A List of Work-Friendly Cafes in Tokyo for Remote Work

I’ve been a frequent visitor of Tokyo over the past decade. I have family living in Tokyo, so we make sure to visit Tokyo at least once a year. One of my favorite things to do in Tokyo when I’m there for extended time is to check out a nice cafe and sit there for awhile, either with my laptop or a book 👩🏻‍💻

And it turns out, Tokyo is very remote-work friendly. There are plenty of cafes and coworking spaces for you to do your work.

Visiting Tokyo? Here is my very comprehensive Tokyo travel guide. It is aimed for first-timers, but I reckon even veteran visitors would still learn a thing or two.

In this post, I will list cafes I’ve visited and deemed work-friendly. Similar to my Singapore working cafe list, my requirement is pretty simple:

• Good vibes – I focus on places that won’t chase you out if you take your laptop out. This is important for me because I am non-confrontational.
• Plenty of seating – I know cafes ultimately exists to make money, so I don’t want to feel like I’m occupying a coveted seat.
• Strong WiFi – I don’t need the WiFi to be super fast, but I need it to reliably load the internet since my work is on the cloud.
• Power plug – This is optional for me because my Macbook Pro can last all day 😝

This is a running list, so I will be updating it periodically and reporting back if anything changes.

Tips for working from a cafe in Tokyo

In Tokyo, there is no shortage of trendy cafes to work from. Here are some of my tips to make it easier for you:

Data eSIM – I strongly suggest getting a data eSIM. It’s not a cheap option to tether from, but in case of emergency, this could save your life. In my most recent visit to Tokyo, I used the eSIM provided by Klook because it’s the cheapest one and I found that it was reliable throughout my stay Tokyo. I got LTE connection pretty much everywhere.

Time limit – In Tokyo, many cafes impose a seating limit of 90 to 120 minutes. This is usually communicated by the waiter before you sit or they would have a notice on the table informing you of the seating limit. However, whether they will enforce it or not depends on the cafe. Some won’t ask you to leave if they are not too busy.

Clean up after yourself – Some, though not all, cafe will have a dedicated space where you can return your used cups and plates. Please do this instead of leaving it on the table when you’re done.

Shared co-working space – In Tokyo, there is a concept of shared working space or shared lounge which allows you to work for as long as you pay for. Personally I think this option is quite pricey – the typical rate is 900 – 1,000 yen per hour or 2,500 – 3,300 yen per day. In comparison, I spend about 2,300 yen a day cafe hopping which includes 2 coffee drinks and lunch. But, these co-working spaces do give you peace of mind of not having to hunt down for another place, so it could be worth it! Here are some examples of such places:

• (tefu) lounge – location in Jiyugaoka, Shimokitazawa and Yoyogi Uehara
• .andwork – many locations all around Japan. In Tokyo, they have location in Shibuya, Shibuya-Higashi and Azabu Juban.

Tokyo Metropolitan Free Wifi – Most of Tokyo Metropolitan areas have free wifi coverage provided by the government. It doesn’t cover everywhere, and in my experience they usually don’t exist in places where I’d like to work, but if you’re going to popular areas there is a big chance they will have this free wifi. It’s good for emergencies. Click here for more information and map of coverage.

Tsutaya and Starbucks – If all fails look for this. Tsutaya is the biggest bookstore in Tokyo. In some locations, usually the one that collaborates with Starbucks, they have free wifi and working space.

How to find a work-friendly cafe with Google Maps

How is your Japanese? Mine is not so good. So before we go on, here are a few Japanese words that would help you ask for amenities in Japanese. These terms also helps you find your own work-friendly cafe!

Here are some terms you might need:

Wi-Fi	ワイファイ (pronounced as: wai-fai)
Power Plug	コンセント (pronounced as: konsento)
Cafe	カフェ (pronounced as: ka-fe)

If you want to ask if there cafe has a wifi, you can ask “Kono kafe ni wi-fi wa arimasu ka?“. Similarly, if you want to ask if there is a power plug, you can say “Kono kafe ni konsento wa arimasu ka?“

To find a cafe to work from, I use none other than… Google Maps! More specifically, I rely on reviews and photos to find out whether a cafe has Wi-Fi and seating that is suitable for working.

Here is what I do:

1. Find cafe with Wi-Fi – On Google Maps, I pick a neighborhood I want to work in, then I do a broad search for カフェ ワイファイ, which means “Cafe Wi-Fi”. This would give you a list of cafes with Wi-Fi mentioned in the review in Japanese. Similarly, you can also search for “cafe free wifi” in english which will give you a list of cafe with free Wi-Fi. In Japan, Google Maps reviews are often written in Japanese. So, it helps to search for both languages.
2. Research the cafe – Then I go through each cafe one by one. Within the reviews for the cafe, I search for ワイファイ and “Wi-Fi” to confirm what people say about the Wi-Fi speed and policy. Also I go through the comments just to get a general feel whether working is viable there, and what their menu looks like.
3. Look at photos – I also look at the photos of the cafe (filter it to “Vibe” on Google Maps). I pay attention to seating to make sure they are good to work from. Some cafes only have lounge seats, which makes it difficult to work from with a laptop.
4. Create a list – Finally, if I’m happy with everything, I shortlist the cafe by adding the cafe to a dedicated “Cafe to work from” list so I can quickly decide on the spot which cafe I want to go to.

So without further ado, here is my list of favorite cafes to work from when I’m in Tokyo:

1. Freeman Cafe in Shibuya
2. Streamer Coffee in Shibuya
3. Little Darling Coffee Roasters in Aoyama
4. Garden House Crafts in Daikanyama
5. Alpha Beta Coffee Club in Jiyugaoka
6. amber in Jiyugaoka

Save the list on Google Maps: You can also view a list of the cafes on Google Maps here and save it so that you can refer back easily!

1. Freeman Cafe in Shibuya

Address	〒150-0002 Tokyo, Shibuya, 1 Chome−16−14 (map) Located on the 2nd floor of Metro Plaza
Closest Station	Shibuya Station, located right above Exit B1
Power Plug	✅ Available in many seats
Wi-Fi	✅ The cafe has its own Wi-Fi, speed is fast
Toilet	✅ There is a toilet in the building, close to the cafe
Time Limit	🟠 2 hours

Freeman Coffee is a digital nomad heaven. It ticks all the boxes: good speed wifi that they don’t hide (the password is on every table), comfy seats with big tables, and most seats has a power plug underneath.

While Tokyo is safe enough to leave your belongings for short period of time, there is a toilet nearby, right across from the cafe. So if you’re working alone and nervous about leaving your laptop, you can just dash there really quick.

Ordering is a breeze! Just scan the QR on the table and place your order. No more fumbling with Nihongo if you’re not confident yet, like me 😔. Paying also does not require any human interaction. When it’s time for you to leave, staff member will place a receipt on your table. Just go to the payment machine and scan the barcode, where you can make payment with cash, credit card (touchless option included) and other E-Money payment options.

Aside from the usual coffee and tea options, there is a weekday lunch menu from 1100 to 1250 yen, consiting of the usual suspects of “Yoshoku” food options in Japan (Think omurice, beef curry, etc).

Despite them catering to remote workers, the cafe attracts a good mix of normal cafe-goers who were there for the drinks and food, and not just remote workers who are here to work out of the cafe.

What’s the catch? Well, there is 2 hour time limit, but I’ll share my tips on how to extend this slightly. Also, their coffee is expensive but average. An iced latte costs 800 yen which is… almost as pricey as cafes in Singapore. I’m not complaining, because the place has really amazing vibe with plenty of large windows and natural sunshine. Staff is really nice too!

Plan to come here early, before 10:30AM. When I was here on a Thursday morning, the place filled up by 11:00AM. They are open from 9:00AM.

My move here is to come at 10AM, buy a drink and use up my 2-hour limit. Then at noon, I order lunch to extend my seating privileges just a little bit more – and I bail just before the lunch crowd 😅. Two birds one stone! Now you don’t have to think about where to have lunch today.

2. Streamer Coffee Company in Shibuya

Address	1 Chome-20-28 Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0002 (map)
Closest Station	Shibuya Station, about 3 minutes walk from Exit B1
Power Plug	✅ About 10 plugs available on the high chair seats
Wi-Fi	🟠 The cafe has its own Wi-Fi, but can be a bit slow at times
Toilet	✅ The cafe has its own toilet
Time Limit	🟢 None

Just a few steps away from Freeman Coffee is Streamer Coffee Company, located in a small alley. Streamer is not a secret to digital nomads. They are known to be laptop friendly and provides free Wi-Fi.

But what makes Streamer truly great is that they serve actually good coffee. I’m far from being a coffee connoisseur myself, but I can tell that the coffee is better than regular places. A glass of cold brew costed 750 yen. Aside from coffee, they also have a selection of pastries and small bites available.

There are plenty of electrical plugs by the high chair seating, which makes it convenient for remote working! The cafe does get a bit noisy though, so it may not be good for video calls, but a lady who were sitting next to me managed to do an hour-long video call.

When I came at 12:30PM on a weekday, the cafe is about half full. Most people were occupying the lounge seats. There is only one other guest on the high chair. However, towards the later part of the afternoon, the cafe starts to fill out at around 3PM.

There is no seating limit that I’m aware of so you could technically sit here all day if you want. However, I did find the Wi-Fi speed to be variable – sometimes it gets a little slow, but still useable.

Streamer Coffee has a few chains around Tokyo, but not all of them is good for work. I heard the Harajuku branch is too small for prolonged seating. I plan to check out their Nakameguro branch and Setagaya branch in the future.

Bonus for non-Japanese speakers: Lady at the cashier speaks english really well which makes ordering a breeze.

3. Little Darling Coffee Roasters in Aoyama

Address	1 Chome-12-32 Minamiaoyama, Minato City, Tokyo (map)
Closest Station	– Aoyama-Itchome on Ginza, Oedo and Hanzomon line – Nogizaka on Chiyoda Line
Power Plug	✅ Only available at select seats
Wi-Fi	🟠 Provided by the city, decent speed
Toilet	✅ There is a toilet in the building, close to the cafe
Time Limit	🟢 None

Located in the upscale neighborhood of Aoyama, Little Darling Coffee Roaster definitely wins for the space. It’s located in Share Green Aoyama Minami, which has this awesome expansive greeneries in front of it. A treat in a city like Tokyo!

There are limited seating outside, in case you want to enjoy the good weather.

I opted to sit inside though, since the day I went was TOO good of a day that the sun was hurting my eyes. Inside, there are many seating option, nicely spaced out with industrial theme.

The coffee is fairly priced, but I thought it was nothing to write home about. Aside from coffee, they also have a limited selections of pastries.

There is Wi-Fi in this area, however it’s provided by the city instead of owned by the shop. I found it decent enough that I was able to conduct a Zoom call though.

4. Garden House Crafts in Daikanyama

Address	〒150-0034 Tokyo, Shibuya, Daikanyamacho (map) Located within Log Road
Closest Station	Daikan-yama station on Toyoko line
Power Plug	⛔️ No plugs
Wi-Fi	✅ The cafe has its own Wi-Fi
Toilet	✅ The cafe has its own toilet
Time Limit	🟢 None

Daikanyama is one of my favorite neighborhood in Tokyo. I even have a blog post dedicated to it. Turns out, it’s a great place to work from too!

Garden House Craft ticks all my remote-work criteria: it has plenty of seating options (both indoor and outdoor), good coffee, delicious cakes, meal-worthy sandwiches, and strong wi-fi. On weekdays afternoon, they are not very busy which is always a huge plus.

Aside from a small menu consisting of sandwiches, coffee, and tea. They also have beautiful cakes and delicate cookies to accompany your drink. I tried their Ginger Rose cookie and I loved it so much that I bought more packets to take home.

5. Alpha Beta Coffee Club in Jiyugaoka

Address	〒152-0035 Tokyo, Meguro City, Jiyugaoka, 2 Chome−10−4 (map) Located on the 3rd floor of Milche building
Closest Station	Jiyugaoka station on Oimachi and Toyoko Line
Power Plug	✅ Plugs underneath the long shared table
Wi-Fi	🟠 The cafe has its own Wi-Fi, but slow (10Mbps)
Toilet	✅ The cafe has its own toilet
Time Limit	🟠 2 hours

Alpha Beta Coffee Club is a stylish cafe in Jiyugaoka. FYI, there are two branches in this neighborhood and they are close by to each other, so the photos on Google Maps seems to be mixed up. One is at Concord building (with red bricks) and one on the 3rd floor of Milche building. I’m writing about the one located at Milche building.

I like this location because it’s hidden. The building looked like any other retail shop in Tokyo, with 7/11, a bank and McDonalds on the lower floors. But once you take the elevator to third floor, you’ll see Alpha Beta Coffee Club.

The cafe is not huge, but it’s quiet. When I visited on a Friday morning at 10AM, I was one of the three guests there. In the middle of the cafe, there is a long shared table with plugs underneath.

I ordered an iced latte which costs 650 yen, and I was blown away by how good it is! Definitely worth coming here just for the coffee.

There is a 2 hour seating limit, though I’m not sure if they’d enforce it since the cafe isn’t very busy. There is Wi-Fi and the password is shared openly on the table and on the letterboard behind the cashier, but the speed isn’t very fast – about 10 Mbps. It’s still useable for most people though.

Aside from the indoor seating, there is also an outdoor roof top seating. Unfortunately the building across is having a massive renovation at the moment so there isn’t much of a view.

6. amber in Jiyugaoka

Address	〒158-0083 Tokyo, 5 Chome−42−3 (map) Part of (tefu) in Trainichi
Closest Station	Jiyugaoka station on Oimachi and Toyoko Line
Power Plug	✅ Plugs underneath the high table and shared table
Wi-Fi	✅ The cafe has its own Wi-Fi, fast speed
Toilet	✅ The cafe has its own toilet
Time Limit	🟢 None

Located just next to the train track in an outdoor shopping area called Trainichi, amber is yet another work-friendly and stylish cafe in Jiyugaoka. There are plenty of seating here with power plugs, and the Wi-Fi is fast, about 180MBps when I ran my speed test.

They’re a cashless store, so make sure you come here with proper payment method – either a credit card or IC card.

You can choose to sit at the high table facing the train if you’d like. There are power plugs underneath the table. Every 5 minutes or so, you can see the Toyoko line train pass by. But don’t worry, it’s not noisy at all! They’ve done a great job sound-proofing the space.

But if you prefer a normal table, you can sit at the long oval shared table instead. It’s closer to the toilet while still providing plenty of natural light, and a power plug.

I came here at lunch time so I ordered the Apple Prosciutto Brie sandwich (990 yen) and a cold brew (660 yen). The cold brew was decent, but I’m so sad to report that the sandwich came in mini size. It was more of a snack rather than a meal at lunch. I was definitely not full after devouring this.

The best thing about this place? No time limit on seating. I’m definitely coming back here again.

More cafes to work from in Tokyo

As I was saying before, this list will continue to grow. I’m always on the look out for places to work from in Tokyo. Here are places I’ve shortlisted that I haven’t had the chance to visit yet:

• Connel Coffee at Akasaka
• Bundan Cafe at Komaba Park
• Valley Park Stand in Shibuya
• Trunk Lounge in Shibuya
• Good Sound Coffee in Nakameguro
• tagcafe in Shimo-Kitazawa
• Maruyama Coffee in Nishi-Azabu

And that’s all I have to say about cafes that are work-friendly in Tokyo! Please feel free to leave any comments below if you have any.

Have fun working in Tokyo 👩🏻‍💻

Visiting Tokyo? Here is my very comprehensive Tokyo travel guide. It is aimed for first-timers, but I reckon even veteran visitors would still learn a thing or two.