山﨑 由夏 Hello everyone! This is Yuka, CASE Shinjuku staff.
Thank you very much for using our coworking space and shared office!
Gradually, foreign users are increasing in our space. We are really happy to meet them every time.
I know there are many coworking spaces in Tokyo, and it’s difficult for you to choose one of them. So, in this blog, I will introduce the benefits of using our space, based on the real feedback from foreign users.
Cozy and good atmosphere
When you come into our space, you need to take off your shoes. Some people are surprised by this, but you can experience the Japanese style here. Even if your shoes are soaked in the rain, you can still enjoy a comfortable time here. Our floor is made of Japanese cedar, so you can also enjoy the pleasant feeling of wood every time you step on it.
Our space has a lot of windows, so on sunny days, it’s great to feel the sunlight and warmth coming through the windows. If you feel tired from work, just stepping out onto the balcony can help you reset your mind and get back to work.
We have both a coworking space and a shared office. In the coworking space, background music (smooth music, jazz, or instrumental music) is playing, and everyone can have conversations and online meetings. On the other hand, in the shared office, there is no music, and it’s very quiet (short conversations and brief online meetings are allowed). So, if you become a monthly member, you can choose either space depending on your situation.
I visited five coworking spaces, including CASE, to compare the atmosphere before deciding where to join. I found CASE especially cozy, with plenty of monitors and comfortable chairs that I could sit in for hours. I also really liked the work-focused shared office area, and overall, it felt like a great place to work.（A member from Denmark）
You can find detailed information about our coworking space and shared office in English here!
Experience of Japanese tradition here
We often have events every year.
Some events are related to Japanese traditions.
One of the reasons you came to Japan is that you like Japan, right?
It means you want to learn more about Japan, right? If so, you can experience Japanese traditions here!
New Year’s calligraphy
On every first open day in new year, we have a light new year’s party from the afternoon.
Unfortunatly, you can’t experience Japanese traditional new year foods like Osechi, Ozouni and so on here, but you can experience new year calligraphy. In new year, Japanese people write new year’s resolution with a blush of ink stick.
If you have a challenging heart, let’s write your resolustion with Japanese, especially Kanji!
I tried to write the kanji for “Oshogatsu” (お正月), which means New Year in Japanese. A staff showed me how to write it, and I did my best!（A member from America）
Ehomaki
On Setsubun Day (the day before the first day of spring in Japan), we eat Ehomaki.
Ehomaki is a thick sushi roll filled with a variety of ingredients and is believed to bring good fortune if you eat it while facing the year’s lucky direction. The direction changes every year.
Some foreign members joined the event. I prepared an explanation guide about the history of Ehomaki.
It was really nice to learn about Japanese culture like this. We were also happy to eat the delicious Ehomaki.（A member from America）
Japanese style wiping the floor with a rag & Radio calisthenics
In Japan, we have a long vacation called Golden Week, which lasts from the end of April to the beginning of May (about one week).
During Golden Week, we have a floor cleaning event. We clean the floors with rags together with our members. This might be rare in other countries, as it’s not common to clean floors like this.
Also, before doing the cleaning, we do radio calisthenics as a warm-up. We exercise to the Japanese radio calisthenics song.
Most Japanese people can do it without instruction because we did it when we were kids.
It might be rare to have the opportunity to do this even if you visit Japan, so I hope it will be a good experience for you.
Japanese traditional festival foods and Summer traditional clothes
Every summer, we have a big summer festival. We prepare various kinds of Japanese festival foods, such as flowing somen (somen is a type of thin wheat noodle, similar to udon), shaved ice, yakisoba, watermelon, and more. Summer festivals are held everywhere in Japan during the summer season, and it’s hot and humid everywhere. However, in our case, the festival is held indoors, so you don’t need to endure the hot temperatures!
Also, for women, you can wear traditional summer clothes called “Yukata.”
Our staff will teach you how to wear a Yukata, so all you need to do is enjoy the moment!
I don’t wear Yukata very often, so I was happy to have the chance to wear one this time!（A member from America）
We have not only events related to Japanese traditions but also events like a Christmas party, lunch parties, and more. This gives you the chance to meet and talk to other members. Every time, I’m really glad to see people from different countries getting along with each other. I know it can feel lonely when you come to an unfamiliar country and don’t have friends here. So, if you meet someone who also comes from another country, I hope you can share your feelings with each other.
Many monitors in both coworking space and shared office
Most people look happy when they see a lot of monitors.
In CASE Shinjuku, we have about 20 monitors available for rent in total, across our coworking space and shared office.
Monitors are really popular every day. But you don’t need to worry about the situation where you can’t use them because everyone else is using them. It’s rare not to be able to use them, and we’ve never had such a situation before.
Best of all, they provide external monitors for you to use, even for drop-ins, which is somewhat rare for coworking spaces.（A member from America）
Subscription plan & digital coupon tickets
If you come to Japan, how long will you stay?
We have several plans based on the length of your stay in Japan.
If you want to use shared office in short terms
We recommend choosing a short-term plan in the subscription options.
Normally, if you want to use the shared office, you need to pay the monthly fee and a membership fee (which is the same as the monthly fee).
However, if you’re using it for a short term, you might feel uncomfortable paying the membership fee, right?
So, for short-term users, we have created a new plan.
If you’re using it for up to 3 months, you can use the shared office for 38,000 yen per month without the membership fee.
| Contract Plan | Term | Target group | VISA | Reference Price (For shared desks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-term | within 3 months | Those who stay for a short period of time for travel or business trips | Short-term visa (tourist visa) | Admission fee: None Monthly fee: 38,000 yen |
| Study Abroad | within 1 year | For students studying at a school in Japan | General visa and student visa | Membership fee：27,500yen Monthly fee：27,500yen |
| Standard | long term | Those who wish to establish a corporation in Japan or stay for a long period of time. | Management and administrative visas etc. | Membership fee：27,500yen Monthly fee：27,500yen |
You can find detailed information about subscription plan in English here!
Digital coupon tickets for good deal!
If you want to use our coworking space at a good deal, we recommend digital coupon tickets.
There are 3 types of coupons, and you can choose one depending on how many times you plan to use it.
You can save money with coupon tickets compared to paying for a normal drop-in.
You don’t need to worry about forgetting to bring it or losing it because it’s digital!
You can find detailed information about coupon tickets in English here!
It’s easy to go to Japanese school from here
Some foreign members go to Japanese school while working here.
There are several Japanese schools in Shinjuku, so you can work here while taking Japanese lessons at school smoothly.
A former member talked about working here while studying Japanese at school in a user’s interview blog.
You can learn how to do it from his story as a reference.
Many options for lunch
You won’t have any trouble with lunch!
Around CASE Shinjuku, there are many kinds of restaurants and shops!
Ramen, soba, udon, pasta, pizza, hamburgers, fried chicken, curry and rice, sundubu, okonomiyaki, yakiniku, gapao rice, cakes, bread, and more…
It’s interesting and there are good options for lunch here. We’ve tried many different restaurants, trying to find our favorites.（A member from Denmark）
Those restaurants are my favorite! (Of course, eating in is available.)
If you’re having trouble deciding on lunch, feel free to ask our staff!
We are friendly!
Every time, we welcome you!
We can’t speak English fluently, but we try to accommodate you as best we can.
If you have any questions, feel free to let us know anytime.
We’ll be glad to help you and make sure you have a comfortable time here.
A former German member told us that he would come back here again, or a former American member sometimes contacts us and shares his recent news. Everyone is also friendly, and we’re really glad to stay in touch like friends even after they cancel their memberships.
We hope to see you soon!!
Thank you so much for reading my blog until the end!