Collaborations across borders are taking place all over the world. Engaging with people who share the same interests in specific products or services, either in-person or online, provides opportunities to gain new insights and grow as professionals.

In many of these global collaborations, the primary language of communication is English. For those whose native language is not English and who rarely communicate in English in their daily lives, connecting with people from other linguistic backgrounds can be challenging.

Despite using different languages, Microsoft MVPs from Korea and Japan, who share the common ground of being part of the technical community and having an interest in Power Apps, co-hosted a hands-on event in Korea. In this blog, we will introduce this event along with the experiences shared by the participants.

From Japan to Korea: “Instrument App” Development with Power Apps and Community Talks

At the Microsoft Korea office in Seoul, with a direct view of the Gyeongbokgung Palace, a royal palace from the Joseon Dynasty, Korean and Japanese Microsoft MVPs, along with Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors and community staff, gathered to host a community event, Super Hands-on with Korean and Japanese MVPs!. The concept was to offer the unique technical community experience from Japan to the Korean community members. Participants who visited the venue experienced Japan’s community initiative of developing an instrument app using Power Apps through a hands-on workshop.

The event kicked off with a session by Japanese MVP Ryota Nakamura, introducing the overview of Power Platform communities in Japan. Participants listened carefully with great interest as various communities and their activities were featured.

Japanese Business Applications MVP Ryota Nakamura introducing the Japanese community

Following Korean MVP Jaeseok Lee’s lead, the hands-on session began, with participants fully focused on the goal of developing a Piano App. Many participants were new to Power Apps, and they successfully completed their first Power Apps experience by asking MVPs and community staff members for help when needed.

Korean Business Applications MVP Jaeseok Lee leading the start of the hands-on session

Community Program Manager Soyoung Lee, learning how to use the tool with the community members

Finally, nine participants came to the front and performed “Do-Re-Mi” using the Piano App they developed, led by Japanese MVP Taichi Nakamura, wrapping up the hands-on workshop with smiles all around. You can enjoy a video of the performance below.

Q&A Session for Deeper Mutual Understanding

After the hands-on session, there was Q&A to further deepen mutual understanding. Japanese MVPs Ryota and Taichi, along with Azure MVP/Regional Director Kazuyuki Miyake, and former Microsoft employee Shohei Oda, who has extensive knowledge of Developer Relations, answered various questions from participants. The discussion covered topics from Power Platform and AI technologies from business and community perspectives to the participants’ involvement in the technical community and their future growth. The interaction continued for over an hour as questions kept coming in.

Japanese panelists (I Rie also spoke a little, appearing on the far left)

The Background Behind This Collaboration

This collaboration was first proposed by Korean MVPs Jaeseok Lee and Inhee Lee, who run the Power Platform community in Korea.

One of Korean MVP organizers, Jaeseok, shared the inspiration behind the idea: “During the Microsoft AI Tour event at the end of April, I had the chance to share my thoughts on visiting Japan with Rie Moriguchi, a Community Program Manager from Japan. This conversation led to a discussion about collaborating with Power Platform MVPs from various regions in Japan, which ultimately resulted in planning this event.”

Jaeseok continues, “When Japanese MVPs introduced their demonstration of playing musical instruments created with Power Apps, I realized how enjoyable and versatile the Power Platform can be. Inspired by this, I decided to organize an interactive, hands-on session (with interpreters involved) instead of a formal seminar. The plan was to collaborate with the Japanese MVPs to create a piano app and perform ‘Do-Re-Mi’ together. This idea expanded as the travel plans evolved, and it allowed many people to have a wonderful and fun experience.”

On the other hand, Japanese MVP Ryota shared his thoughts on receiving the invitation, which was a new community experience for him: “I have always had a strong desire to connect with MVPs from around the world. After having the opportunity to speak at an event in Thailand, I wanted to encourage Japanese MVPs to participate more in international events. I was particularly interested in building connections with MVPs from Korea, not only because it’s our neighboring country with close physical proximity, but also because it is active in international exchange. So, when I received this offer, I was genuinely delighted. I was filled with excitement about the unique opportunities for interaction that only the IT community can offer.”

Preparation for the collaboration involved Japanese MVPs creating content and sharing it with Korean MVPs during pre-event online meetings. Everyone met in person only on the day of the event. Despite not working together on a regular basis, each MVP demonstrated their community leadership, resulting in a lively event from start to finish.

Inhee reflected on this collaboration experience saying: “I have always wanted to hold an event with MVPs from abroad, and now that it’s actually happening, my heart is pounding with excitement and emotion. Above all, thanks to Seok Heo, who took the time to train the staff in advance despite being incredibly busy with his new job, all I had to do was simply enjoy the meal that others had prepared. Unlike directly preparing for a lecture, this was an event where I only needed to support others, so it was easier. However, because of that, I felt my sense of tension and focus slightly diminish.”

MVP organizers (From left: Ryota from Japan, Inhee from Korea, Taichi from Japan, and Jaeseok from Korea)

A New Community Experience for Both Countries

As mentioned in Inhee’s comments, the MVPs who significantly contributed to the success of this event, Seok Heo, discovered new possibilities for the community through this collaboration: “The previous hands-on activities mainly followed a scenario of ‘new technology + current work = increased productivity.’ This often resulted in a simple dissemination of technology. However, this event was different. Not only did it focus on developing skills to improve work productivity, but the atmosphere was also filled with excitement from all participants. It was a rediscovery of the joy of community activities, and this experience seems like it will set a new standard for future community events.”

Another Japanese MVP, Taichi, shared what he learned from interacting with Korean community members rather than the Japanese members he usually interacts with. “In terms of interactions with people from other countries, I felt that the language barrier has already become much lower. However, I also realized that having a translator is still quite convenient. I look forward to the further evolution of IT technologies that will continue to break down language barriers. Although we come from different countries, the shared interest in IT created an immediate sense of connection. It didn’t take long for us to become friends. There was a lot of enthusiasm for learning new skills and knowledge, and the Q&A sessions were filled with passionate questions. One of the key takeaways from the community events was that shyness has no place there. Additionally, I was surprised by the large number of student participants. In the Japanese community I’m a part of, student participation is rare, so I felt the need to create more bridges for students to join.”

Taichi mentioned the most impactful learning from this opportunity, “What I admired most was how almost everyone kept a smile on their face from start to finish. It reaffirmed the importance of ‘having fun’ as a key element in these activities.”

Japanese MVPs, Ryota and Taichi, and Korean student participants

The Dedication of the MVPs Bridging the Language Gap

Korean Developer Technologies MVP Jinseok Kim, whose main area of expertise is .NET and not Power Platform, played a major role in this collaboration from planning to execution because he speaks fluent Japanese. While English was used in meetings among the organizing members and with participants during the event, not everyone was able to communicate fluently in English. He provided real-time translation during the hands-on session and community talks, supporting communication and the exchange of information between non-native English speakers.

Jinseok reflected on the event as follows: “Above all, I am most delighted that we were able to give everyone the feeling that we can try something together. Everyone harbors some vague fears about international exchange, but it seems this has become an opportunity to overcome them. Personally, it was also a chance to experience a shift in perspective. I hope to engage in more enjoyable activities in the future.”

Right: Jinseok, who supported communication in both Korean and Japanese

Toward Further Collaboration

Recently, as introduced in the MVP Communities Blog, a Korean AI Platform MVP participated as a guest speaker at a conference Azure OpenAI Service Dev Day Conference in Japan, providing the Japanese community with new perspectives on technical information. This time, Japanese MVPs visited Korea and provided the Korean community with an enjoyable community experience. Through collaborations between communities that have traditionally focused primarily on domestic activities, new community value is being created.

Based on the success of this collaboration, MVPs from both countries are already discussing their next exciting project: “Let’s hold the next event in Japan.” As a community leader and a father, Inhee shared his thoughts after interacting with the Japanese MVPs: “Moreover, being able to share a deep sense of empathy with Japanese MVPs who also have teenage children was an unexpected bonus. I’m already looking forward to the next event.”

Lastly, we’d like to share the event report blogs written by MVPs after the event. Explore more about their reflections and insights from this experience.

– Jinseok Kim (Korea): Super Hand-on Korean and .. : 네이버블로그 (naver.com)
– Ryota Nakamura (Japan): 韓国にいって登壇してきたお話 (zenn.dev)
– Taichi Nakamura (Japan): 韓国のコミュニティイベントに参加して学びや刺激を得た話 – Art-Break .log : Taichi Nakamura

Group photo with everyone gathered at this special event, smiling together

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