{"id":549,"date":"2022-12-27T19:21:33","date_gmt":"2022-12-27T10:21:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/workmill.jp\/en\/?post_type=webzine&p=549"},"modified":"2023-09-06T13:11:42","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T04:11:42","slug":"connect-workspace-tonari-communication-20221228","status":"publish","type":"webzine","link":"https:\/\/workmill.jp\/en\/webzine\/connect-workspace-tonari-communication-20221228\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecting Workspaces? How Tonari is Bringing Life to Virtual Communication."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional corporate world saw a new wave of change in the form of remote working, as it maintaining physical distances became critical to avoid the spread of the disease. As a result, many businesses began testing new forms of the workplace, such as work-from-home and the use of shared offices. And this is continuing even two years after the pandemic struck. Companies all around the world are adapting to this \u201cnew normal\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, as systems and environments that provide more flexibility to workers are in high demand, a new digital transformation is needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tonari Inc.<\/a>, is a company on a mission to enable “natural communication” where users in distant locations feel as though they are side by side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company provides a communication service offering real-time connection with a partner who is displayed life-size, on a large screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founding members Alisaun Fukugaki and Shiro Gono describe their vision behind this unique idea and tell us about the future of the workplace they are creating with Work Tech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Was Tonari Born?  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Virtual
Left: Shiro Gono , Right: Alisaun Fukugaki <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, Alisaun Fukugaki participated in the Nippon Foundation Social Innovation Forum, submitting an idea which went on to become the general idea for Tonari. Fukugaki realized that in all our different personas, there\u2019s often a discrepancy between \u201cwhere we have to be\u201d and \u201cwhere we really want to be.\u201d\u00a0 These two things are often very different.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remembering her childhood, Fukugaki says that being the daughter of a single mother, she often saw her mother struggling to find the balance between work and raising her, which is why both her mother and her didn\u2019t get the chance to build a social life. As she grew up, she realized that there are many people like her mother, people who were forced to choose between the vision they had for themselves and the limits of the place where they lived, and ultimately make a compromise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, 55% of people living in the Tokyo area today spend an average of two hours a day commuting, and a third of their salary on rent. According to another statistic, 65% of women quit their job after having children. This is not something that any of these people wanted, but it is a reality that arose from a series of compromises, much like in the case of Fukugaki\u2019s mother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s when Fukugaki developed the concept of Tonari, a system of work where people didn\u2019t have to compromise living their lives for the sake of work and responsibilities.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tonari\u2019s service actually creates the perception of real, face-to-face communication through a virtual medium, such that you feel that the person you\u2019re talking to is right in front of you. It provides an experience that is different from existing tools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukugaki believes that Tonari is encouraging professionals to actually live the life they really want to live. She adds, \u201cActually, after giving birth, I reconsidered my ten-year career at a securities firm, and I moved to Hayama to pursue the life that I really want. Now, I can live surrounded by my family and friends while maintaining a rewarding career!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

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With the introduction of the AIBO robotic dog in 1999, the market for entertainment robots has been gradually expanding. One of the most recent models includes LOVOT, an adorable robot characterized by its big blue eyes. These robots do not perform housework, nor do they possess the functionality of robots like Pepper, who is capable […]<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tRead Article\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t