Hello, this is Ryuta Hamamoto from TIMEWELL.
When you decide to launch a company, one problem you run into surprisingly early is "what to do about the address." To register a company you need a location for the head office, and you will end up putting an address on your business cards and website too. Making your home address public feels uncomfortable, yet renting an office from the very start is heavy once you add up the rent and the deposit. Watching a fixed cost of that size leave your account every month, before you have any revenue, is frightening.
At the same time, the answer is not simply to keep the address as cheap as possible. It is genuinely common to hear stories like "when I later tried to open a corporate bank account, the screening got stuck," or "when I tried to obtain a licence, I couldn't meet the office requirements." Choosing an office is not only about the price. It is also a decision about how to lay the foundation on which you will run the business from here.
In this article, for those about to found a company in Tokyo, I sort out the axes to use when choosing an office and introduce the representative options by type. I will not hold up any particular service as the best. My aim is simply to lay the facts side by side and hand you the material for choosing the one that fits your own business. If you are curious about where you and your team stand, including on using AI, checking your current position first with our free AI literacy self-check should make the decisions ahead easier.
One note: the prices and the availability of registration that appear in this article are all information confirmed as of July 2026, to the extent I could verify. Office-related services change their conditions easily by location, timing, and campaign, so before you sign a contract, always confirm the latest details on each provider's or facility's official site.
What axes should you use to choose an office at the founding stage?
If you decide based only on floor area and rent, you can run into trouble later. Let me first pin down the axes worth keeping in view during the founding period.
The first is whether you can register the company there. As long as you are forming a company, registering the head office location is unavoidable. Even among services that lend you an address, plans that can be used for registration and plans that cannot are often split apart, so this is the first thing to confirm.
The second is whether there is a meeting room, and in particular whether a room for roughly 10 to 20 people is available. Even if you usually work online, situations where people gather always come up: a kickoff, a hiring interview, a meeting with a client. It is reassuring to check whether a meeting room is attached, or, if not, whether you can rent a room by the hour nearby.
The third is the price range. It matters to compare the total, including not just the monthly fee but the joining fee, the deposit, and the minimum contract period. There are cases where the monthly fee is cheap but the joining fee is high, and, conversely, cases where the base fee is free for a limited period.
The fourth is the credibility of the address itself. Clients and financial institutions search the address on the internet. When many companies are registered at the same address, the reality of the business can be doubted. A prestigious address carries an upside in terms of credibility, but the flip side is that many companies tend to gather at exactly such addresses.
The fifth is the handling of mail and phone calls. Important documents from government offices and banks arrive by post. With a virtual office, the common practice is to gather up the mail that arrives and forward it, so it can take several days to reach your hands. Whether you need a phone number lent to you or a phone-answering service is also worth thinking through against the nature of your business.
The sixth is whether a coworking space is attached, and the location. If you factor in your working-style wishes too, such as wanting a place where you can focus or preferring somewhere close to a station, you will arrive at a choice that does not strain you.
Looking for AI training and consulting?
Learn about WARP training programs and consulting services in our materials.
Thinking through the premise of how work is done now
Once you have sorted out the axes, picturing the shape of how you and your team work makes the choice easier.
In recent years, more founding teams operate online from their own locations day to day and gather only when needed. Rather than renting a large office on the premise that everyone commutes to the same place every day, combining a small base with remote work lets you move flexibly while keeping fixed costs down.
On this premise, what you ask of an office changes. You do not need a desk for every person to sit at daily; rather, the two pillars become "a credible address you can use for registration" and "a meeting room where people can occasionally gather." Everyday work gets done at home, in a cafe, or at a coworking space, and you secure a meeting room only for the few team gatherings a month or when you have visitors.
How often will you gather, how many people when you do, and will you have visitors? Once this outlook is clear, it becomes visible which of the options introduced below fits you.
Looking at Tokyo's representative options by type
From here I introduce the options available in Tokyo, split into three types. I will not rank them. Each has a different character, so please read this as facts for choosing the one that fits your business.
Virtual offices (borrowing an address)
A virtual office is a service that centres on the address you use for business and receiving your mail, borrowed without holding an actual space. It suits the early founding period, when you want to secure an address for registration while keeping fixed costs down.
Karigo (カリゴ) is a virtual office with more than 25 locations across Tokyo, including Ginza, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, and Shinagawa. Nationwide it exceeds 60 locations. It is stated that registration is possible at all branches. Prices differ by branch, but a plan that includes an address and parcel receipt is stated to start from 4,700 yen a month, a plan including call forwarding from 8,300 yen a month, and a plan including a phone-answering service from 10,400 yen a month, with a joining fee of roughly 5,500 to 7,300 yen (as of July 2026)1.
GMO Office Support (GMOオフィスサポート) is a virtual office with addresses in many areas of central Tokyo, including Shibuya, Ginza, Shinjuku, Aoyama, Roppongi, and Shinagawa. Its plans include one at 660 yen a month without mail forwarding, along with once-a-month forwarding at 1,650 yen, biweekly forwarding at 2,200 yen, and weekly forwarding at 2,750 yen a month. The plans usable for registration are those including forwarding at least once a month; the plan without forwarding is stated to be unusable for registration. The joining fee and the deposit are both stated to be zero yen, and in addition it is stated that, until 31 July 2026, there is a campaign making the base fee free for the first six months (as of July 2026)2.
Regus (リージャス) is a provider with many locations across Tokyo, centred around major stations such as Marunouchi, Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Shinagawa. In addition to virtual offices, it offers a broad range that includes private serviced offices, coworking, and rentable meeting rooms, and it has services that support company registration. However, the conditions for registration and the specific prices are not published and require an inquiry (as of July 2026)3. That many of its locations are equipped with meeting rooms can be an advantage for a business with many visitors and meetings, but the capacity differs by location, so it needs to be confirmed individually.
For reference, Ginza is home to Ginza Second Life (銀座セカンドライフ), a long-established virtual office specialising in startup support. However, this time I could not verify the content of its official site, so I have not been able to confirm whether registration is possible, the prices, or the meeting-room capacity. If you are considering it, please check directly on the official site.
Coworking plus meeting rooms (using the space too)
If you also want to secure a workspace, coworking or a shared office becomes an option.
WeWork (ウィーワーク) is a coworking brand with several locations across Tokyo, and it is stated to operate more than 30 locations in the country's major cities. With a dedicated desk or a private office contract it is stated to be usable for registration, and each location is stated to be equipped with reservable meeting rooms. The plans are stated to include private offices, a dedicated desk with a fixed seat at one location, and an All Access Plus plan that lets you use lounges at locations nationwide. Specific prices change by location and timing, so a quote is needed (as of July 2026, based on published information)4. Meeting-room capacity and whether drop-in use is available differ by location, so please confirm individually whether there is a room to suit the number of people who will gather.
Regus, mentioned above, also offers coworking dedicated desks and day use, so it can be considered under this type too. That you can put together everything from a private room to coworking and meeting rooms with a single provider makes it easy to handle when you want to expand in line with the growth of your business.
Public and quasi-public bases (consultation, networking, meeting rooms)
There are also startup-support bases run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and public institutions. These are not for registration use, but they support the founding period on the fronts of consultation, learning, connecting with people, and using meeting rooms.
TOKYO Sogyo (Startup) Station Marunouchi (TOKYO創業ステーション丸の内) is a startup-support facility of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, in the Meiji Yasuda Life building about a five-minute walk from Tokyo Station and Yurakucho Station. It offers free startup consultations (45 minutes per session), seminars, and networking space, on a membership-registration basis. However, it is a startup-support base, and use of the address for registration is not envisaged (as of July 2026)5. In the Tama area there is also TOKYO Sogyo (Startup) Station TAMA, inside GREEN SPRINGS in Tachikawa, and this too centres on consultation and seminars.
SHIBUYA QWS (渋谷キューズ) is a co-creation facility on the 15th floor of the East tower of Shibuya Scramble Square. Alongside membership types for individuals, there are categories for teams of three or more and for companies and organisations, and it is equipped with spaces such as an event hall and project bases. Its opening hours are 9:00 to 22:00. As it is a facility aimed at co-creation, use for registration may be outside its scope, and the prices need to be checked on the members' page (as of July 2026)6.
Besides these, there are also public facilities that rent meeting rooms and halls by the hour, such as TIP*S, a workshop- and event-centred base run by SMRJ (the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation), and Ota City Sangyo Plaza PiO (大田区産業プラザPiO), near Keikyu Kamata Station. PiO has meeting rooms of various sizes, including rooms usable for meetings of 10 to 20 people, but please confirm the specific capacity and prices on the facility's page (as of July 2026)78. Meeting rooms at public facilities like these pair well with a style where you operate online day to day and gather as a team only a few times a month.
Comparison by type
Let me sort the content so far along the axes for choosing. Whether registration is possible and the prices are within the range I could confirm as of July 2026, and the details should be confirmed on each provider's or facility's official channel.
| Option | Type | Company registration | Meeting room | Rough price range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karigo | Virtual office | Yes (all branches) | Varies by branch (confirm) | From 4,700 yen/month (differs by plan and branch); joining fee 5,500–7,300 yen |
| GMO Office Support | Virtual office | Yes (plans with forwarding at least monthly) | Confirm | 660–2,750 yen/month (registration possible from 1,650 yen); limited-time free campaign |
| Regus | Virtual office / serviced office / coworking | Yes (conditions to confirm) | Yes (capacity varies by location) | Not published; inquiry required |
| WeWork | Coworking | Yes (dedicated desk / private office), stated | Yes (reservable; capacity to confirm), stated | Quote required |
| TOKYO Sogyo (Startup) Station (Marunouchi / TAMA) | Public startup-support base | No | Networking/seminar space (room rental to confirm) | Consultation free (membership registration) |
| SHIBUYA QWS | Co-creation / incubation facility | Confirm | Event/project space | Varies by membership type (confirm) |
| Ota City Sangyo Plaza PiO | Public facility (room rental) | No | Yes (meeting rooms for 10–20 people; prices to confirm) | Hourly rental (confirm) |
Practical points to watch out for
Now that the options are in view, let me gather the cautions worth knowing before you sign. Virtual offices in particular carry a few points to mind in exchange for the low price.
The first is the screening to open a corporate bank account. A virtual-office address is hard for banks to confirm as backed by a real business, and there are cases where extra documents are requested or the account is declined. Online banks and city banks are said to tend to be especially cautious. Coming prepared with material that shows you are actually running a business, such as a business plan, exchanges with clients, and contracts, makes the screening move more smoothly.
The second is industries that require a licence. Industries such as recruitment and worker dispatch, paid job placement, construction business, real estate transaction business, second-hand goods dealing, and the offices of licensed professionals like lawyers and tax accountants have requirements such as an independent office space or a dedicated section, and a virtual office may not meet them, so the licence may not be granted. If you plan such a business, it is safer to confirm in advance with the relevant authority whether you need a physical office.
The third is the risk of the address overlapping with other companies. Popular virtual offices have many companies registered at the same address. When a client or a financial institution searches and a large number of companies at the same address come up, it can be a concern for credibility, and if the address and trade name you try to register are the same as those of an existing company, you may be unable to register it as the same trade name at the same address.
The fourth is the time lag in receiving mail. Virtual offices commonly receive mail and then forward it, and depending on the plan it can take days to reach your hands. So that receipt of important documents from government offices, courts, and banks does not fall behind, confirm the frequency of forwarding and the handling of express and addressee-only delivery in advance.
The fifth is identity verification at the time of contract. Virtual offices and rental offices require you to submit identity-verification documents at the time of contract, from the standpoint of the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds and the like. Depending on the review of your business content, there are also industries for which a contract is declined, so it is good to anticipate this in advance.
Finally, please keep in mind again that public and quasi-public bases are in principle not for registration use. Startup-support facilities, co-creation facilities, and public rentable rooms centre on consultation, networking, and using meeting rooms. Think of them separately from an address you can use for registration, and always confirm whether registration is possible with each facility.
The first step, and to sum up
The first step I would recommend is to write out, on paper, how you and your team work and the nature of your business. Do you need an address you can register? How many times a month, and with how many people, will you gather? Do you need a licence? Where do you intend to open the corporate bank account? Just by making these four clear, the type you should choose narrows down considerably. On top of that, on the official site of the service or facility you have shortlisted, always confirm whether registration is possible and the total price. Do this much and you should be able to make a choice with few regrets.
Choosing an office in the founding period is not something with a single correct answer. A virtual office for those who want to keep fixed costs down, coworking for those who also want a workspace, a public support base for those who first want someone to consult or peers to join. The best shape changes depending on what you prioritise. What matters is to decide with an eye not only on the low price but on the practical matters down the line, such as the corporate bank account, licences, and the credibility of the address.
At TIMEWELL, through our AI consulting service WARP, we walk alongside the decisions of those in the founding period. We take up consultations not only on how to choose an office itself, but on what to tackle first within limited funds and manpower, and on how to use AI to keep moving forward even with a small team. In particular, for those about to launch a business, we have a form called WARP Entre through which we think things through together from the earliest stage of founding. If you are interested in the way a business itself is built, please also read this article, which organises the winning path in an era of creating value with a small team and little capital.
If you are unsure where to place your office, or would like to talk through how to design the opening moves of your founding, please talk to the WARP team. We will think through a first step that does not strain you, matched to the stage of your business.
Footnotes
-
Karigo official site https://www.karigo.net/ (as of July 2026; prices, locations, and whether registration is possible differ by branch, so confirm) ↩
-
GMO Office Support official site https://www.gmo-office.com/ (as of July 2026; plans and campaign content should be confirmed) ↩
-
Regus official site https://www.regus.com/ja-jp/japan/tokyo (as of July 2026; prices not published, inquiry required) ↩
-
WeWork Japan official site https://wework.co.jp/ (as of July 2026, based on published information; prices require a quote) ↩
-
TOKYO Sogyo (Startup) Station (Startup Hub Tokyo) official site https://startup-station.jp/ (as of July 2026; a startup-support base, use for registration not envisaged) ↩
-
SHIBUYA QWS official site https://shibuya-qws.com/ (as of July 2026; membership types and prices should be confirmed) ↩
-
SMRJ TIP*S official site https://tips.smrj.go.jp/ (as of July 2026; workshop- and event-centred) ↩
-
Ota City Sangyo Plaza PiO official site https://www.pio-ota.net/ (as of July 2026; meeting-room capacity and prices should be confirmed on the facility page) ↩