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An important keyword in area studies is communication with and in the field. Although information technology has rapidly innovated, the use of the latest technology is still difficult in the context of area studies fieldwork. Since I arrived at the Center, I have improved the on-site support system, which has proved more difficult than expected. In addition, there are two main types of support requests: 1) to easily handle information transmission; and 2) to communicate seamlessly for discussion and lecture. My activity in response to the first type has mainly been centered on the web during this fiscal year. Various web editing tools (such as blog) are now easily obtained, but the more we hope for originality, the more difficult they become to use and construct. Therefore, I have been researching a good mix of blog tools and established editing systems while considering cost performance. My activity in support of the second type of request is mainly to find tools that are easy to operate. There are many video conference systems, but I have tried to use open source software. Of course, on a large scale or in a special case, we may need to use expensive equipment, but generally I think it is not necessary. Therefore, I will continue to explore various approaches while participating in projects involving video conference.