On a summer evening in Kyoto, soft light spills across the wooden beams of a restored machiya (traditional Japanese townhouse), where a handful of professionals have gathered over green tea and craft whisky. Their conversation drifts from visa hurdles and branding strategies to the bureaucracy around opening a bank account in Japan.
The crowd is a mix of startup founders, veteran consultants and students testing the waters of entrepreneurship. They’ve gathered under the banner of the Kyoto International Entrepreneur Community (KIEC), a grassroots hub for those trying to build businesses — and lives — in Japan’s ancient capital.
“KIEC is a community of international people who already have or want to build a business in Kyoto, and also for those who want to support them,” explains Hila Yamada, 31, who co-founded the group in 2018. “It’s a kind of platform, an entrance point, for people to gather, exchange ideas and share experiences.”
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