Miho Koshiba, 43, is the president of Mirai Institute, a think tank focused on the future of work through its flagship coworking space Midori.so. Founded in 2012 and now with seven locations in Tokyo, Koshiba hopes to encourage more people to pave their own professional path.
1. How did you choose the name Midori.so? Midori (green) was my first impression of our first location in Nakameguro, which is covered in ivy. The “so” comes from Tokiwa-sō, an apartment building that housed aspiring manga artists like Osamu Tezuka. They supported each other’s work and eventually made a name for themselves. We want to create a similarly supportive environment.
2. What distinguishes Midori.so from other coworking spaces? Real estate companies often open coworking spaces to fill empty buildings. As a think tank running a coworking community, our focus is on the future of work and making work feel more enjoyable. Instead of the Sunday scaries, wouldn’t it be nice if more people looked forward to Mondays? If people tackled work they (felt invested in), rather than what they felt obliged to do?
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