Two months have passed since I returned to Japan.

I currently live in Iwate Prefecture. My main work is remote website production and planning. I receive various messages asking if I'm not doing anything new or what I'm up to, but for now, it's a period of recharging. I'm currently enjoying relaxed days while thinking about the next project to launch.

I honestly thought that if I came to Iwate, I'd get bored and want to return to Tokyo right away, but in reality, that wasn't the case. As time passed, the concept of the countryside started to be considered on a parallel line with the city. I've had several surprising discoveries, so I'll summarize a few.

Remote work in the countryside is ultimately comfortable.

Since I'm in Iwate, all my work is inevitably remote. Both website production and direction involve communication using Skype, LINE, and Chatwork. Of course, I also fully utilize Facebook pages and Messenger. There are no in-person meetings.

So, what was the result?

The amount of time I can use for myself has overwhelmingly increased, and my income is on track to reach the same level as last year. Furthermore, because I can spend more time on production, the quality has improved, and the number of repeat customers has increased. For some reason, troubles have also drastically decreased, and things now proceed according to schedule. It's surprising.

You might think there are difficulties with communication, but that's not the case. It's true that in the initial stages, I didn't understand the procedures, missed key points, and couldn't perform optimally. However, once I got the hang of it, even with the extreme case of 'email only from start to finish' without meetings, I became able to provide high-quality general websites. Not limited to small and medium-sized businesses, even projects for large corporations can be handled almost entirely through messages if an agency is involved.

By the way, I've sealed off phone calls. In the past month, I've only made one phone call. And that was just small talk with a director I know.

There are almost no meetings. If there are, they're only on Skype. I don't receive any phone calls at all. As a result, I can allocate the hours I used for communication to production, allowing me to concentrate on creating. Since the phone doesn't ring, my concentration isn't disturbed either.

Certainly, there might be positions or projects that require meetings or frequent communication.

However, despite doing the same work as when I was in Tokyo, I was surprised that by simply stopping using the phone, limiting communication to internet-based tools, and converting communication time into work time, work could proceed so efficiently. At the same time, I can't help but wonder what all that communication time I used when I was in Tokyo was for. I often used to say things like 'the phone never stops ringing' or 'the call history goes full circle,' but what was all that really about? It seems I'm now realizing firsthand how much human performance was wasted due to unnecessary communication.

Also, as I mentioned at the beginning, troubles have disappeared.

Because everything is left in text. When you think about it, most of the troubles that occur are due to 'he said, she said' situations or things being ambiguous. However, if you leave things in writing, as long as you're doing your job properly, nothing unreasonable happens. When things are verbal and you're busy, things can be missed or forgotten, but that doesn't happen either. It's the best.

(Though, ideally, even with verbal communication, one should properly write things down. It seems I lacked the ability to balance both direction and production.)

One more thing. This might be good news for clients and agencies. Prices have been lowered. Delivery times have also been shortened. Even if we reduce prices by an average of 30% compared to when we were working in Tokyo, it's still profitable. It's definitely 30% based on calculations. Of course, we've introduced new technologies and thoroughly streamlined processes. Furthermore, I can confidently say that the quality is higher than before.

This is the result of switching to remote work. I regret not limiting myself to remote work sooner. Or rather, it really shows how much wasted communication there was.

Furthermore, I still have time left, so I'm preparing for the next business, such as developing C++ and VR applications, and studying to master efficiency improvements around SCSS, which I was behind on for the website. I'm also playing through all the games I bought and left untouched because I had no time to play, creating a truly surprising environment. No matter what anyone says, this is the result of my remote work experience. It's truly astonishing.

About life

I've talked a lot about work, but now it's about life. I generally wake up early in the morning. Around 6 AM, I suppose. Beyond the window in front of me, 10 meters away is a mountain, so I wake up gazing at the pleasant green scenery. The leaves are shining beautifully in the sunlight. I often think, 'The mountain is lively today too.'

Then, I work for about two hours, followed by breakfast. Since the area is entirely agricultural, I eat various things like vegetables and rice harvested from the farm, then relax until around 10 AM before returning to work. By the way, sometimes my neighbors give me an incredible amount of udon or gyoza. The food I receive is also delicious.

During the day, I basically work or study. I don't get sleepy much, so I don't nap, but if I lose focus, I watch movies or play games. As evening approaches, the heat subsides, and the outdoors become pleasant, so I take walks. By the way, there are also cool days when it's fine without air conditioning even during the day. On my walks, I sometimes stop by my cousin's house to talk about music.

By the way, there's a good live music venue in my hometown, and famous artists like Takeshi Hosomi and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra often perform there.

Then, for dinner, I eat and drink while discussing topics like 'What is the future of agriculture?', 'What will happen to agriculture?', 'IT in agriculture', and 'Sixth Industrialization', thinking about what can be done with IT and agriculture. On weekends, I talk about such things over drinks. After dinner, if there's work, I do it, or study for the next project; otherwise, I watch movies or play games.

By the way, since it's Obon, we sometimes perform an event called 'Taimatsu-kashi' before dinner. We bring pine branches and wood and make a bonfire in the garden. We do it on the 1st, 7th, and a few other days. The reason we do it is that our ancestors are said to return during Obon, so we light fires to guide them so they don't get lost. We also set off fireworks together at this time. My hometown has such events, so I think we'll have fireworks on the 7th next time.

And so, night falls, and I go to bed around 12 AM. The stars are incredibly beautiful, so I sometimes look at them on my way to buy juice after dinner. Anyway, it's completely silent because no one is walking around, which feels really nice. And it's safe, by the way.

That's the kind of day I've been spending recently.

I thought I might fall behind on information if I left Tokyo, but that's not the case. I can gather information quickly through Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), and there haven't been any problems with falling behind on anything specific. So, my values now place Tokyo and Iwate on completely equal footing; in fact, in terms of remote work and living environment, Iwate has come out on top.

Also, I went hiking in the mountains on the weekend.

That being said, there are also problems.

The problem is that there are few opportunities to interact with people immersed in technology, so the chances of receiving new stimulation from conversations are overwhelmingly reduced. Most of the residents are unfamiliar with IT, websites, technology, and business information, so cutting-edge ideas and ways of thinking can only be obtained through self-study and online communication. This was an overwhelmingly fatal flaw.

So, if you're going to be ambitious and aggressive with startups and ventures, my impression is that a Tokyo base is still overwhelmingly better. If you can initiate something on your own and confidently say it's incredibly interesting, then transmitting from the countryside might be fine. However, I felt that the almost complete lack of technological and cultural stimulation through people was quite a negative.

I think it was valuable to drink and talk about things like 'I want to do this!' Also, I can meet people I want to see right away.

Therefore, a lifestyle of a few months in Tokyo and a few months in the countryside would be overwhelmingly good, no matter what you do. In the future, I will also extend my reach overseas, but first, I hope to create a lifestyle where meaningful round trips between Tokyo and the countryside become routine.

I intended to keep it short, but it turned into a long post. That's all for today.