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.”
The initiative began when Yamada, a Kyoto native, was approached by her friend Runan Wang, a Chinese national who was living in Kyoto at the time and had noticed that new coworking spaces were buzzing with Japanese startups but international founders seemed absent. The two decided to launch a monthly networking event at the encouragement of Yamada’s existing entrepreneur friends.
For Yamada, KIEC has always been an extension of the work she does at Glocal Human Resources Development Center, a nonprofit organization that encourages students, both Japanese and international, to develop their entrepreneurial spirit and connect with opportunities in the city.
“We want a society where young people can live with the hope of having their voices heard ... especially in this very old society,” says Yamada. “To create that, we need diversity. So supporting international entrepreneurs makes society more open and diverse, and that creates a better environment for younger generations as well.”
‘Connections are everything’
KIEC’s casual format belies the serious gaps it fills. For many non-Japanese residents of Kyoto, the biggest challenges are isolation, information gathering, Japanese language ability and connecting with local institutions. “We don’t do business development support directly,” Yamada explains. “What we do is connections. Networks. When you’re working alone or in a very small company, those connections are everything.”
Over time, the group attracted the attention of larger players. By 2020, Yamada and Wang were being invited to speak at city events. In 2023, the launch of the Kyoto International Startup Center (Kyosta) created additional opportunities for collaboration.
Kyosta is operated by Jetro Kyoto, a government agency overseen by the economy ministry. Working with Kyosta, KIEC began to receive funding for events and eventually became the official partner for the 90 Days Kyoto Stay program, a prefectural initiative that invites international entrepreneurs to Kyoto and offers them coworking space and business matchmaking opportunities, along with logistical support to explore establishing a company or branch in Japan.
The other key figure shaping KIEC today is co-organizer Sesto Keisuke Ueda, 45, a consultant originally from Milan. Ueda moved to Japan in 2010 and founded his firm Lynx in 2015, supporting both Japanese companies expanding abroad and foreign companies entering the local market.
When he learned about KIEC in 2019, he immediately resonated with their mission. Ueda had been wanting to create a network for non-Japanese entrepreneurs, but it felt like an objective that would take more than 10 years to achieve. KIEC’s mix of talks, information exchange and drinks, by contrast, was lively and immediate.
Ueda’s motivation is both personal and professional. “On one hand, I’m there for the community, for the networks, for having fun,” he says. “But business-wise, it’s also an investment.” Recognition of KIEC and its members has helped international entrepreneurs be viewed as serious business partners.
Much has changed since KIEC’s early coffee meetups. Yamada noted three evolutions: the establishment of the Jetro relationship, the advent of the 90 Days Kyoto program and a post-COVID influx of people that resulted in a more engaged and consistent membership.
For Ueda, this growth mirrors wider changes in Kyoto. “KIEC is evolving with the city,” he says, describing KIEC as a friendly satellite orbiting Kyosta and the 90 Days program, all of which are informally connected through support staff and members. Still, the work is not without obstacles.
“Money,” Yamada answers quickly when asked about the greatest challenge, adding that maintaining the community takes enormous effort.
Ueda agrees that Kyoto’s funding environment is challenging, with investors and loans often requiring strong Japanese skills and local trust.
Another frustration is cultural. Yamada notes that while Kyoto promotes itself as an “international cultural capital,” many city offices lack English-speaking staff and officials rarely attend international events. “It’s contradictory,” she says.
Conversations to collaborations
Success stories attest to the power of the KIEC network. Yamada recalls how one entrepreneur found critical visa guidance through the community. Ueda points to Ousuke Kambayashi, 22, a student at Ritsumeikan University who was inspired to take a sabbatical abroad to expand his family’s traditional dyeing business, Shobien Kyoto, through international fashion industry collaborations. “It happened here ... because of KIEC,” says Ueda.
Other collaborations have emerged, too, such as Kyoto Sozo Game Jam, a gaming hackathon created by Farid Ben Amor, 41, and Soraya Umewaka, sparked by connections at KIEC and supported by the U.S. Embassy.
Part of KIEC’s durability comes from the contrasting but complementary styles of its organizers. “Sesto is the planner, the serious one,” Yamada says with a grin. “I add the spices. When it comes to designing events, I use my experience with Kyoto startup programs and emceeing. He’s more structured; I create the atmosphere.”
Their teamwork reflects the balance of Kyoto itself: formal tradition blended with informal cheerfulness. Whether moderating a government and business panel or hosting a casual networking night, they ensure KIEC stays welcoming and fun.
Both see Kyoto’s unique culture as fertile ground for entrepreneurs. Ueda notes that businesses here are valued for community roots and social impact more than efficiency, a perspective that can boost global scalability.
Yamada highlights Kyoto’s quality of life — a balance of space, nature, culture and international connections — and notes that helping others find their place in the city enriches both the business sector and society at large.
Ueda and Yamada emphasize that speaking Japanese is crucial, stressing that perfection isn’t required. “If you’re capable, you can get by being less polite in Japanese and without ‘fitting in’ completely,” Ueda explains. It is, in many ways, the spirit of KIEC itself, an environment where showing up and helping out counts more than flawless execution.
As Kyoto grapples with demographic shifts, visa policies and the pressures of globalization, the need for spaces like KIEC may be greater than ever. For some, it is simply a networking group. For others, it is a lifeline. And for its organizers, it remains a vital part of the local ecosystem.
“We don’t define ourselves by business plans or KPIs,” Yamada reflects. “Community is something you can’t really plan. But people tell us they need it, and that keeps it going.”
“We remind people they’re not alone,” Ueda says. “If you feel you’re the only one struggling, it’s heavy. But if you come to KIEC, have a drink and hear others facing the same thing, it feels lighter.
“We’re here for you. And there’s always a drink waiting.”
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