This article reflects information as of 2020. For the latest details, please contact us.
Written by: Takayuki Shionome, Project Manager, tentus inc.
Hello. This is Shionome, posting for the first time. I thought the members who always update needed a break, so I took on this installment. Now, this time's theme is the reality of telework in a regional city, unfolded together with my self-introduction.
Self-Introduction
The person who manages the overall progress of a project — that's the role I play at tentus as a project manager. I'm from Utsunomiya City in "Tochigi Prefecture," a place people from western Japan often ask me "where's that?"
About Utsunomiya
Speaking of Utsunomiya — it's the gyoza town! In the first half of 2020, it yielded the top spot not to its rival Hamamatsu but to Miyazaki City… For more details, see here. I enjoyed life in Tokyo from graduating high school until a few years ago, but I came to feel that life in the regional city where I was born and raised is nice too, so I now live in Utsunomiya.
My Work Style Until February 2020
Until then, my work style was going back and forth between Tokyo and Utsunomiya, but as the situation made in-person communication impossible, I switched to teleworking in Utsunomiya.
My Workspace in Utsunomiya
Currently I use an office near the station as my workspace (the red building on the right). Details here.
That said, all meetings have become online and my travel distance is short, so I tend to lack exercise. Let me introduce my own new lifestyle.
My New Lifestyle in Utsunomiya
・Morning run: I run for about 30 to 40 minutes. Compared to Tokyo, there are fewer traffic lights, the roads are wide, and I can enjoy the scenery, so it's pleasant. Today's running course — right now it's rice-harvest season.
・Commuting by bicycle: The office is about 8 km one way, so I can burn off one beer's worth of calories. This lets me drink a beer without guilt.
Utsunomiya is about 50 minutes from Tokyo Station by Shinkansen — sometimes changing up your location to work can be a nice change of pace. If you're interested in teleworking in Utsunomiya, feel free to get in touch.