Where it seemed there
was no room for startups in Japan, Yuu Sumiyoshi succeeded. He set up a web
development and tech consulting business aimed at foreign clients (i.e.
outsourcing IT). This is a particularly popular occupation for a startup.
However, the opposite can be said about Japan as a whole. The workforce is just
too expensive here.
Sumiyoshi went around
the expensive workforce issue by starting a new trend. He migrated his company
from Tokyo to a nearby rural town that, after several other tech founders had
arrived, became known as Kamacon valley.
Locals love their new
neighbours and some even get to work with them, either in creating material,
product testing or just plain, full-time work. His firm’s two major projects
are online supermarket Iichi and Crazyville.
According to Sumiyoshi,
what makes Japanese businesses unique is the combination of sometimes
centuries-old craft and a passion for new technology. What better example can
there be than custom-built dog armour from a real Japanese craftsman?
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