ESEAP Conference 2026: Japanese Contributor Experiences (Part 1)

This article presents—in two parts—the experiences of 13 Japanese Wikimedians who attended the ESEAP Conference 2026, held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from May 15 to 17, 2026. Eight of the 13 were first-time attendees, including three students. The group was diverse, spanning ages from the teens to the seventies and featuring an equal gender split; each contributor shared their experience from their own unique perspective. This marked the third time Japanese contributors attended an ESEAP event, following the 2024 Conference and the 2025 Strategy Summit, and the Strategy Summit is scheduled to be held in Japan next year.

Reason for contributing

Ezokomachi：I first learned about ESEAP when I contributed in a local edit-a-thon last year. Although I had never taken part in an international Wikipedia event before, I decided to join because I wanted to know what Wikimedians active in the same Asian region were thinking and doing.

Norimaki：Having been active on the Japanese Wikipedia for about twenty years, I decided to contribute in an international event because I wanted to experience firsthand what such gatherings are like.

Lin Xiangru : I had known about the existence of international conferences since I was in junior high school, so I had always wanted to attend one someday. I wanted to experience the atmosphere of the international Wikimedia community and see what kind of activities were taking place. I also wanted to see a different world, as I had never been abroad before.

Ga2by：Having started editing Wikipedia during an exchange program, I had a strong interest in international trends. I contributed in this initiative to learn about the activities and interests of Wikimedians from a wide range of countries and to deepen my understanding of the Wikimedia movement.

Koyomiya：I contributed because I was interested in international conferences in general. I also wanted to interact with Wikimedians from abroad.

Narumi.SBT：I had previously attended Wikimania in Poland and Kenya, but I had never contributed in a conference for the ESEAP region, so I wanted to get a feel for the atmosphere.

Miya.m：I have two reasons for contributing. Although I first learned about ESEAP when I attended Wikimania about a decade ago, I had not been involved with it until now; however, hearing that the Summit would be held in Japan next year prompted me to want to see what it was all about. The other reason was a sense of responsibility—a feeling that I needed to share Japan’s “Wikipedia Town” initiatives with the rest of the world.

Wadakuramon：What I looked forward to most was meeting my fellow ESEAP members and conducting sessions together.

Eugene Ormandy：I have attended several international Wikimedia conferences each year since 2023, and I contributed in this one as well with the intention of taking a “fixed-point observation.”

saebou：I participated because I served as a staff member for the Scholarship Committee this time.

Enoki：I contributed because I wanted to meet directly with people who are active in the ESEAP region and find out what kind of people and what they are doing. As a staff member of the Wikimedians of Japan User Group, I wanted to think about strengthening collaboration in the ESEAP region, and as one of the COTs for the ESEAP Summit to be held in Osaka next year, I wanted to understand the atmosphere and flow of the event and contribute in meetings.

VZP10224：As a member of the Wikimedians of Japan User Group and an administrator of the Japanese Wikipedia, I wanted to hear the perspectives of ESEAP members regarding the current state of the Japanese community; I also aimed to hold discussions concerning next year’s ESEAP Summit.

Nakayama：As a member of the Movement Communications team (within the Wikimedia Foundation), I help foster connections and deepen mutual understanding between the Wikimedia movement and the Japanese-speaking community. I attended the ESEAP Conference to support the contributors and further this goal.

Impressions from the first time contributing

Ezokomachi：It was a bigger event than I had imagined, and I was able to not only listen to the presentations, but also contribute in workshops and watch poster presentations, and I was able to learn a lot in three days. There were various activities such as guided city walks and karaoke, which was a lot of fun. Basically, I have only edited Wikipedia, but by contributing in this conference, I was able to hear everything from macro-level discussions on Wikimedia’s governance to micro-level issues for each language version, which deepened my understanding of Wikimedia as a whole. I think it was a good experience for me to think about how I want to be involved in the future.

Norimaki：I was immediately struck by the scale of the event, which was even larger than I had imagined. Seeing the efficient way the Taiwanese Wikimedia team managed operations made me feel that the Japanese community needs to step up its efforts, and I became motivated to contribute in my own way moving forward.

Lin Xiangru：I was thoroughly impressed by the attentive service and hospitality; there was nothing to complain about. I was initially anxious about whether I could get by given my poor English skills, but everyone was friendly, and I was surprised to find that quite a few people actually understood Japanese. They even accommodated Japanese-language presentations, demonstrating a clear intent to be inclusive of speakers of other languages. That said, the presentation itself was a real challenge; the other Japanese contributors were all very skilled.
　I had wondered if I might find time for sightseeing, but the conference presentations were so engaging that I ended up spending almost all my time at the venue. I exchanged Instagram and Facebook details with fellow Wikimedians from abroad and still chat with them occasionally. It makes me very happy that they often reach out to me in Japanese. We were even able to exchange souvenirs when we met again at Wikimania.

Ga2by：I was surprised by the sheer number of contributors—exceeding my expectations—and the vibrant atmosphere created by multiple sessions running concurrently. The conference covered a wide range of topics centered on the Wikimedia movement, spanning everything from technical discussions to social issues like gender; the program was so rich that I often found it difficult to choose which sessions to attend. I was also struck by the diversity of the contributors’ backgrounds; while many came from the ESEAP region, there were also Wikimedians with roots in Europe and beyond. Sharing a common connection through the Wikimedia movement made it easy to strike up conversations with international attendees.

Koyomiya：There were many interesting sessions, and I was able to contribute fully over the course of the three days. I also enjoyed the meals during breaks and the sightseeing time in the evenings. However, given my current English proficiency, I found it challenging to interact with international Wikimedians or fully grasp the content of the presentations; this motivated me to work harder on my language skills.

Enoki：This was my first time attending a Wikimedia international conference in person (excluding online events), and I found the atmosphere to be quite friendly. The themes and the vibratins varied depending on the track. I was particularly struck by the sub-tracks covering Wikidata, student activities, and ESEAP governance, as well as several of the workshops.

Continue to “ESEAP Conference 2026: Japanese Contributor Experiences (Part 2).”