The first session of "Shikinejima Academy" held!

With the aim of increasing the number of visitors who have a good understanding of Shikinejima and can become "local heroes," the fellow residents who are responsible for the future of the island, the Shikinejima Academy is being held again this year.

Last year the Shikinejima Academy appealed to company employees and freelancers from many fields. But this year, influenced by a vision of coexistence with the coronavirus and its aftermath, it was decided to appeal to companies who are actively adopting remote work. Aimed at cooperation with Shibuya ward--in a tourism and cultural exchange agreement with Niijima--and Minato ward--a hub for the island regions--five people who work at companies in Shibuya and Minato wards were gathered as participants this year.

The recommended "Shikinejima island workation" experience is a stay of at least three nights during the tourism offseason. This is because, despite being on an island, the focus should not be on vacation. Instead, participants should observe a schedule as they typically would performing remote work, while gaining a deeper understanding about the island.

At the first session of the Shikinejima Academy, the island's resident members and participants met, sharing their thoughts about getting involved and the process leading up to the present. By introducing the coworking space tailored for telecommunications and rigorous security, the short distance between the space and hot springs, and the wi-fi capabilities installed along the coast enabling work to be done while watching the ocean, the values of "Shikinejima: A place to work" were conveyed.

Participants asked questions about making payments on the island and using ATMs but were both surprised and relived after hearing that over 80% of the stores on Shikinejima are capable of cashless transactions.

During the second session of Shikinejima Academy, participants will experience a stay of five nights and six days. The opinions of this session's participants will be incorporated with advice received from experts, and preparations will continue so that "Shikinejima island workation" can receive full-fledged acceptance.

Furthermore, in a first for coworking spaces in the Tokyo Islands, the space has been registered with "e-office", a country-wide coworking and shared office space organization. This will improve convenience and further increase the rate of acceptance.