{"id":173278,"date":"2025-09-26T20:43:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?p=173278&lang=en"},"modified":"2025-09-26T20:51:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:51:13","slug":"colive-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/colive-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Colive Fukuoka 2025: Interview with Co-founder Ryo Osera on Digital Nomads and Startups"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colive Fukuoka<\/a> has quickly become one of the city\u2019s most distinctive international gatherings, blending entrepreneurship, culture, and community in a ten-day program. From October 1\u201310, Colive 2025 will bring together global solopreneurs, local innovators, and curious residents for talks, music, art, and hands-on experiences. I\u2019ll be attending many of the sessions myself \u2014 and locals are encouraged to join too. In fact, there\u2019s a discounted <\/span><\/i>Local Pass<\/i><\/b><\/a> that makes it easy to be part of the action. Ahead of the event, Nick Szasz, Publisher of Fukuoka Now, caught up with co-founder Ryo Osera to hear how the idea has evolved, what\u2019s new this year, and why he believes Colive is as much for Fukuoka residents as it is for nomads.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From One Friend to 400 Participants<\/b><\/h3>\n

Nick:<\/b> You\u2019ve been running Colive for a few years now. How has the event grown since the beginning?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> It started with one friend who wanted to come to Japan. Then more friends asked, so we made a simple program. To run it properly we needed a budget, so we talked to local governments\u2014Kyoto, Hokkaido\u2026 and finally Fukuoka said yes. I was living in Tokyo then and already a bit of a nomad, so I moved to Fukuoka and we launched Colive three years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nick:<\/b> How long were you a digital nomad before starting Colive Fukuoka?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> I began in 2016\u2014traveling with my laptop before I even knew the term \u201cdigital nomad.\u201d Around that time WeWork opened in Omotesando, and it felt like the first moment many people in Japan could see coworking and remote work as a real option.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nick:<\/b> Last year you held Colive Fukuoka 2024. What stands out?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> Year one we had about 40 people. Last year it was 400\u2014ten times. Big impact on the city, but with 400 people you don\u2019t know everyone\u2019s name. We\u2019re still thinking about the right size. It\u2019s important we take participants deeper into Fukuoka, not just make the event bigger.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Colive<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still thinking about the right size. It\u2019s important we take participants deeper into Fukuoka, not just make the event bigger.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Nomads Are Founders Too<\/b><\/h3>\n

Nick:<\/b> Was there something about last year that surprised you?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> Our post-event survey surprised me: over 33% were founders or CEOs. Nomads aren\u2019t only freelancers or remote employees\u2014many are building companies and looking for business opportunities in Fukuoka, which is known as a startup city. That\u2019s why this year we\u2019re focusing more on connecting nomads with local startups. It\u2019s our big challenge for 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nick:<\/b> Was Colive originally for freelancers and now more for business-minded people?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> It\u2019s still for both. Visitors love Japan\u2014matcha, kintsugi, all that\u2014but everyone needs to make a living. They want opportunities you can\u2019t find on HR sites. Once you\u2019re inside a community, you meet locals, investors, potential partners\u2014even real estate options. People come for the ramen; they stay for opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople come for the ramen; they stay for opportunity.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Why Fukuoka?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Nick:<\/b> I often say Fukuoka is still growing\u2014lots of opportunities compared to Tokyo or Osaka.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> I agree. Fukuoka is an easier place to enter the local community. It should be the entrance to Japan for nomads\u2014people are open-minded, networks connect quickly, and the city isn\u2019t too big.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nick:<\/b> Has hosting Colive changed how you live or work?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> The biggest change is who I work with. Before, I\u2019d hire in Japan. Now I often work with nomad friends\u2014great skills, easy to collaborate, and they understand how to design for nomads. The challenge is time zones: I might finish at 5 pm, then have calls at midnight with Europe. But the upside is progress can run 24\/7.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nick:<\/b> Most unexpected thing you\u2019ve learned from a Colive participant?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> A former NASA engineer came as a nomad, then pivoted to art projects with Kyushu tea farmers, musicians, and incense makers. He\u2019s now looking for an apartment in Fukuoka. That kind of local\u2013global collaboration is special.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cFukuoka is the easiest place to enter the local community. It should be the entrance to Japan for nomads.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Future: AI and Solopreneurs<\/b><\/h3>\n

Nick:<\/b> What trends are you seeing at nomad events elsewhere?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> A balance of business and lifestyle. Mornings for sessions, afternoons for the beach, for example. The bigger trend is a shift from pure travel to future opportunity\u2014AI, crypto, digital tech. With big tech moving resources to AI, many people are rethinking their careers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nick:<\/b> Are Colive participants already using AI?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> Definitely. Creators use it for content; engineers use it in their workflows. It brings convenience and speed, though of course there are pros and cons.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nick:<\/b> An example of AI changing someone\u2019s path?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> I met a Canadian engineer facing layoffs at home. He came to Japan on a digital-nomad visa to look for opportunities, then heard about Fukuoka\u2019s startup visa. Now he\u2019s here exploring solopreneurship. AI pushed him to move\u2014but it also brought him to Fukuoka.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fukuoka\u2019s Role in the Startup Story<\/b><\/h3>\n

Nick:<\/b> Fukuoka was the first city in Japan to offer a startup visa. How does Colive fit the city\u2019s story?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryo:<\/b> Many nomads don\u2019t know Fukuoka yet. We say: come for ramen\u2014we\u2019re the kingdom of ramen\u2014and stay because we have a startup visa if you want more than tourism.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Join with a Local Pass<\/b><\/p>\n

Colive isn\u2019t only for visiting nomads \u2014 Fukuoka residents can take part too. A <\/span>Local Pass<\/b> gives you access to selected sessions and experiences right here in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get your Local Pass<\/a> here and enter\u00a0FUKUOKANOW<\/strong>\u00a0at checkout to save\u00a020%<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Colive<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Colive Fukuoka has quickly become one of the city\u2019s most distinctive international gatherings, blending entrepreneurship, culture, and community in a ten-day program. From October 1\u201310, Colive 2025 will bring together global solopreneurs, local innovators, and curious residents for talks, music, art, and hands-on experiences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":173281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?p=173278&lang=en","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2024],"tags":[5229],"class_list":["post-173278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-interview","location-fukuoka-city","en-US"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/colive-ryo-WEB-003.jpg?fit=1400%2C1050&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173278"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173291,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173278\/revisions\/173291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}