We are bringing you a look at our workation experience in Ehime Prefecture in two parts, the first and second parts!
If you haven't read
the first part yet, please check it out.
On the third day, we will be working remotely in a different space!
From Ozu, we headed to Uwajima. After visiting the Uwajima City Date Museum, we checked into the nearby Kiya Ryokan, which was founded in 1911 and where Ryotaro Shiba, Shinpei Goto, and Tsuyoshi Inukai also stayed. The secret to its popularity is said to be its remnants of a Meiji-era inn and its elegant, sophisticated art entertainment space.
It is designated as a registered tangible cultural property.
Immerse yourself in your work in a unique space that combines history and art
Take a commemorative photo in your living room using a 360-degree camera!
On the fourth day, we went to the co-working space "UWAJIMA QUEST"
On the fourth day, we headed to UWAJIMA QUEST, a co-working space in Uwajima City. This place also provides extensive support for connecting local people with other prefectures, and is a base for coming up with new ideas for events and other things.
An essential place for local communities
＜UWAJIMA QUEST＞ https://cs-uq.com/
Inside, there are spaces for communication, concentration spaces with movable partitions where you can work with concentration, and conference rooms equipped with monitors, making it a space suitable for a variety of uses.
I was able to choose a location that suited my work.
We can have meetings and business negotiations in a relaxed atmosphere.
Take a half-day off and go after the big one!
In the afternoon, we took a half-day off to try fishing. At first, the members were confident, saying, "We're sure we'll catch something!", but they only caught two filefish. We returned to land, vowing to try again next time. In the evening, the fish we caught were cooked for our final dinner.
Head to the fishing spot with confidence!
The person who caught the big fish was a prefectural employee who was accompanying us (laughs).
On the last day, I worked hard in the coworking space!
It's already the fifth day. We worked at the same "UWAJIMA QUEST" as the day before until our departure. Many people visited during the two days we stayed there, and it felt like a place where innovation could be born. It's not in the photo, but it's also nice that there is a kitchen where we can cook meals together.
Is it only in Ehime that you can find mandarin oranges on your desk?
The results of the survey "Can I work remotely even if I work in sales?"
It was a hectic but fulfilling four-night, five-day workcation experience. Thank you so much to everyone who helped me out there!
Now, regarding whether sales and proposal members can do their jobs adequately through workation, I think it is possible now that the system environment for teleworking is in place and online conferences have become widespread, including with customers! Of course, there are also delivery meetings and other matters that cannot be handled online, so I think it will be important to make advance arrangements and cooperate within the team so as not to inconvenience customers.
Here are some impressions from the members who participated!
"Although this was the first time we met some of the team members, we were able to deepen our relationships in a short amount of time. I think this is a new way of working that can help resolve communication issues during the COVID-19 pandemic."
"During that time, I created plans for a competition. Travel and other things meant that my work time was fragmented, but alternating between work and relaxation gave me more space in my mind. I think workation is effective when you're stuck on an idea."
"I was able to work in a well-balanced way. This time, the other people were employees of the same company, but I felt that by working with people from other companies and regions, I could create connections that transcend boundaries."
"The townscape and the facilities and accommodations we used were wonderful. Overall, I was able to get work done and it was a refreshing vacation. The online conference had no impact or discomfort whatsoever."
"I wanted to move to Japan because I had no idea there were such great places here. I realized that being well-being increases productivity."
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If workcation becomes more widespread, we can rediscover the wonderfulness of various parts of Japan, and people's values, motivation in work, and purpose in life may change. Ehime Prefecture is also starting to support parent-child workcation (family workcation). I hope many people will try it out if they have the opportunity.
