Office & commercial space in downtown Tokyo

Tokyo has no single business district but a chain of them. The traditional core runs from Marunouchi and Otemachi, between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace, east through Nihonbashi, Yaesu and Kyobashi and south through Yurakucho and Shimbashi. South-west of the palace, the ministries of Kasumigaseki give way to the new towers of Toranomon and the embassies and media firms of Akasaka and Roppongi. On the west side of the Yamanote loop, Nishi-Shinjuku's skyscrapers and Shibuya's new towers form two more cores. Market reports often group them as the central five wards of Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shinjuku and Shibuya.

The market is deep and varied. Marunouchi and Otemachi are dominated by banks, trading houses, insurers and corporate headquarters, Toranomon by foreign financial and professional firms, Shibuya by technology companies and startups. Large redevelopments around Tokyo Station, Toranomon, Yaesu and Shibuya have added a wave of modern towers with large floors, seismic protection and backup power, while older mid-size buildings across Kanda, Nihonbashi and Shimbashi offer cheaper, smaller floors. Demand is driven by corporate consolidation into newer buildings, flight to quality after the pandemic and a steady flow of foreign companies opening Japanese offices.

Where the offices are

Retail and restaurant corridors

Ginza is the luxury retail capital, with flagship stores along Chuo-dori and Namiki-dori; footfall is heaviest at weekends, when the main street becomes a pedestrian zone. Marunouchi's tree-lined Naka-dori mixes boutiques with restaurants serving the office crowd, busy at weekday lunch and in the evening. The arches under the railway at Yurakucho and Shimbashi are packed with small izakaya and standing bars from early evening. Nihonbashi combines department stores with long-established food and craft shops. Further west, Omotesando and Harajuku draw fashion flagships and younger shoppers, Shinjuku has department stores, electronics and the Kabukicho nightlife district, and Shibuya is the centre of youth fashion and entertainment. Station buildings and underground malls, such as those around Tokyo Station, capture huge commuter flows. Restaurants with strong weekday lunch sets, takeaway food and convenience-led formats do well in the office districts.

Coworking and flexible space

Flexible workspace is everywhere in central Tokyo, with the densest choice in Marunouchi, Otemachi, Toranomon, Shibuya and Shinjuku. Formats include coworking lounges with hot desks, dedicated desks, small serviced "rental offices" for a few people, and pre-fitted "set-up offices" that come furnished on standard leases, removing much of the fit-out cost. Coworking and serviced offices are usually let monthly or for short terms with small deposits, which makes them a common first base for foreign companies. Many allow company registration at their address, but if you need a Business Manager visa, immigration rules expect a genuine, separate office, so a virtual address usually will not do.

How commercial leases work here

Japanese office leases come in two main forms. An ordinary building lease (futsū shakuya) usually runs for two years and renews automatically; the tenant can typically leave on notice, often six months for offices, while the landlord can refuse renewal only with a justifiable reason, which in practice often means negotiation and compensation. A fixed-term lease (teiki shakuya) ends on its expiry date with no right to renew, must be signed in writing with a separate explanation, and is increasingly standard in new buildings, often for several years and sometimes without a right to cancel early.

Rent is quoted in yen per tsubo (about 3.3 square metres) per month, with a common-area charge (kyōekihi) per tsubo either included in the quote or added on top, and 10% consumption tax applies to both. The deposit (shikikin or hoshōkin) is large, often six to twelve months' rent for offices, and is returned after deductions; some leases make part of it non-refundable. At the end of the lease, tenants must restore the premises to their original condition (genjō kaifuku), often using a contractor designated by the landlord for work that affects building systems, which can make exit costs substantial. A brokerage fee, usually up to one month's rent, is also common.

Conventions vary by building and landlord. Treat this as orientation, not legal advice, and have a local lawyer review any lease.

Getting your team there

Few cities make commuting easier. Tokyo Station is the hub for Shinkansen services, the Yamanote, Chuo and other JR lines and the Marunouchi Line, and Otemachi next door adds four more subway lines. Toranomon and Kasumigaseki are served by the Ginza, Hibiya and Chiyoda lines, Nishi-Shinjuku by JR, Odakyu, Keio and several subway lines, and Shibuya by JR, private railways and three subway lines. Haneda is about half an hour from the core by monorail or the Keikyu Line, and Narita is linked by express trains. Employers commonly reimburse staff commuting costs, so transit access shapes the real cost of a location. Few staff drive: tower parking is limited and expensive, and buildings may restrict bicycle access. Rush hour is intense, so flexible start times are popular.

What to check before you sign

• Confirm the building meets the post-1981 seismic standard, and ask about seismic isolation or damping, emergency generators and business-continuity support.
• Check the ward's hazard maps for flood and liquefaction risk, especially in the eastern lowlands and on waterfront reclaimed land.
• Read the lease type carefully: an ordinary lease and a fixed-term lease give you very different rights at renewal and on early exit.
• Agree the scope of restoration at exit in writing, and find out which works must use the landlord's designated contractors.
• Ask how after-hours air conditioning is charged, and confirm floor loading, electrical capacity and 24-hour access.
• Clarify the deposit, any non-refundable portion and the refund timing, and whether a parent-company guarantee or guarantor company is required.
• For restaurants and shops, check exhaust and grease-trap provision, public-health-centre and fire requirements, signage rules and whether the space is being handed over fitted or as a bare shell.

Hosting events downtown

Tokyo International Forum in Yurakucho, owned by the metropolitan government, offers halls from small meeting rooms to large auditoriums and an exhibition hall, a short walk from Tokyo Station. Hotel ballrooms in Marunouchi, Hibiya, Toranomon, Akasaka and Shinjuku host conferences, product launches and banquets, and newer towers often include conference floors and rooftop terraces. For trade shows, Tokyo Big Sight on the waterfront in Ariake is the city's largest convention centre. Galleries, traditional gardens with event halls and restaurants with private rooms suit smaller gatherings. Events in public parks or streets need permits from the relevant authorities. Spring and autumn are popular, December and January fill with year-end and new-year parties, and Golden Week, the mid-August Obon break and the New Year holiday are best avoided for business events.

Is downtown the right base?

For banks, trading houses and firms that need the most prestigious address and the best rail links in the country, Marunouchi and Otemachi are hard to beat. Toranomon suits foreign financial and professional firms seeking modern towers, Nihonbashi and Kyobashi offer value close to the core, Shibuya is the obvious choice for technology companies recruiting younger staff, and Nishi-Shinjuku offers large floors on the west side. Shinagawa, with its Shinkansen station and quick access to Haneda, suits manufacturers and companies with frequent travellers. Many foreign firms start in a serviced office and move into a direct lease once the team grows. For the wider picture, read the downtown Tokyo guide.