Never say telework. Karate Work. Coworking sushi. Do you have any other clichés to lend to name this Japanese boom in tiny workspaces?
In the land of Rising Sun. People in a hurry can find quiet mini offices to sit down and pull out a laptop and start working. Tiny places, as big as a telephone booth and scattered almost everywhere in stations, airports, skyscraper halls.
You don't believe it, but when I talk about mini offices I mean mini: 1,2 square meters. These are the dimensions of Telecube, a tiny space equipped with desk, seat and power and internet hooks.
Mitsubishi Estate Co. plans to install 1000 within the next 3 and a half years.
Companies are confident that the demand for these cubicles will be wide and constant: after all, in Japan every café is chock full of flexible workers. WeWork Cos., Which has opened its first mini offices, is also contributing to the spread of more and more working spaces to be used only when required.
“If you're on your way to make a presentation to a client and have 15 minutes at the station, maybe you need to find a quiet place to finalize the final details,” says the head of Telecube, Hiroyuki Mashita.
How it works
Users must book mini offices in advance, e. unlock them using a QR code.
The stay in the hovel costs 250 yen, about 2 euros every 15 minutes, and there are some subscription rates that allow a total of hours per month.
The contingency is excellent: the State in Japan encourages workers to work remotely, anticipating the absurd electronic flotilla that we will see at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which will bring the Japanese city a bonus of 7.8 million visitors. . Other companies are also trying to pivot to telecommuting. 20% of the communications industry embraces and promotes teleworking.
Mitsubishi and his partners tested 22 different prototypes before presenting this mini office. The East Japan Railway is also testing its small solutions.
