This past Saturday, we hosted 70 of Tokyo’s top Local Guides at the Google Japan office for our second Connect Live event of 2019. Our goal is to celebrate how Local Guides all over the world are making a positive impact on their communities. In May, we traveled to Lagos, Nigeria where we were inspired by a close-knit group of Local Guides with a passion for helping others. This spirit is shared in Tokyo as well—and Saturday’s event was full of connection, learning, and celebration.
To kick things off, Masanori Goto, a software engineer at Google Japan, welcomed Local Guides and thanked the group for their help in bringing the Google Maps experience to life. Collectively, this small group of Local Guides has shared 700,000 photos with over 2 billion views and 45,000 reviews that have helped more than 39 million people.
Next up, Account Strategist Azusa Nakazawa moderated a panel discussion with Masanori and fellow Googlers Alan Rogers (product manager) and Ayaka Suzuki (program manager). The group discussed some of their favorite Google Maps features and shared how they’ve experienced the power of the Local Guides community in their own lives.
Following the panel discussion, we welcomed Wataru Koike, director of consumer marketing, to the stage to discuss a topic that hits close to home for Local Guides in Tokyo—the 2020 Olympics! Next summer, Tokyo will be the global stage for the Summer Olympic Games. As an official sponsor, Google is committed to providing both locals and visitors with the information they need to enjoy all the city has to offer. This includes the wonderful reviews and photos that Local Guides contribute on Maps.
Wataru introduced Jungo Kanayama, head of Shibuya Tourism board, to the stage to share how the city is preparing for the games. Kanayama also shared how Local Guides contributions on Maps will positively impact how so many people from all over the world experience the Games.
Afterward, Local Guides divided into smaller groups to participate in feedback sessions on one of five topics: discovering things to do and places to eat in Tokyo, preparing for the 2020 Olympic Games, the reliability of Google Maps, creating quality content, and navigation services. These intimate group discussions allowed attendees to share their personal experiences with Googlers and fellow Local Guides.
The group came back together to hear from Hideaki Okamoto, owner of Obscura Coffee Roasters. Okamoto took the stage to showcase the impact Local Guides reviews, ratings, and photos have on his business. Obscura has five locations that provide an exquisite specialty coffee experience, sourcing its coffee beans from over 10 countries throughout the world. Okamoto shared how Local Guides reviews help his business by attracting tourists and also providing feedback about how he can improve his customer experience. All attendees had the opportunity to taste Obscura’s delicious coffee and some of their sweet treats!
In the next segment, we brought a few of Tokyo’s Local Guides to the stage to talk about their passion for contributing. Level 8 Local Guide Toyo Fujita (@love_ikoma_toyo) is an avid Street View Photographer who was involved with putting Boze Island on the map—literally! We also heard from Level 10 Local Guide Ayaka Ohkawa (@AYAKA) who has a passion for taking photos of her experiences all over the world. Our on-stage programming concluded with photo tips from Level 8 Local Guide Masatoshi Noika (@kotaro_0402) who shared his pointers for taking high quality food photos with your mobile phone.
The event concluded with a happy hour and reception where Local Guides had the opportunity to interact with one another and the on-stage guests. They enjoyed delicious food and drinks and enjoyed taking photos in the photo booth. Check out our Google Photo Album to see all the highlights from the day!
Remember that in just a few short weeks, Connect Live heads to Hyderabad to meet some of India’s most engaged Local Guides. Follow along on Connect and our social channels so you don’t miss any of the action!
