When it comes to managing a business in Yokohama, the possibilities are virtually endless for forward-thinking entrepreneurs like Aaron Benedek. Benedek was born and raised in the state of California, and his startup business, Nekotronic, is currently working on developing technology that will enable multi-dimensional flight management. This will pave the way for a future “Sky Highway.” He relocated to Yokohama almost three years ago, and it was there that he established Nekotronic. The municipal government of Yokohama has been of considerable assistance to him in getting his business off the ground.
Benedek explained that Yokohama has been helpful in connecting his company, Nekotronic, with local projects, as well as introducing the company to prospective partners and customers. Additionally, Benedek mentioned that Yokohama has been supportive in finding mentorship from business leaders. Currently, he is collaborating with the city of Yokohama in order to conduct outdoor tests of his technology. Nekotronic, along with other large and small technology and research businesses, have the opportunity to participate in city-sponsored events like the YOXO FESTIVAL, which gives them the chance to network with their competitors and showcase their wares to members of the general public as well.
Those who have been following developments in Yokohama over the past few years should not be surprised to learn that the city provides financial assistance to new businesses and individuals who are venturing into the research and development and technological sectors. In 2019, Yokohama announced that it would become a “Innovation City,” a designation that would allow researchers, engineers, business owners, and students to broaden their professional networks and cultivate relationships that would make Yokohama the cradle of innovative technological development. During that time period, Yokohama established YOXO BOX, which refers for “Yokohama Cross Over Sand Box,” as a physical hub to support programs such as accelerator programs, networking programs, and business mentorship programs. Within the framework of the Global Cities of the Future, the category of Foreign Direct Investment Strategy placed Yokohama in third place by the year 2020, placing it behind only Greater Montreal (Canada) and Abu Dhabi. (UAE).
Yokohama’s history and culture have prepared the city well for the challenge of evolving into a center of innovation on a worldwide scale. Yokohama was the first city in industrialized Japan to welcome foreign tourists as residents because it was one of the first ports to open after over 200 years of Japanese isolation from trade and cultural exchange, which ended in the late 19th century. This isolation had prevented Japan from engaging in trade and cultural exchange with other countries. Yokohama became home to the headquarters and research and development centers of important corporations such as Nissan, Shiseido, and Bosch as the city expanded and attracted new residents and businesses. In recent years, Yokohama has seen a steady influx of information technology (IT) engineers, researchers, and software developers looking to both reside and work in the city.
Yokohama is a city that makes it simple for people from other countries to live and work there in comparison to other Japanese cities. Yokohama has a long tradition of welcoming people from other countries to live in the city, and as a result, the city now has a community that is home to over one million people of different nationalities. In addition, the city is home to ten institutions that cater to a global student body and several medical facilities that cater to patients speaking other languages.
Yokohama is a world-class city, according to TJ Wheeler, a manager at a company specializing in virtual reality (VR) and metaverse technology. Yokohama offers a plethora of opportunities for business and entertainment, and it is only a brief train ride away from amazing opportunities in the great outdoors. Wheeler and his wife relocated to Yokohama from another region of Japan in the spring of the previous year, and they are still getting used to the city’s culture and its many attractions. Picnicking in the park while watching the summer fireworks festival and attending craft beer events such as Oktoberfest that have been hosted around the Akarenga Red Brick Warehouse district along the waterfront have been two of their favorite things to do so far.
Although there are 3.77 million people living in Yokohama, the city’s layout and the way it makes use of natural spaces give it the impression of being much more livable than other major cities. The city is home to approximately 2,700 parks, many of which showcase varying seasonal flora and fauna, such as cherry blossoms in the spring and autumn foliage in the fall. Located in Yokohama, the Sankeien is a massive historical Japanese garden with landscapes that have been meticulously manicured and wooden structures that are close to 600 years old. Chinatown in Yokohama is the biggest Chinatown in East Asia, and it features authentic Chinese cuisine in addition to Chinese culture. Even getting away from the city for the weekend is simple, as there are both hot springs resorts with vistas of Mount Fuji and the never-ending nightlife of Tokyo within an hour’s train ride of each other. A flourishing sauna bath culture has taken hold in Yokohama among those in their 20s to 40s, and the city has seen a proliferation of sauna and spa facilities in recent years. The one-of-a-kind Sky Spa is located on the upper level of a high-rise building close to Yokohama Station. It features a combination of spa facilities, restaurants, and a co-working space that exemplifies the culture of ‘Work hard, play hard’ that is prevalent in Yokohama.
Because of these factors, Robert Heldt, the Chief Executive Officer of Custom Media, a creative digital agency headquartered in Tokyo, has decided to make his home in Yokohama. Heldt, who was born in Chennai and received his degree from the University of Madras, relocated to Yokohama in 2014 and now owns a house that features a garden as well as a small terrace. He and his family reside there. Although Heldt’s workplace is located in Tokyo, which is only a forty-minute train ride away, he chooses to live in Yokohama because he prefers the lifestyle there. He thinks that Yokohama is “clean, safe, and convenient,” and that there are a lot of things that families can do and see there on the weekends and during the holidays.
Heldt considers Yokohama to be not only a wonderful location in which to reside but also a thriving economic center. “Yokohama is a fantastic location for MICE events, which stands for “meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions.” It provides a wide assortment of one-of-a-kind venues and spaces that are ideal for working together and coming up with new ideas. This virtually universal sense of pride that Yokohama’s citizens have in their home city is possibly one of the factors that contributes to the city being ranked so highly in annual surveys of Japanese cities as the best place to live in all of Japan.
Yokohama is just getting started on the journey that will lead to it becoming a leading center in East Asia for businesses that specialize in innovation and technology. In spite of this, judging by the achievements they have already accomplished, this rising star of a metropolis has an extremely promising future.
