By Carter Witt
I should probably start by admitting I have no business writing this article. I can’t tell you the difference between USB-A and USB-C. Isn’t there also a D now?
My troubleshooting process is unplugging things and plugging them back in. That’s also how I turn my computer on. And off.
It works most of the time.
A few months ago I walked into Shooters for a burger and accidentally crashed a Nagoya.Tech meetup. I thought about backing out slowly—pretending I was looking for the restroom—but someone started talking to me before I could escape.
They asked about my “downtime.” I figured they meant hobbies, so I told them about Bowie. Bowie’s a Labrador. His favorite activity is riding around the block one time in the car. He also helps me take out the trash by digging through it.
Then someone mentioned a data breach and I checked my fly.
It was open. Who knew?
But here’s the thing: nobody seemed bothered that I had no idea what they were talking about. They just kept the conversation going. That’s when I realized Nagoya.Tech isn’t the kind of community where you need to know what a "kernel" is to show up.
Lucky for me.
What Is Nagoya.Tech?
Nagoya.Tech is a loose collective of IT professionals, engineers, entrepreneurs, students, founders, and people who work with computers and coding (other stuff too I guess) for a living. They meet once a month—usually the last Friday—at rotating venues around the city. There’s no membership fee. Most events are free. You show up, introduce yourself, and talk about what you’re working on or what you’re looking for.
That’s it.
No keynote speakers hawking productivity frameworks. No corporate sponsors pushing cloud solutions. Just people who code, design, manage projects, or run startups, trying to figure out life in central Japan.
The vibe is practical. Someone mentions they’re hiring. Someone else asks if anyone knows a company that treats remote workers like humans. A student talks about a side project. A founder admits their last pivot didn’t work.
It’s the kind of honesty you don’t get on LinkedIn.
The community runs on a simple premise: tech people need other tech people. Especially in a city like Nagoya, where the international IT scene is small enough that you keep running into familiar faces. But the tech scene is growing so you will always new people you haven't met.
What Happens at a Meetup?
I am not exactly sure, but I recently asked someone at a bar what the typical meetup was like—he shrugged, saying “It depends.”
Which is the most tech answer possible.
With a bit of research however I discovered that sometimes there are short talks. Sometimes it’s just open networking. Sometimes someone pitches an idea and people ask hard questions. The format changes depending on who shows up and what people need that month.
What doesn’t change: introductions at the start, conversations about who’s new to Nagoya, honest talk about which companies are good to work for (and which ones aren’t), and a general willingness to help people figure out their next step—whether that’s a job, a co-founder, or just someone to grab coffee with who knows what a "sprint retrospective" is. Um... duh!
If you’re a member—it's free to sign up on their site btw—you get an “interest card” that speeds up check-in and gets you listed on the Members Page with a headshot and LinkedIn link. It’s low-key networking infrastructure. They don’t sell or share your information, which feels worth mentioning in 2025.
Nov. 28: Thanksgiving Meetup at Shooters
The final meetup of the year is happening Friday, November 28 at Shooters Bar & Grill in Sakae, starting at 19:00.
It’s a seasonal sendoff before the holidays. Shooters is running a Thanksgiving dinner set with pumpkin pie if you want the full expat nostalgia experience, but there’s no obligation—just a one-drink minimum to hang out. The atmosphere will be relaxed. People will talk about what they’re working on, whos's hiring, and probably whether anyone is actually taking time off in December.
The answer is probably no.
If you’ve been curious about Nagoya.Tech but never quite made it to an event, this one’s a good entry point. It’s social, seasonal, and low-pressure.
Interested? RSVP Nagoya.Tech on Facebook by November 27 if you’re planning to go. You could always take your chances and just show up.
You know: Turn on...turn off. Sometimes it works!
JETRO Startup Workshop (Dec. 13)
Nagoya.Tech is also helping promote a more formal event on Saturday, December 13: a JETRO-hosted workshop called Innovation with Global Minds, connecting startups in central Japan with students interested in international business, global careers, or working in English.
It’s not a Nagoya.Tech event, but they’re encouraging people to check it out if it’s relevant. The program includes startup pitches, group discussions, and networking—all in English. Last year it led to several internships.
Student registration appears to be closed, but startup applications have been extended until November 28 at noon.—so it is probably worth checking on. So if you’re interested or want to check availability, contact JETRO Nagoya directly at nag@jetro.go.jp or by phone at (052) 589-6210) or visit their Event Page
You can try reaching out to Nagoya.Tech via their website or Facebook to see if they can point you in the right direction—but please keep in mind they're a volunteer community, not a staffed organization, so be respectful of their time.
Even for someone like me—who barely qualifies as "tech-adjacent" and thinks RAM is something you do to when you're mad—Nagoya.Tech is a great community to engage with and support. Sometimes the best networking happens when nobody's trying too hard to network and just turn up to see who there is to meet.
The Details
Nagoya.Tech Meetup at Shooters
Date: Friday, November 28, 2025
Time: 19:00–21:00
Price: Free (1-drink minimum)
RSVP: On Facebook
Website: nagoya.tech
Venue: Shooters Bar & Grill
Address: 3-6-1 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Access
By Subway:
Higashiyama Line or Meijo Line
to Sakae Station, Exit 8, 3-minute walk
Nagoya Subway Map
Check out our Nagoya Subway Map HERE
MAP
in Nagoya?
Don’t ask the algorithm
Check Nagoya Buzz
Leave a Comment