LAB and Professor Masahiro Okuda of Doshisha University. Open conversation afterward produced organic discussion of technology, careers, and products.

Multi-year continuity narrowed the distance between public programs and working engineers and created a route for feedback. The resulting trust aligns with participation in the Kyoto Prefecture IT Industry Promotion Working Group and supports ongoing connections with government and industry-support institutions.

People and organizations involved

—Kyoto Chie-Sangyo Sozo-no-Mori (KOIN)
—The Miyako de IT organizing team
—30–40 participants per edition, including IT engineers, business leaders, and students

What we did

—Continued co-hosting three or four IT Engineer Networking Event in Kyoto editions per year
—Differentiated each edition through legal seminars, industry–academia sessions, lightning talks, and other themes
—Established an operating format combining the KOIN venue with Miyako de IT recruitment channels
—Reached eight editions by April 2026

Outcomes

Established a recurring industry reunion for Kyoto IT engineers, business leaders, and students

Generated connections around startups, recruitment, commissioned work, and industry–academia collaboration

Built recognition that the series is a place to meet Kyoto IT engineers

Extended the trust relationship with KOIN and Kyoto Chie-Sangyo Sozo-no-Mori into other programs

What came next

The partners are considering a larger annual event for about 500 people and positioning it as a hub for Kyoto’s broader IT ecosystem, connected with prefectural programs and universities.

Next actions

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Read the annual report

7 years and 165 events, with collaboration history