AI Salon Kansai 2026 Experience

Hi everyone, I’m Riku.

Today, I’d like to share my experience attending the 2026 AI Salon Osaka as an intern with tsuin.ai.

First, I would like to explain the overview of the event.

AI Salon Kansai is an event where people can connect with AI builders, founders, researchers, and investors who are shaping the future of Kansai. The event includes AI startup pitch presentations, an innovation gallery, and cultural experiences. It is held regularly in different locations.This time, the event was held at Toji Temple in Osaka. It was a very special experience to attend an AI event in a traditional Japanese temple. The reason they chose a temple as the venue was to express a vision where advanced AI respects and integrates with Japan’s thousand-year-old culture. The combination of tradition and cutting-edge technology created a very impressive atmosphere.

Toji Temple

About 40 people attended the event, and it was held in one of the temple’s rooms. At the beginning, a Buddhist monk performed a sutra chanting ceremony. After that, two AI startup companies gave presentations. Finally, there was a free networking session. There was also a Japanese calligraphy experience corner at the back of the room, which allowed participants to feel traditional Japanese culture throughout the event.

During the networking session, I had the chance to talk with several people. I would like to briefly introduce two conversations that left a strong impression on me.

　　　　　　　

The first person I spoke with had moved to Japan and started a company that supports event organization. His company helped prepare this event. When I asked him about challenges, he said that he struggled with the various procedures required to start a company in Japan. Listening to his story reminded me of my own experience living abroad. I realized again how difficult it can be to deal with different systems and cultures. At the same time, I felt that there may be business opportunities in solving these kinds of problems.

With Rokken

The second person I spoke with was a product manager at a company that develops software to solve real-world problems using AI and 3D technology. He had previously studied in Japan as an international student and spoke Japanese fluently. Although he had only been at the company for a few months, he already had experience in product management and business strategy. He was very motivated to grow new businesses. Talking with people who continue to take on new challenges was a very valuable experience for me. It made me realize again how important it is to keep challenging myself in the future.

With CEO AI Salon Global

Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to participate in this event. It was a wonderful experience where I learned about English, business, and expanded my perspective.

Thank you for reading!