Most Impressive in Japan: Foreign Digital Nomads Praise Blended Cultural Experience
G1 company's "anywhere café" implemented an experience program for digital nomads, blending Japanese culture with cutting-edge technology. Held as part of 'Digital Nomad Week Osaka 2026 Spring,' it recorded high satisfaction, demonstrating the potential for a new tourism model.
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- 📰 Published: May 10, 2026 at 00:07
- 🔍 Collected: May 9, 2026 at 15:31
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G1 company (Headquarters: Osaka, Osaka Prefecture; CEO: Keiichi Koshiba), operating "anywhere café," held an experience program for overseas digital nomads, integrating Japanese culture with cutting-edge technology, on April 9, 2026. This event was part of 'Digital Nomad Week Osaka 2026 Spring ~The Hideyoshi Legacy: Deep Osaka & Connection~,' hosted by the co-working space "The DECK."
The program, attended by IT engineers and creators from Europe, the Middle East, and other European regions, achieved extremely high satisfaction, with participants describing it as "the most impressive experience during their stay in Japan."
■ Background: Expanding Demand for Digital Nomads × Local Cultural Experiences
In recent years, the new lifestyle of "digital nomads," who work regardless of location, has spread globally. In Japan, with the recovery of inbound demand, the number of foreign visitors who value "interaction with local communities" and "cultural experiences" in addition to sightseeing is increasing.
Amidst this trend, there is a growing demand for experiences that go beyond mere tourist consumption, fostering deep engagement with local culture and people.
■ Program Features: Enhanced Understanding through Real Experiences and VR/Video
This program was designed to offer cross-cutting experiences in traditional culture, food, and technology, set in Osaka's Sakai and Suminoe-ku Andachi areas.
By integrating traditional culture, food, and technology from multiple perspectives, incorporating elements to be experienced with all five senses, and aiming for a synergistic effect between real and digital—where participants "touch culture in real settings and then expand their understanding through VR and video experiences"—the program provided a "deeply memorable experience" that goes beyond simple sightseeing.
■ Implemented Programs
・Visit to a Sakai knife forging workshop
・Traditional cultural experiences (Onigiri making, Sanshin performance, Eisa dance)
・VR tourism experience at anywhere café
■ Day's Highlights
Participants first visited a Sakai knife forging workshop, observing the craftsmen's skills up close. They showed strong interest in Japanese craftsmanship, actively asking questions across language barriers.
Afterward, they moved to the Suminoe-ku Andachi area in Osaka, a historic post town on the Kishu Kaido, where they participated in cultural experiences such as onigiri making and Sanshin performance at "anywhere café," a renovated traditional house. This fostered interaction among participants and with local people, creating a warm communication space.
Furthermore, the VR goggle-based tourism experience allowed participants to digitally re-experience and supplement the cultural and regional backgrounds they had encountered in real life, further deepening their understanding and interest.
■ Participant Voices
"I've had many experiences in Japan, but this program was the most impressive."
"Combining real cultural experiences with VR allowed for a deeper understanding."
"Interacting with local people made me love Japan even more."
■ Future Outlook
Through this initiative, the potential for a new tourism model that enhances the satisfaction of foreign visitors by combining real cultural experiences with digital technology has been demonstrated.
"anywhere café" will continue to contribute to the creation of inbound demand and regional revitalization by designing experiences that merge local culture and technology.
■ Comment from Keiichi Koshiba
What was particularly impressive about this initiative was that "the experience directly led to the next action."
Participants frequently asked specific questions like "Where can I go?" and "How can I experience it there?", indicating not just mere interest but a heightened motivation for actual visits and repeat visits.
As the Creative Director for the Digital Travel Zone at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, I have explored the possibilities of digital utilization in tourism.
This program concretized the idea of "utilizing digital technology to enhance the value of real experiences," based on that knowledge.
We will continue to create new tourism experiences that connect regions with the world.
■ Facility Overview
Name: anywhere café
Location: 4-3-3 Andachi, Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
Content: Experiential café utilizing a renovated traditional house (VR tourism experience, cultural exchange events, etc.)
■ Company Overview
Company Name: G1 company Inc.
Location: 4-3-3 Andachi, Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
Representative: Keiichi Koshiba, Representative Director CEO
URL: https://genki-1.com
The program, attended by IT engineers and creators from Europe, the Middle East, and other European regions, achieved extremely high satisfaction, with participants describing it as "the most impressive experience during their stay in Japan."
■ Background: Expanding Demand for Digital Nomads × Local Cultural Experiences
In recent years, the new lifestyle of "digital nomads," who work regardless of location, has spread globally. In Japan, with the recovery of inbound demand, the number of foreign visitors who value "interaction with local communities" and "cultural experiences" in addition to sightseeing is increasing.
Amidst this trend, there is a growing demand for experiences that go beyond mere tourist consumption, fostering deep engagement with local culture and people.
■ Program Features: Enhanced Understanding through Real Experiences and VR/Video
This program was designed to offer cross-cutting experiences in traditional culture, food, and technology, set in Osaka's Sakai and Suminoe-ku Andachi areas.
By integrating traditional culture, food, and technology from multiple perspectives, incorporating elements to be experienced with all five senses, and aiming for a synergistic effect between real and digital—where participants "touch culture in real settings and then expand their understanding through VR and video experiences"—the program provided a "deeply memorable experience" that goes beyond simple sightseeing.
■ Implemented Programs
・Visit to a Sakai knife forging workshop
・Traditional cultural experiences (Onigiri making, Sanshin performance, Eisa dance)
・VR tourism experience at anywhere café
■ Day's Highlights
Participants first visited a Sakai knife forging workshop, observing the craftsmen's skills up close. They showed strong interest in Japanese craftsmanship, actively asking questions across language barriers.
Afterward, they moved to the Suminoe-ku Andachi area in Osaka, a historic post town on the Kishu Kaido, where they participated in cultural experiences such as onigiri making and Sanshin performance at "anywhere café," a renovated traditional house. This fostered interaction among participants and with local people, creating a warm communication space.
Furthermore, the VR goggle-based tourism experience allowed participants to digitally re-experience and supplement the cultural and regional backgrounds they had encountered in real life, further deepening their understanding and interest.
■ Participant Voices
"I've had many experiences in Japan, but this program was the most impressive."
"Combining real cultural experiences with VR allowed for a deeper understanding."
"Interacting with local people made me love Japan even more."
■ Future Outlook
Through this initiative, the potential for a new tourism model that enhances the satisfaction of foreign visitors by combining real cultural experiences with digital technology has been demonstrated.
"anywhere café" will continue to contribute to the creation of inbound demand and regional revitalization by designing experiences that merge local culture and technology.
■ Comment from Keiichi Koshiba
What was particularly impressive about this initiative was that "the experience directly led to the next action."
Participants frequently asked specific questions like "Where can I go?" and "How can I experience it there?", indicating not just mere interest but a heightened motivation for actual visits and repeat visits.
As the Creative Director for the Digital Travel Zone at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, I have explored the possibilities of digital utilization in tourism.
This program concretized the idea of "utilizing digital technology to enhance the value of real experiences," based on that knowledge.
We will continue to create new tourism experiences that connect regions with the world.
■ Facility Overview
Name: anywhere café
Location: 4-3-3 Andachi, Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
Content: Experiential café utilizing a renovated traditional house (VR tourism experience, cultural exchange events, etc.)
■ Company Overview
Company Name: G1 company Inc.
Location: 4-3-3 Andachi, Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
Representative: Keiichi Koshiba, Representative Director CEO
URL: https://genki-1.com