Finding Space in Tokyo: Serviced Offices and Coworking
There’s a joke that tells entrepreneurs the three most important things for running a successful business: location, location, location. But with the increasing prices of central Tokyo real estate, the perfect location isn’t always in your budget. That’s why many small and medium-size businesses now rely on proven leaders in the coworking and shared office space industry. They not only have the equipment and environment to inspire, but, most critically, provide the foundation from which your business grows.
Compass Offices provide flexible office solutions for business and individuals across the globe. Their Japan offices consist of five locations in commercially important city spots, four in Tokyo and one in Osaka. Each office is spacious, with professional and personal amenities available. Bilingual office staff help businesses manage correspondence, access and other administrative issues, while communal kitchen areas and meeting spaces create a productive atmosphere for employees.
Beyond key locations such as Toranomon and Ebisu, Compass offers bespoke solutions to meet client needs. From a simple hotdesk for a sole proprietor to a fully furnished set of offices, Compass’ coworking solutions are dictated by their clients, and can be adjusted to match evolving business demands with ease.
Servcorp boasts being the “world’s finest office and coworking spaces.” Their global network, located in 150 cities, includes 32 five-star locations across Japan’s most popular cities: Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. A term often used in the industry is “fit-out,” referring to the amenities that a coworking space or office can provide. Servcorp’s locations are premium facilities — fitted out with high-quality leather furniture, granite flooring, and original artwork. But beyond aesthetics, Servcorp offers everything a business might need such as Cisco IP phones, copiers/scanners/printers, office equipment, a fully stocked kitchen and more.
Other key features include: bilingual secretaries on-site to assist you, a dedicated receptionist to answer calls or connect them to you, in-house IT support available 24/7, and Servcorp’s address for business registration.
In office, take advantage of fully equipped meeting rooms, video conferencing and boardrooms, swift and secure Wi-Fi and your VLAN set up by their in-house IT team (Servcorp is their own ISP). Most importantly, you join a community of over 50,000 imagineers to buy from and sell to. Contracts are flexible, starting from one month.
WeWork, founded in 2010, has 30 coworking locations across Japan, which includes Sapporo, Tokyo, Yokohama, Sendai, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka and Kobe. In total, they occupy 600 conveniently located buildings in 125 cities worldwide.A popular option is their Jimbocho location — just a two-minute walk from Jimbocho Station on the subway.
The lounge features numerous pieces of art, and the sophisticated private offices are designed to help you feel “inspired and maintain high productivity.” The surrounding area has educational and cultural facilities, and is situated in a busy metropolitan area, popular with students and businesspeople. WeWork also features a wide variety of meeting rooms, phone booths, a cozy lounge, and more facilities for effective work.
The Executive Centre (TEC) has offices in 38 cities, and over 260 locations, meeting the needs of a growing global network of over 60,000 members. In Japan, some noteworthy locations include the JP Tower adjacent to Tokyo Station, the Kyobashi Edgrand, and the Minato Mirai Center Building in Yokohama.
They offer fully furnished offices for teams of all sizes and requirements, with flexible terms, professional support and tailor-made office layouts. Examples include their private office spaces for between one and 200 people, high-quality amenities, prime locations and 24/7 access. Users also gain exclusive access to their dynamic TEC community events to network and meet other like-minded professionals.
CIC’s bases include Tokyo and Fukuoka within Japan, as well as Cambridge, Philadelphia, Providence and St. Louis in the U.S., and Rotterdam, Warsaw and Berlin in Europe. Besides claiming to create the best space and environment for innovation, CIC has over 400 multidisciplinary events each year, as well as a program that directly supports the growth of startups.
Therefore, CIC attracts a mix of startups, large companies, local governments and even investor-focused firms.
Regarding startups, they refer to their “partners building the CIC ecosystem.” The latter is defined as “a cycle of production, consumption, and decomposition” that encompasses startups and supports the community.
Regus offers “high-grade offices” in 200 locations nationwide — including Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya — and in over 4,000 locations in over 120 countries around the world. Their services include private offices equipped with meeting spaces, all-in-one printers and other business necessities.
Each shared office is handled through a monthly desk-based contract, and Regus adapts to meet clients’ needs. Whether it’s a virtual office to start a business, a coworking space during business hours only or an hourly rental conference room for small groups, any need can be met. Regus emphasizes that all of their flexible offices are located in high-grade buildings in prime locations, such as “iconic towers representing cities and in front of train stations.”
No matter what your needs, the Tokyo skyline has space for them. Premium real estate prices and fixed contracts are no longer the barriers they once were in the modern world of coworking and rental offices.
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