Written by: Wang Chao
A few days ago, I wrote some notes about my visit to the Tokyo Game Show. This time, I will talk about the Japanese DAO that I observed. The title is a bit exaggerated, but it is not entirely clickbait.
On the day I arrived in Tokyo, I visited a shared office space for crypto practitioners, where many Japanese DAOists, Web3 entrepreneurs, and a crypto investment institution that claims to be the most active in Tokyo gathered.
It has an excellent location, close to Shibuya Station, and hidden in an inconspicuous intersection. The shared space occupies the 3rd to 6th floors of a building, two of which are reserved by the VC and several larger affiliated companies, and the other two floors are rented by individuals or startup teams with only two or three people.
The office space is very simple, even a little crude. The price is quite affordable, with a workstation costing 2,200 RMB and a private cubicle costing only 3,500 RMB per month. There is also a night slot, which costs only 550 RMB per month, but can only be used after 5 pm. This is probably for students who want to do side jobs after get off work, but it is very suitable for friends who participate in DAO in their spare time. It can also be used temporarily, for only 100 RMB per day, but can only be used until 5 pm.
I made an appointment with the operations manager to meet at 5 o'clock in advance. It was a bit late, and there were not many people in the office. Everyone was quietly doing their own things. The girl who was responsible for receiving me on site was pretty and charming, and her English was also OK. She took me around two floors and introduced various facilities and support for tenants. After a round, I felt that although the hardware was simple, it was comfortable. However, whether it was a cubicle or a conference room, the sound insulation was almost zero. As long as you make phone calls and hold meetings, it is a serious build in public, which is quite in line with the DAO spirit. You are welcome to listen.
What impressed me most was a photo wall. It seemed that many members would leave a Polaroid photo there, which added a sense of community to the space. The girl pointed at the photos and told me who this was and what project they had done, and who that was and what they were doing. They were probably all famous entrepreneurs, but unfortunately I had never heard of any of them. As for the support for tenants, what impressed me most was that even if you only rent a workstation, they would help provide the necessary materials such as the address for company registration. I don't know if all shared spaces in Japan are like this, but it feels quite friendly to entrepreneurs.
The space holds events every Monday, and the invited guests often come from different DAOs. Although there are many crypto-themed office spaces in Tokyo, I think this one is unique in that it is truly closely integrated with the DAO ecosystem. Its operating model is also quite DAO-specific: each member will receive an NFT, which is associated with the door lock system and can be opened through a dedicated app. In addition, the interaction between members and the communication with the operator are very active. Not only can they spontaneously organize activities and make suggestions, but some decisions are also determined by member voting. Although this is essentially still an office rental project operated by the company, these community elements add to its unique charm.
I came into contact with Japan's DAO long before this trip. In the past few years, I have met some Japanese entrepreneurs and have become good friends with several of them. The world is made up of circles, and Japan is no exception. My friends know my interests and introduce me to some people from time to time, including game developers, investors, entrepreneurs, and of course some activists who are engaged in the DAO field.
I use the word activist because that is my most direct impression of local DAOs in Japan.
Some global DAOs have many participants in Japan, such as BanklessJP and PNouns. Bright Moments DAO, which is famous for its offline art galleries and exhibitions, has chosen Tokyo as its Asian city, and held a successful opening art event in May. I am an old member of Bright Moments, and before I went there, I talked with the partners who promote operations in various regions about their future plans in Tokyo.
But compared to these global DAOs, I am more interested in the DAOs that have grown out of Japan. Most of these DAOs I have come into contact with give me the feeling of activists, because they almost all point to a common big goal - social impact.
Perhaps influenced by Japan’s relatively closed environment, the need for external communication is particularly strong, and several DAOs hope to promote exchanges and cooperation between Japan and the world. . More DAOs focus on internal development — they hope to drive progress and change from villages to industries, and even countries, through community collaboration.
A DAO that promotes Web3 nation building
Among all the DAOs in Japan, Yamakoshi DAO is the most famous. Yamakoshi is a small village located in the mountains of north-central Japan, which once had a permanent population of 2,200 people. In the earthquake 19 years ago, the village was severely damaged and the whole village was forced to evacuate. More than a decade after the impact of the earthquake ended, only 800 villagers were still living there.
Faced with problems such as loss of personnel and economic downturn, Yamakoshi Village launched the Digital Villager NFT project in December 2021, inviting digital villagers to participate in the reconstruction of the village. At that time, it was an NFT bull market, and this special narrative brought them great attention. NFTs were swept away, and the initiator was even invited to speak at the Japanese Congress.
However, the operation of the project is not easy. The operation is mainly carried out by the Shanyue Residents Committee, a local volunteer organization. In the review at the end of 2022, the team admitted that the development was not smooth. They set their sights on the global community, but the views of "survival of marginal villages" and "regional revitalization" were too high-context and not suitable for global use. Then they conceived a new direction based on the gains from this year's operation. Expanding the concept of digital villagers to more regions to form a network effect, while also forming a more effective DAO operation structure.
New plan for ShanGuZhi DAO
Coincidentally, a Japanese non-profit organization called the Beautiful Countryside Alliance, founded in 2005, launched the "Beautiful Countryside DAO", positioning itself as a regional revitalization platform that connects beautiful villages and digital villagers. So far, 71 villages have joined the DAO alliance.
Promoting industry changes is also a feature seen in the Japanese DAO ecosystem. However, unlike some industry DAOs that want to overturn everything, Japan's industry DAOs are more moderate. They are mostly based in a certain industry, communicate and help each other, and may develop some professional service businesses in the future.
A logistics DAO aims to increase the B-side's attention to logistics and fully reflect the value of logistics. They are also developing logistics consulting business with members with experience in shipping companies, freight forwarders, customs brokers, and aerospace industry logistics, and establishing a non-profit organization with former customs employees.
A beauty DAO that aims to "create new value" and "improve the social status of people working in the beauty industry."
More aggressive DAOs aim to influence national policies, and RulemakerDAO is a representative example. As the name suggests, the goal of this DAO is to promote the formulation of regional and national policies through the power of the community.
Japan is currently planning to launch a digital nomad visa to attract digital nomads from around the world to stay in Japan for a short period of time, and RulemakerDAO is one of the main driving forces behind this policy.
On March 21, RulemakerDAO established a digital nomad visa promotion project.
On April 19, members of RulemakerDAO submitted their thoughts on the digital nomad visa to Shunsuke Takei, the then Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs).
On May 8, RulemakerDAO held a public discussion, attended by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Shunsuke Takei and some professionals related to digital nomads.
The picture is quoted from the Rulemaker community public information
On May 19, they submitted another proposal to Representative Soichiro Imeda. Soichiro Imaeda is the youth minister of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the executive director of the Entrepreneurship Promotion Committee. He is a Web3-friendly politician and was just appointed as the deputy minister of education, culture, science and technology (equivalent to the deputy minister of culture, science and technology) in the cabinet reshuffle on September 17. .
The picture is quoted from the Rulemaker community public information
On June 8, the Liberal Democratic Party’s Labor Revitalization Committee held a plenary meeting to discuss digital nomad visas, and RulemakerDAO members were invited to participate in the discussion.
On August 31, RulemakerDAO once again held a seminar on digital nomad visas and invited Representative Soichiro Imeda to participate.
Digital Nomad Visa Proposal
One of the members even drafted a policy proposal
The digital nomad visa policy is still in the process of being implemented and has not yet been truly implemented. Regardless of whether it can be implemented in the end, DAO has demonstrated its power in promoting national affairs.
Digital nomad visas aren’t the only thing they plan to promote, RulemakerDAO also plans to hold workshops and come up with discussion points and policy recommendations in the areas of local government xWeb3 and tourism.
The Japanese government is also not idle. The Social Affairs Promotion Committee of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party released a Web3 white paper in April this year, which included new tax schemes for LLC-type DAOs and legislation for investment-type DAOs.
In the wave of embracing Web3, the exploration of various social DAOs in Japan shows that the concept of community is inspiring a wider range of groups. They are not only reshaping the new paradigm of collaboration and governance, but also revealing a future trend: the community will play an increasingly important role in the development of future society.
The DAO journey in Japan is still in its infancy, and perhaps most of the current Japanese DAOs will gradually disappear. But whether they continue to develop or gradually disappear, they have already sowed seeds in the hearts of Japanese business, political circles, and even ordinary people. As these seeds of change take root in people's hearts, they are expected to become a pioneering force leading the integration of innovation and tradition in conservative Japanese society.
Regarding Japan's DAO, my observations are mostly superficial and do not represent the full picture. Due to language limitations, there may be errors in the interpretation of some information, so please consider it carefully when referring to it.
