An Island Visit with a Glimpse of Future Possibilities: An Inspiring Experience of Aogashima Sustainability and its Similarities to Silicon Valley

What I felt when I visited Aogashima
I went there as soon as I heard that Okabe-san of Stablecoin was moving there. Simply because I was impressed by the challenge of social implementation of DAO.

1.Community Cohesion

Because Aogashima is the geographical area of Japan's most difficult destination to visit, the people living there form a unique community.
Since DAO is a decentralized organization and often operates online, we felt that being exposed to the presence of a real community would reaffirm the importance of cohesion and cooperation among members.
On the day of the event, the helicopter that would take us from Hachijojima to Aogashima was suddenly cancelled, and everyone there was in danger of not being able to cross to the island. Then everyone looked at each other and a situation arose in which strangers helped each other. What should we do? If the helicopter didn't work, we would have to take a boat! and we quickly shared this information, and together we looked for a cab and ran to the port. When we arrived at the port, there was a crowd of people looking for boat tickets, where again, conversations were born and we quickly became friends. We went with three people but soon became friends with six others.
The camaraderie of being challenged by Japan's most difficult challenge naturally brings smiles to our faces.

Within a few hours of getting to know each other, we were in such a lively mood!

2. Sustainability and the importance of increasing people's skills

Islands are often surrounded by natural environments, and their rich natural resources and landscapes need to be protected; a visit to an island by DAO members may raise awareness about nature conservation and sustainable development. Such an experience may also help DAOs to reaffirm the importance of considering the municipal environment and long-term sustainability when planning their projects and activities.
Aogashima has a long history as an isolated island, and as recently as 40 years ago, boats would only come to the island once every two months or so. Therefore, it has a lot of sustainable know-how to live in harmony with nature. One of these is shochu production. Aogashima's shochu technology is excellent, and the process of writing the unique shochu process that came from Kagoshima in the past has evolved into a unique, high quality, original beauty. Surprisingly, however, all of the master distillers do not make it their main occupation, but rather a sideline. They are all dedicated to one profession, and they do not rest on their laurels, but have their own side jobs as fishermen, construction workers, and ryokans (Japanese inns). I felt that this is a hint to the reskilling that Japanese people will survive in the future.

Mr. Okuyama, one of the toji, he also has several side jobs. However, his level of explanation of shochu is very high. He can be quite knowledgeable about fermentation and distillation, starting from the explanation of Kou and B and ending with the distillation.Dairy farming is another side business.

3. Understanding the local culture and economy

Aogashima has its own unique culture and economy, and DAO members visiting the island will have the opportunity to interact with local people and gain a deeper understanding of the characteristics of the local culture and economy.
This may allow DAOs to take a more sensitive approach to local culture and economy when developing projects and activities. In fact, in just one day's visit, we were able to interact with teachers, salt makers, police officers, innkeepers, sauna keepers, construction workers, enka singers, and many others.

Noritaka Okabe CEO,JPYC is No.1 stable coin company in Japan

Okabe-san He moved there from town and build co working space.

Cooking with geothermal heat. The 🥔taste of sausages and potatoes steamed in this way is not hampered.

4. Possibility of remote working

The fact that *DAO members go to the island shows that they can work and do activities online without being tied to the activity. This could be an opportunity to realize the potential of remote working in a tangible way. The ability to facilitate online communication and work while staying on the isolated island of Aogashima, an island in the middle of the ocean, may allow DAO members to work freely without being bound by geographical restrictions. Japan has the world's strongest communications infrastructure. In fact, on Aogashima, I was able to have the same level of unencumbered communication environment as I had in Silicon Valley.
Workcation is possible on a remote island in the middle of the ocean.
Okabe-san runs one of Japan's leading stable coin companies from Aogashima

5. Aogashima and Silicon Valley: A closer look at the similarities between Aogashima and Silicon Valley

Aogashima and Silicon Valley may be very different in appearance and environment, but several similarities exist in their ability to survive and approach success. First, Aogashima is surrounded by a harsh natural environment. The islanders demonstrate the creativity and adaptability necessary to build sustainable livelihoods with limited resources and constraints. Similarly, Silicon Valley companies and entrepreneurs have the flexibility to create new ideas and adapt to change in order to survive in the competitive technology industry.

Aogashima and Silicon Valley also emphasize the power of community. People in Aogashima are expected to support each other in difficult situations and work together to solve problems. Similarly, Silicon Valley has an ingrained culture of collaborative growth, exchanging ideas and knowledge through information sharing and networking.

Furthermore, both sides are not afraid to take risks and challenge themselves. The people of Aogashima not only rely on traditional industries such as fishing and agriculture, but are also proactive in expanding their own potential by developing new business and tourism industries. Similarly, in Silicon Valley, people take risks and pursue innovation by investing in new ideas and technologies and founding startups.

From these factors, it can be said that Aogashima and Silicon Valley share similarities in aspects such as the ability to survive, the willingness to take on challenges, and the importance of community. Despite the fact that each exists in a different context and environment, the qualities and values necessary to face challenges and achieve success are similar!