About Ashikaga
Sitting north of Tokyo, Ashikaga is famous for its spring wisteria blooms and its illuminated stunning gardens of the Ashikaga Flower Park. With a population of around the 149,711, its' main economy historically has been in the textile industry.
Ashikaga is also well known for its tomatoes that will leave you salivating and wanting more. Japan is joining the global movement in relation to entrepreneurship with an increasing number of its people leaving corporate jobs to either found their own startups or to join IT companies. Coworking spaces are forming an integral point of connection and support where tech whisperers can hang out with others in startup mode. The youth of Japan are no longer afraid to fail, as the lure of being involved in a successful startup is being fueled by the media and changing their attitude.
The Japanese government has come on board by setting aside about one billion in public funds by way of both loans and investments over a five-year period to achieve commercial development on the moon. Startups that qualify will be able to receive funding for such things as research costs and to cover the price of patents. Not all of its tech savvy youth are chasing this elusive dream, as many startups are getting into health care, agritech Internet of Things, enterprise software and artificial intelligence.
Ashikaga is home to the oldest school in Japan "Ashikaga School" and it's the city where you can poke your nose into an 1879 shrine that was built to appease the guardians of the textile city. You can check out the Bannaji Temple with its centuries old gingko tree or meander around the Kurita Museum with its collection of Nabeshima and Imari porcelain artifacts when you are over getting your stuff done in the local coworking space.