GaijinPot, Japan’s number one website for foreigners working, studying and living in Japan, held the third event in a series of free networking parties for Tokyo-area foreigners on May 11 at Mexican Cafe & Bar in Harajuku. It was a new venue for GaijiinPot Meet and another truly fun and successful evening!
Despite the rainy weather and smaller venue, the turnout of about 25 people, including guests, clients and staff, filled the restaurant and bar and with lively conversation and casual networking over drinks and authentic Mexican food.
Event Highlights
The diverse mix of attendees included Japanese language school students looking to connect with possible future employers and people already working and living in Tokyo who wanted to meet other foreigners working full-time in the city.
It was a great opportunity for guests, especially Japanese language students, to chat with GaijinPot staff and longer-term residents about how to make the transition to settling down in Japan.
The main language of communication was English, although it was a very international environment with attendees from various countries, including Brazil, Israel, Russia, New Zealand, the United States and Japan.
A common theme was that attendees wanted to connect with other foreign residents, make friends and learn more about GaijinPot’s services. Some guests also mentioned that they wanted to see how other people were dealing with the common challenges of living in Japan as a foreigner.
The evening also included a short presentation by GPlusMedia Inc. staff about our services and how to use our sites to find work, housing, and study opportunities in Japan.
Business Opportunities
Five clients of GPlusMedia Inc. also attended the party and had the chance to chat with our staff and users and to build new business opportunities.
GaijinPot is owned by GPlusMedia Inc., which produces Japan’s most used English-language news and information sites, including JapanToday, Savvy Tokyo and Real Estate Japan.
How did attendees feel about the event?
Like previous GaijinPot Meet events, we received great feedback from our guests.
In the post-event survey, attendees indicated that the top reasons they joined the evening were (1) to meet GaijinPot staff and (2) to meet other foreigners, suggesting that awareness of the GaijinPot brand is very strong and that the brand continues to be appealing to foreigners living in or visiting Japan.
Respondents also indicated that they were looking for information about living in Japan. In response, for future GaijinPot Meets, we plan to invite guest speakers and to offer co-sponsorship opportunities to companies who would like to introduce relevant services to attendees.
One hundred percent of attendees indicated intent to join next time, with people saying that they would like to see live performances and to have guest speakers on various topics, such as finding housing, visa issues and career advancement. Attendees also wanted to have us host board game nights and to branch out into other venues, including bigger and higher-end restaurants.
Our staff also had a great evening and really enjoyed the chance to meet and talk with our users in person!
Upcoming Events
GPlusMedia plans to hold more GaijinPot Meet events in Tokyo this year, with the aim of bringing our users together and building a strong and inclusive community of foreigners, bilinguals and globally-minded Japanese. The next GaijinPot Meet is scheduled for mid-June.
On a related note, we are also pleased to mention that GPlusMedia will be hosting GaijinPot Expo 2023 on December 2 this year. GaijinPot Expo 2023 will be one of the year’s largest exhibitions for foreign residents living in Japan. For exhibitor information, please visit the GaijinPot Expo 2023 exhibitor page.
In the meantime, if you are interested in learning how your company can co-host or sponsor a future GaijinPot Meet event or how GPlusMedia can help your company reach GaijinPot users, please contact us using the form below!
