Scene from the award ceremony at Italia Nomad Fest.
Colive Fukuoka Co-Founders Ryo Osera and Akina Shu
Moments from the Colive Fukuoka 2025 Closing Ceremony
FUKUOKA, JAPAN, March 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — “Colive Fukuoka,” a global community and program connecting digital nomads, entrepreneurs, and local ecosystems in Japan, hosted by Fukuoka City and operated by Yugyo Inc., was honored with the top recognition in the “Best Global Nomad Fest” category at the Nomad Retreats Awards 2025, announced on March 13, 2026, at Italia Nomad Fest 2026 in Palermo, Italy. This category recognizes the most outstanding nomad festivals held worldwide in 2025, with nominees including events in the Philippines, South Africa, Vietnam, and Nepal alongside Colive Fukuoka. The winner was determined by nearly 700 votes cast by digital nomads themselves, rather than by a designated judging panel.
According to the Global Digital Nomad Report 2025 published by Global Citizen Solutions (GCS) in September 2025, a related evolution in post-pandemic nomadism is the rise of “Slomadism” — the practice of staying in a single location for months or longer. This slower pace enables deeper engagement with the local business environment, culture, and community of a destination.
The same report ranks 64 countries that had issued digital nomad visas at the time of publication — placing Japan 7th in Quality of Life and 11th in Tech and Innovation, yet 48th in Tax Optimization and 61st in Citizenship and Mobility, pointing to the real barriers for those who can visit and stay long-term, but are looking to relocate or settle permanently.
Recognizing the rise of location-independent professionals and the global shift toward long-term remote work, Fukuoka City began attracting digital nomads in 2023 with the launch of the “Colive Fukuoka” initiative, before Japan introduced its Digital Nomad Visa in 2024. Several factors made this early move possible. Fukuoka’s location makes it a natural gateway to Asia: Seoul is about a 1.5-hour flight away and Shanghai around two hours, placing the city within easy reach of major Asian hubs. The city also offers exceptional accessibility, with Fukuoka Airport just 10 minutes from downtown by subway. Supported by this connectivity and an internationally open culture, Fukuoka has long fostered global entrepreneurship. In 2014, it became the first municipality in Japan to introduce a “Startup Visa” program for foreign entrepreneurs.
During the pop-up coliving program held in October 2025, Colive Fukuoka welcomed 496 participants from 57 countries and regions. Among them, 37% identified as entrepreneurs or investors, while 26% were full-time employees, reflecting a diverse mix of globally mobile professionals. Many participants came to Fukuoka seeking new opportunities within its growing intersection of global business and culture. According to a post-program survey, the average stay in the city reached 23 days, and participants cited “connections with the local community” as the most valuable aspect of the experience.
The program has already begun attracting solopreneurs. For example, a U.S.-based 3D animation creator stayed for a total of 130 days while traveling between Taiwan and Korea, and a French entrepreneur developing a hospitality SaaS platform for accommodation providers has begun exploring expansion into Asia from a base in Fukuoka.
Since its launch in 2023, the project has brought more than 1,000 digital nomads to Fukuoka over the past three years, while its online community has grown to approximately 1,200 members. On March 13, 2026, Colive Fukuoka was awarded first place in the “Best Global Nomad Fest” category at the Nomad Retreats Awards 2025, announced on stage at Italia Nomad Fest 2026 in Palermo. Unlike awards decided by a small panel of judges, the Nomad Retreats Awards are determined by the digital nomad community itself, with this year’s results based on more than 700 votes cast by nomads worldwide.
This recognition is not the achievement of the Colive Fukuoka team alone. It was made possible thanks to more than 30 global partners who resonated with the vision of Fukuoka as an “Asia gateway city” and joined the initiative through co-creation. While it is difficult to include everyone, we would like to introduce as many of them as possible below.
Alt_（Chiang Mai, Thailand） / Digital Nomad House KL Bukit Bintang（Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia） / Digital Nomads Korea（South Korea） / Digital Nomads Taiwan（Taiwan） / enjoykeys（China） / hoppin’ Busan（Busan, South Korea） / Nomads in Paradise（Siargao, Philippines） / SOKKOOL COLIVING AND COWORKING（Canggu, Indonesia） / Taiwan Digital Nomad Association（Taiwan） / Tropical Nomad（Canggu, Indonesia） / Vietnam Nomad Fest（Vietnam） / Bansko Nomad Fest（Bansko, Bulgaria） / Nomad Coliving（Montreal, Canada） / Nomad X（Madeira, Portugal） / studypackr（Germany） / Catalyst Now / Mapmelon / Nomad Way / Nomads Giving Back! / Outsite / The Pangea App / Freaking Nomads / Nomad Magazine / Nomad Update / Remote Base / The Digital Nomad Asia / Fukuoka Now（Fukuoka） /Fukuoka Startup Collective（Fukuoka） / Japan Digital Nomad Association / Manabu Community（Fukuoka） / Nomadnia / S-Tokyo（Tokyo） / Shibuya Startup Support（Tokyo） / TADAIMA SHIMODA（Shimoda） / The DECK（Osaka）
Message from the Founders
Akina Shu（Co-Founder, Colive Fukuoka）
We believe this “Best Global Nomad Fest” recognition at the Nomad Retreats Awards 2025 belongs to everyone who built this community together. Arigato and see you in Fukuoka, Japan this October.
Ryo Osera（Co-Founder, Colive Fukuoka）
We are convinced that this achievement is not only due to the charm of Fukuoka City but, above all, to the warm community that all the participants have built together. We are all committed to continuing to provide Fukuoka’s unique charm and experiences that no other city offers. We look forward to welcoming you all to Fukuoka this October.
A Gift of Gratitude
To thank the global community that helped build Colive Fukuoka, we have decided to revive the 40% launch discount for a limited time. Further details are available on the official website.
RYOYA SONODA
yugyo Inc.
[email protected]
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