This cafe has a drink bar and lets you bring your own food, could be the perfect telework space

Plus it’s in Korea Town, and you know what that means: good food everywhere!

In this day and age, it’s more common than ever for people to be working from home–and more people than ever want to— but working from home, though freeing, can also become monotonous. That’s why our reporters, who frequently alternate between working in the office and teleworking, are always looking for new places to do their work.

Our own Mr. Sato found one such place that might just be the haven for the teleworking crowd: Rembrandt Cabin Shinjuku Shin-Okubo. It’s a capsule hotel in Shin-Okubo, which is also known as Tokyo’s Korea Town, that has a cafe where you can bring in your own food, have unlimited refills from a drink bar, and use as much electricity and Wi-Fi as you like. Sounds perfect for remote work, doesn’t it?

Just a one-minute walk from Shin-Okubuko Station, Rembrandt Cabin just reopened under new branding in June last year, and in February opened up Soom Cafe on the eighth floor, which anyone can use, even those not staying at the hotel. While capsule guests can make use of the cafe for free, others can use the space for the affordable rate of 500 yen per hour.

The cafe space was surprisingly spacious and looked super clean. One long shared table sat in the middle of the room, and some sofas stood by the window. More workspaces lined the wall.

The window had a spectacular view of the Shinjuku cityscape. Outside, Mr. Sato could see the upcoming Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, which will be Japan’s largest hotel and entertainment complex tower when it opens in 2023. Mr. Sato thought he could even see the Toho Theater building where the famous Godzilla statue peeks over the edge (denoted by the bottom arrow).

While you’re in the cafe, you have free access to a drink bar, which offers unusual drinks you wouldn’t find at a regular cafe, like lemon water, corn tea, and pomegranate-flavored Micho, a drink made from vinegar from fermented fruit.

Of course, they also had a coffee machine, which every teleworker probably needs, and even a food printer, which lets you draw pictures on macarons (though it costs extra to use).

Additionally, with each hour you stay, you also get a special coin, which you can use in these snack gacha machines.

What you get isn’t anything special, but it’s still a fun idea.

▼ Mr. Sato got Country Farm cookies, a common cookie snack, and some kind of candy.

Since Mr. Sato had free access to electrical outlets and Wi-Fi, he sat down and set up shop to get to work. However, the place wasn’t actually suited to concentration, at least in Mr. Sato’s case. Since the cafe isn’t a dedicated working space, the other customers were laughing and talking, which Mr. Sato found distracting.

With so many other much quieter and equally interesting options, like stationary luxury trains, private teleworking booths, and even Ferris wheel pods, this might not be the perfect teleworking space, but it’s still a great option, especially if background noise is not something that bothers you, or if you’re capable of working while listening to music through headphones. As mentioned, the space allows you to bring your own food, which means you can stock up on some of the delicious Korean street food offered around the Shin-Okubo area before settling down to work, which is a definite plus.

Otherwise, it could also be a great place to just relax with friends for a low price. However you choose to use it, Soom Cafe is a useful space in a convenient location, so definitely keep it in mind for the future!

Cafe Information
Soom Cafe / スムカフェ
Address: Tokyo-to Shinjuku-ku Hyakunin-cho 1-4-15 Rembrandt Cabin Shinjuku Shin-Okubo 8F
東京都新宿区百人町1-4-15 レンブラントキャビン新宿新大久保 8F
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (last entry 9 p.m.)

Images © SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Credit: