by Isabell Frank

The COVID-19 pandemic was an accelerator for digital transformation worldwide: suddenly, being present at work, school or university was no longer an option, and new digital formats filled that space. This new situation gave rise to various new forms of work that were encouraged by the government, such as telework. Although there was a decline in telework toward working at one’s own desk after the pandemic subsided, many took a liking to this new style of work. In the case of Japan, this is seen as an opportunity to bring young educated people into the depopulated countryside, which suffers from an aging population and an exodus of young people. In what follows, I would like to introduce two types of telework that have become increasingly popular in recent years and may point to a new direction for working life in Japan.

Remote work enables people to live and work in the countryside
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2022

The first is the so-called “workation”, a mixture of “work” and “vacation”, where people take a few days or weeks to work in a place of their choice. In most cases, these are tourist locations where people can combine work and leisure. For example, they work their regular hours during the day and then have time to sightsee and enjoy the new scenery. Because of this influx of new visitors or even potential new residents, many municipalities are competing with each other by setting up telework facilities and offering coworking spaces. One such municipality is Fujiyoshida, a city in Yamanashi Prefecture known as a tourist hotspot and a model for creating spaces for telework. The project is called “Satellite Office for the whole City of Fujiyoshida.” Its goal is to provide free workspaces. As of July 2022, there were 42 registered workspaces in Fujiyoshida that can be rented on an hourly or monthly basis and include coworking spaces, cafes, hotels and even campsites. To keep it simple and convenient, the transaction is done through a smartphone app and the total amount is billed at the end of the month. The providers of the spaces also receive some of that money, which makes the offer profitable for local companies. The possibility of converting empty or unused spaces into telework spaces allows the reuse of many unoccupied spaces, which on the one hand contributes to the repopulation of the area and on the other hand also supports the locals financially. In addition, this also provides an opportunity for interaction between telecommuters and residents, which both sides seem to appreciate (Yoshizawa 2022).

Coworking spaces look very different. Some are located in houses that offer office space and accommodation …
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2023

The second type of telework I would like to introduce is full remote work, where individuals permanently move (far) away from their workplace and work digitally from their new home. One such teleworker is Nozomi, a young woman who moved to Kyūshū while still working for a recruitment agency in Tōkyō. Like many lifestyle migrants, she was looking for a town that was just “enough” rural to be quiet and peaceful, yet close to a major city, and found the city she now lives in on a tourist trip. Since her previous employer did not allow full remote work, she specifically looked for a new job and had quite a bit of difficulty because many employers wanted her to be at the company at least a few days a month. After finding her desired job, she moved to Kyūshū with her husband and is enjoying her new work style. She says she most enjoys the nature that surrounds her and the new freedom to plan her work style. When Nozomi looks out the window, she no longer sees a crowded big city and can work from her room, at a nearby café or even by a river. All she needs for this style of work is her laptop and a pair of headphones. Of course, this way of working also has its downsides. Nozomi misses the communication between her colleagues and sometimes feels lonely. To compensate for the lack of social interaction in her work life, she actively seeks the company of locals, whom she describes as warmer and more welcoming than the “cold” people from Tōkyō. She also informs interested people about her new life via Twitter and her blog. In this way, she wants to help people who are thinking about moving to the countryside but can’t quite imagine rural lifestyles. She also wants to set up a team in her community to support migrants who have already moved here, because many suffer from loneliness or can’t find information about infrastructure and amenities. In this way, she would like to return the kindness she herself received from the local residents and to contribute to the community (Iwatate 2023).

… while other coworking spaces are also used as event spaces.
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2023

While these two types of remote work represent different ways in which telework can be integrated into people’s lives, many remote workers experience an improved work-life balance and enjoy work more as a result of choosing telework. Telework could become a new driving force in revitalizing not only rural areas but also the Japanese economy, which suffers from low productivity and labor shortages, and could make working in Japan more attractive to Japanese and foreigners alike. While telework is still a niche, it is expected to increase in the future, driven by digital transformation, positive experiences from the pandemic and the need to appeal to skilled workers.

References
Iwatate, Tadasuke (2023), “Furu remōto joshi wa, ijūsha dōshi ga “tanoshii” o kyōyū dekiru chīmu o tsukuritai” [Full remote woman wants to build a team where migrants can have “fun” together], in: Saga Smile, 17. April, https://www.sagasmile.com/interviews/archives/53 (Accessed 27.06.2023).
Yoshizawa, Shiho (2022), “Fujiyoshida-shi marugoto sateraito ofisu” [Satellite office for the whole city of Fujiyoshida], in: Turns, 54, p. 46-51.

Isabell Frank is a student in the BA program in Japanese Studies at Freie Universität Berlin