Working in a cafe with a laptop is something that most of us do every once in a while. I’m an employed by a company based in Shibuya but I work remotely on some days a week depending on my schedule. I usually work at my place, Tachikawa Garden Town, which is in Tachikawa but that is not always the ideal place to work. Everyone has their own version of “ideal working environment.” In my case, it’s a place with complete silence without anyone in sight. I know many people prefer to stay at a cafe and work fine in an environment where you’re surrounded by strangers. I still prefer a quiet environment over a white noise environment but I don’t always have a choice especially when my wife and 1 year old daughter are at home.

Seats with charging plugs

There are several seats with charging plugs on the 3rd floor of Ecute, one of the department store brand you often find in the station building. The seats are completely free of charge for anyone to use. The sign says not to use for more than an hour because the seats are built for short time use only but this helps a lot for people who want to take a seat or work on something just for 10 mins for example.
The chairs are probably not so comfortable to sit for long hours but it’s great for one hour or less. I use this space when the trains are delayed or stopped which happens every now and then on Chuo line. When trains are stopped, I could try my luck and get on the train but often times the entire Chuo line is affected and you just end up spending longer on the train which is just a waste of time. It would make much more sense to stay at this space for an hour and get on the train.



As you can see, the plugs are on the table which is very easy to reach even if you have a charging adaptor for your laptop. The desk space isn’t really big and the seats next to you are usually occupied by other people so you might not want to take up too much space.
This space helps a lot when you want to open your laptop and get some small things done. Usually we don’t really have a choice but go to a cafe but paying for a 500 yen coffee when you don’t really want to drink anything is kind of a waste. Nowadays cafe asks you to order more if you stay there for more than certain hours. Working in a cafe can cost you a lot if you plan to stay for a while.

Bring your own food or drinks

Surprisingly, this space is eating and drinking friendly. The drink and food do not even have to be bought in the same department. It can be just the food you brought from home or something you bought in other stores unrelated to Ecute. Whoever decided to built this space for everyone must be so generous.
Just so you know, buying any food or drinks for take-out is imposed of 8% consumer tax at the time of payment. In case you plan to consume the store-bought food or drinks in the store, however, is imposed of 10% consumer tax instead. Be careful when you buy things on the 2nd floor of Ecute and bring the food or drinks to this seat.



The sign says “Please refrain from occupying the seat for more than an hour for everyone”

This is so-called “eat-in tax evasion” or イートイン脱税 and it was one of the internet meme for a while after the tax increase in October 2019. However, the National Tax Agency in Japan officialy made a comment later and it says this is more of an ethical matter and there won’t be any punishment or fine for people who did this.
I did say be careful because it says so in the sign on the table but it turns out this is not really something anyone should be worried about.
Anyway, try this space if you have a chance to come to Tachikawa station.

Date posted :

2020.01.25

Poster :

Shima