GaijinPot, Japan’s number one website for foreigners working, studying and living in Japan, held the fourth event in a series of free networking parties for Tokyo-area foreigners, with an added twist of raffles and prizes. It was a hugely successful evening, with many people saying that they couldn’t wait to attend the next one!

This month’s party took place on June 15th. Over 40 guests, including Tokyo-area residents and guests of GPlusMedia chatted and mingled over drinks at Ginza 300 Bar Next.

Guest Demographics

This time around there were many more working people than students in attendance, compared to last month’s party. About 80% of attendees indicated that they are currently work and 20% said they were students. The atmosphere was warm and relaxed, with free-flowing casual conversation.

As with previous events, the diversity of guests was really inspiring. The majority of guests were newcomers to Japan (some of whom who have only been in the country for a few weeks!). Long-time residents were also well represented. Guests included a young Japanese person who received his entire education at international schools and a dual-citizen person who had just returned to Japan to start a new job.

Nationalities from around the world were represented, notably from Asian countries.

Guests came from many walks of life, from students to those working for established companies in recruiting and language teaching to brand new employees of start-ups and self-employed.

As with previous events, a common theme was that attendees wanted to connect with other foreign residents, make friends and learn more about GaijinPot’s services. 

Event Highlights

The highlight of the evening was a raffle! The whole crowd did drumrolls as the winners were drawn. Three lucky people received an Amazon gift card, a daruma cushion and a GaijinPot mug.

The evening included a short presentation about GPlusMedia Inc.’s services. 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.

Networking & business opportunities

Several 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.

If you are interested in attending the next GaijinPot Meet, on July 13, please visit this page to reserve a space! Please be aware that attendee numbers are limited and tickets are issued on a first-come-first-served basis.

Outstanding feedback

We received great feedback from our guests. Here’s what one attendee had to say in the post-event survey:

This happens to be my second GaijinPot meet up. I was ecstatic that another one was coming up so soon that I had to join again and to know another one is happening in July makes me even more excited to join to network with more people.

GaijinPot Meet 4 guest

As with previous events, 100% of attendees indicated that they would like to attend future similar events.

In the post-event survey, attendees indicated that the top reasons they joined the evening were (1) to make new friends (2) to meet other foreigners, and (3) to meet GaijinPot staff, suggesting that awareness of the GaijinPot brand is very strong and that GaijinPot continues to be seen as a source of information for foreigners living in or visiting Japan.

Our staff also had a great evening and really enjoyed the chance to meet and talk with our users in person!

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.

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 July 13 at Ginza Bar 300 Next.

On a related note, 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!