· Updated
By the HalfKey team
Tokyo for remote-working couples: desks and internet
Two remote workers need a plan for overlapping calls as well as a reliable connection. Compare an apartment with a separate room against a smaller place plus a paid workspace, then verify what the specific building and workspace actually provide.
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If you both work remotely, decide whether you will both work at home or whether one of you will use a paid workspace before choosing the apartment. A smaller home near a paid workspace can work well, but so can a larger apartment with a door between your desks. First confirm that the internet already installed can support your work: changing it may require the building manager’s permission.
Start with the hours when you will both be working. If one of you takes confidential calls while the other is cooking or sleeping, a fast internet connection alone won't solve the problem. Compare your usual schedules and note when you need separate rooms.
Why the building’s wiring matters
NTT East explains how internet connections reach individual apartments. In one arrangement, called VDSL, the last part of the connection runs along existing telephone wiring inside the building. Another uses network cables, called LAN wiring. NTT says that switching a building with only these shared systems to fiber running to each apartment requires new equipment in the common area and the management company’s agreement.
Getting faster service may therefore require building work as well as a new subscription. NTT also warns that some buildings cannot be converted. Before accepting an apartment with an unsuitable connection, confirm a usable workspace elsewhere for the whole stay or choose an apartment whose existing connection works.
Ask which service is active now in the actual apartment and whether it is shared with other rooms. A company may offer a faster service at that address without it being installed in the apartment you would rent.
Gotanda: coworking and private call rooms
BasisPoint’s Gotanda page describes its coworking space and meeting rooms. It permits conversation and web meetings in the open seating area. You can take calls there, but other people may be talking nearby and may hear your conversation.
If others must not hear your calls, ask whether you can book a private room or booth at the times you need it and whether it will fit both of you if necessary. Find out whether your desk membership covers those bookings or whether you would pay extra each time.
Check the journey from the apartment to the workspace entrance and, if you can, try it at your likely start time. Ask when the workspace opens, what membership you would need and whether it can accommodate you for the whole stay.
Nakameguro, Mejiro and Kiyosumi-Shirakawa: compare real options
Consider Nakameguro if you regularly travel on the Hibiya or Toyoko line. Mejiro’s JR timetable shows Yamanote services toward Shinjuku and Shibuya. Kiyosumi-Shirakawa is on the Hanzomon line with a connection to the Oedo line. Compare the routes to each partner’s classes, office or regular meetings, then look for a suitable apartment and workspace nearby.
Don't assume a café allows long laptop sessions or voice calls because it appears on a nomad list. Ask the business, and have a separate plan for confidential meetings.
Test the internet where you will work
Ask for a recent internet speed test taken inside the apartment at the time you expect to work. It should show how quickly it downloads and uploads data, along with the response time, often labelled latency or ping. Ask whether it was taken over Wi-Fi or a cable and where the device was positioned. A test beside the router can differ from the experience behind a closed bedroom door.
Check the connection speeds required by your employer and the video-call software you both use. If you can visit the apartment, try a real call from each place where you plan to work. If either of you sends large files, also test how long a typical upload takes; a connection that handles your calls may still leave you waiting for files to finish uploading.
Ask what help is available if the included connection stops working and what alternatives you could use. A screenshot shows how the connection performed during that test; speeds may differ at other times.
Compare two complete monthly plans
For a comparison using made-up prices, Apartment A costs ¥220,000 a month, with a ¥30,000 desk membership and ¥10,000 budgeted for private call rooms. Rent and workspace together cost ¥260,000.
Apartment B costs ¥250,000 and has a separate room that works for your calls. If the internet works for both of you and you can take calls without disturbing each other, it is ¥10,000 cheaper per month, or ¥30,000 over three months.
For your own comparison, add travel costs, any fee for joining the workspace and any other apartment charges you must pay. If only one partner uses the desk, check that the other has a comfortable place at home too.
Let both partners test the plan
If one of you will work at home more often, check that the apartment works for that person throughout the day. They may want more daylight, room to cook or somewhere to put work equipment away, while the person using a paid workspace may care more about the walk there.
Make sure both of you have somewhere suitable to work at the hours you need. If the apartment needs an internet upgrade, keep the paid workspace in your budget until the new service is installed and tested.