Yui Net
Yui Net
A Community ICT Platform
Official Yui Net Website:https://www.cpu-net.co.jp/product/yui-net/
Yui Net is a community ICT platform for local organizations and other groups. In everyday use, the app serves as a digital neighborhood bulletin board and a tool for sharing information from local authorities, administrative offices, and shops. During disasters, it can also be used to check on members’ safety.
By helping communities address challenges such as infection prevention, shortages of volunteers, lower operating budgets, and greater resident participation, Yui Net supports the development of local ICT infrastructure.
This cloud-based portal brings together three systems: neighborhood association management, real-time information sharing by local businesses, and safety confirmation during disasters.
How We Discovered Yui Net
The COVID-19 pandemic changed our everyday lives almost overnight.
Until then, I had gone into the office every morning. As remote work became more common, I began working from home more often. At first, I found it difficult to share information without meeting face to face, and frustrating not to be able to go out. This made me wonder whether some people faced these challenges in their daily lives, and whether there was a more efficient way to help. I imagined an app where older people and others who needed support could request help with tasks such as shopping, rides to hospital appointments, pruning trees, or changing light bulbs. They could be matched with someone willing to help for a small fee during a spare moment or while running an errand. Then came the torrential rains and flooding in Kyushu and western Japan. Some people only realized their homes were flooding when they woke up feeling cold water against their backs. I wondered whether an app that delivered disaster warnings earlier could have helped save more lives. I also looked for ways to move traditionally paper-based or face-to-face activities online while preserving the communication that matters.
Having spent my career in travel, this was outside my area of expertise. Still, I met people, listened to their experiences, sought advice, and continued exploring the idea. I soon learned how costly app development could be. Realizing that building my ideal app from scratch would be difficult, I researched existing services and discovered Yui Net. Although it did not cover everything I had imagined, it already offered something close to what I hoped to achieve. I arranged a visit to CPU’s headquarters in Kanazawa, where I learned about the service’s beginnings and the team’s commitment to it. Their story resonated with me, and I began introducing and selling Yui Net.