May 12, 2026 | GoConnect

We’re delighted to share that GoConnect, one of the leading English-language media platforms covering Japan, has published a feature on Nagareyama LEAD’s AppQuest workshop in Shibuya. The article was written by Shyam Bhardwa, who spent the day with the team and captured the experience with honesty and warmth.

From the Article
“A warmth that doesn’t feel like a strategy”
Sasha greeted every attendee as if she’d been looking forward to seeing them specifically. The cupcakes were already out. The room was already buzzing. By the time the workshop officially started, it felt less like an organised event and more like something a friend had put together — except with real developers, a six-stage curriculum, and SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 endorsement behind it.

Our first major event in Tokyo
AppQuest was Nagareyama LEAD’s first major event in Tokyo itself, backed by Shibuya Startup Support and endorsed by Shibuya City. The community focus that runs through everything we do is also reflected in our investment approach — affiliated VC funding is directed specifically toward women-led ventures. A commitment that says something about the kind of ecosystem we are building, and for whom.

One day. Up to 50 students. One working four-page app prototype.
The workshop runs in partnership with IdeaBoxes and the team behind Jinja.app, who’ve developed a coding language purpose-built for getting new coders up and running quickly. Their developers were in the room the entire day, moving between groups, troubleshooting, encouraging and explaining. This wasn’t a situation where professionals sat at the front and lectured.
They were in the trenches with the kids.
The six-station curriculum:

Idea Station — Brainstorming sessions to get kids talking about problems they run into regularly
Database / Design Station — What information does your app need? How should it look?
Cloud Station — Where the app lives, how it connects, and why it matters — handled accessibly, without oversimplifying
AI Station — How AI can be embedded into the children’s own apps
Coding Station — Using Jinja to write actual code for an actual prototype
App Station — Working with developers, everything comes together

Bilingual, throughout
Every element of the day ran in both English and Japanese. A dedicated translation team was on hand throughout. No child fell behind because they caught the English but missed the Japanese, or vice versa.
The final moment: every student presents
At the end of the day, students present their prototypes to the full group. Not optional. Not filler. The LEAD framework treats public speaking and communication as core skills, not extras.
There is something moving about watching a child explain, clearly and confidently, to a room of adults and peers, the logic behind an app they built that day. Some of them are nervous. Most of them get through it and look surprised at themselves afterwards.

From the Article
https://goconnect.jp/2026/05/12/kids-coding-in-tokyo-code-community-and-jerk-chicken-at-appquest-with-nagareyama-lead/

“It’s not a hobby class. The collaboration with working developers, the bilingual delivery, the real output, the public speaking component: it all adds up to a day that asks a lot of kids and gives a lot back.”

“And Sasha might have made you one of the best lunches you’ll have in Japan.”

— Shyam Bhardwa, GoConnect

About Nagareyama LEAD
Nagareyama LEAD is a youth-entrepreneurship nonprofit based in Nagareyama City, Chiba, that supports children aged 10–14. Our work is built on four pillars: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Authenticity, and Diversity — preparing the next generation for an AI-era economy through adaptability, value creation, and the courage to build.

For media inquiries and partnership opportunities, please contact us through the Nagareyama LEAD website.