Mayor of Nara Embraced Global Drupal Community at DrupalCon Asia 2025

DrupalCon Asia 2025 brought hundreds of open-source professionals to Nara, a city where history and innovation sit side by side. For many attendees, the choice of Nara felt symbolic. This is a place shaped by ancient culture, global exchange, and a quiet confidence that continues to define its character. Hosting a major open-source conference here gave the event a sense of depth and relevance that went beyond the usual tech gathering.

Before the conference began, Nara’s mayor, Gen Nakagawa, shared his thoughts on what this moment means for the city. His reaction to DrupalCon choosing Nara was a mix of surprise and determination.

“My relationship with everyone involved in Drupal has only just begun, but I never imagined that such a global conference could be held here in Nara so soon.
From the city’s standpoint, we want to do everything we can to help the community grow, become more active, and contribute to the world.”

That sense of readiness reflects a broader shift happening across Japan. The country is admired for precision engineering and advanced technology, yet its role in the global free and open-source movement has often been quieter. Bringing DrupalCon to Nara signals a willingness to open the door wider, to learn from global communities, and to contribute more visibly to shared digital commons.

Mayor Nakagawa sees Nara as uniquely suited for this kind of collaboration. He believes the city offers something more than infrastructure. It offers an environment that nurtures human creativity.

“As technology continues to evolve, I believe it’s important to find ways to bring out the fullest potential of human capabilities.
In that sense, Nara, a city rich with history and nature, is one of the most suitable places in the world for elevating and drawing out human potential even further.”

This perspective shaped many of the experiences created for DrupalCon attendees. One standout example was the city-wide Treasure Hunt, which encouraged visitors to explore Nara not as tourists but as active participants. By connecting temples, neighborhoods, and cultural traditions through playful challenges, the activity turned the city itself into part of the conference. It reflected Nara’s belief that learning and discovery should happen in context, not only inside meeting rooms.

Nakagawa’s message to participants carried the same spirit. Before the conference opened, he shared a hope that the gathering would spark shared purpose and long-term collaboration.

“Nara is the birthplace of Japan, yet it has long embraced diverse cultures, civilizations, and religions from around the world. It is a city built on diversity and inclusion.
In that regard, having the global Drupal community gather here in 2025 is a tremendous opportunity. I sincerely hope this conference becomes a spark for all of us to work together and transform this shared planet of ours into a more peaceful, progressive, and creative place.”

His words captured why DrupalCon’s presence in Nara felt meaningful. Open source thrives on collective effort, shared responsibility, and the idea that progress comes from working together. Nara, with its long history of absorbing ideas from afar and transforming them into something uniquely Japanese, mirrors that ethos.

DrupalCon Asia 2025 will be remembered for its sessions and technical discussions, but it may be remembered even more for its setting. Holding a global technology conference in a city shaped by centuries of cultural exchange created an atmosphere that encouraged reflection as much as innovation. It reminded participants that technology is not only about code. It is about people, communities, and the shared world we build.

If the mayor’s hope becomes reality, the connections formed in Nara will continue to shape open-source collaboration long after the conference has ended.

The DropTimes extends our sincere gratitude to our friends at DXTimes for making this interview happen. Catch the Japanese version of the interview with Gen Nakagawa at https://dxtimes.net/article/drupalcon-nara2025-mayor-interview