In the first week of February, I traveled to Paris to attend the m19 offsite.

With the physical distance between us, and while doing my best every day to balance childcare and work, the idea of “going to Paris” didn’t naturally come to mind. Until now, most of our communication had been through video calls.
We live in such a convenient time that I honestly didn’t feel any major inconvenience working that way.

However, actually traveling to Paris and meeting the m19 team in person made me truly realize the value of face-to-face interaction.

The “Understanding” That Comes from Meeting in Person

One of the most meaningful parts of the offsite was being able to directly talk with members of the tech and support teams—people I don’t usually speak with much over video calls.

In the past, I would send requests like:

“There’s a bug in this part. Could you please check and fix it?”

Of course, work still moves forward that way.
But during this trip, I was able to explain more context, such as:

“This is the kind of detail that Japanese sellers are particularly sensitive to.”

By sharing the background and the user perspective in person, my request became more than just a “fix this issue” message. I was able to communicate why it truly mattered.

Their response was incredibly positive:

“Thank you for the great feedback!”

In that moment, I felt that my request carried a deeper sense of understanding and alignment.
It was something that felt uniquely possible through in-person communication.

Five Nights and Six Days in the French Alps

The offsite lasted five nights and six days.
All of us traveled together to the French Alps and went skiing.

We shared almost every meal together, talking about everything—from work topics to personal conversations. With other women around my age, I was even able to share more private stories. It genuinely felt like the distance between us became much smaller.

Spending time together, laughing, and seeing sides of each other that don’t show up on video calls—those shared moments naturally strengthened our trust and connection.

The Importance of Meeting in Real Life

Until now, I had thought that “online is enough.”

But after this experience, I strongly felt that meeting in person is truly important.

There are things that cannot be measured by efficiency alone:
trust, understanding, empathy, and a sense of psychological safety.

These grow exponentially when we share the same physical space.

Traveling abroad isn’t an easy decision when balancing a busy life. But this experience was undeniably valuable, and I’m deeply grateful for it.

I’m looking forward to the next time we can meet again—and to continuing our work together with an even stronger foundation.

SOPHOLA, Inc. / m19 Japan
Executive Officer / Director
Kaori Iino