Online side hustles are on the rise in Tokyo metropolitan area

Urban areas like Tokyo have long been magnets for job seekers, but more and more working urbanites are tapping into a new revenue stream by working for regional companies online while remaining in the heart of the city.

One of the side-effects to emerge from the novel coronavirus pandemic has been the widespread normalization of teleworking, allowing workers to get the job done under more flexible hours while away from an office. This trend may also be leading to a growing awareness of the need to contribute to local communities within society.

-- Human resources in urban area

"We should use YouTube to promote our products," said Hiroki Ito, 25, who works for a consulting firm in Tokyo, over a screen to Shinnosuke Ozawa, 44, president of maruwa mart, a food sales company in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture.

In September, Ito began a side business to increase the online sales of pickles sold by Ozawa's company. He communicates with Ozawa and others on weekday evenings and holidays after regular work hours. "This person has know-how that we didn't have in-house until now, and that's very encouraging," Ozawa said.

Ito started this side business largely because of the increase in telecommuting as a result of the epidemic, which has left him with more time at his disposal. In the future, he hopes to return to his hometown in Yamaguchi Prefecture and contribute to his community in the digital and IT fields. "First of all, I wanted to try my hand at a side hustle without limiting myself to a specific area," he said. "I want to gain experience and link it to my future career and dreams."

According to employment information company Recruit Career Co., over the past two years since 2018, when the ban on side hustles was loosened, the number of urban dwellers considering side hustles at companies in regional areas has increased nine-fold.

An Ishikawa Prefecture-sponsored job matching event in October this year received more applications for those wishing to find side work than the quota for participation.

Toshiki Koga, 36, at Recruit Careers, said, "Many young people want to work in a job that is rewarding and allows them to grow and this is leading to an interest in side hustles."

Satoru Shimizu, 33, a Tokyo-based company employee in charge of advertising and publicity managed to attend the event. He has been promoting the products of the long-established yubeshi confectionery shop, Yubeshi Souhonke Nakauraya Co., in Ishikawa Prefecture, as a side hustle since November.

Shimizu, who had originally been considering a side hustle in a region where traditional industries are thriving, said: "It's difficult to convey the value of traditional products in an easy-to-understand way. Since a high degree of communication skill is required, I would like to make use of my experience to promote Nakauraya's products."

Masakatsu Nakaura, 57, president of the company, said: "It is difficult for a company to hire people with high expertise on a permanent basis. We want to take advantage of both local companies and those who work on the side and we want to help each other grow and develop."

-- Bridging website

Shuji Minamida, 36, head of G-net, a Gifu-based nonprofit organization that runs Furusato Kengyo, a website that matches local businesses with people looking for side work, said: "Due to the pandemic, people looking for independence in their career have found a way by getting side jobs. It's probably because of the popularity of online work, which can be done anywhere and at any time, that it has encouraged people to work on the side with rural areas."

Nobutaka Ishiyama, a professor at Hosei University and an expert on parallel careers, said, "This is a good opportunity for people in their 40s to 60s with a lot of business experience. It's important to strike a balance between contributing to your side hustle and your own personal growth."

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