Tokyo’s internet and manga cafes are much more than a place to browse the web. As 24-hour spaces to work, play, eat, shower and sleep, they’re a second home to some. But they can also be off-putting to women.
Luckily, Tokyo has plenty of women-friendly internet cafes to try. We’ve all been there. It’s 1 a.
m. in Shibuya. You’ve been singing the night away at karaoke with your friends and you lost track of time.
Now there are no more trains home. What do you do? Where can women go to feel safe in Tokyo at night? You could drop several thousand yen on a taxi back to the suburbs. Or you could head to one of many internet cafes in Tokyo.
But, you might be thinking, aren’t internet cafes places guys go to in order to...
you know? Well, yes and no. While generally safe, internet cafes do have a reputation as a hotspot for seedier activities. For this reason, female visitors may wish to seek out internet cafes with special facilities geared towards women.
There are several great women-friendly internet cafes in Tokyo to choose from. Internet cafes, similar to manga cafes, are places to relax and enjoy a range of entertaining activities. These can include browsing the web, watching movies, singing karaoke and reading comic books.
Most internet cafes offer private rooms equipped with TVs and laptop computers alongside showers and even laundry facilities. The reclining or flat-room floor seats make reasonably comfortable places to nap, meaning many visitors use internet cafes as cheap alternatives to hotels when they need a few hours’ rest. Customers pay on a time-based system, although some services, like food orders and towel rental, may incur extra fees.
You’ll hear the terms ‘internet cafe’ and ‘manga cafe’, or ‘manga ’ (coffee shop), used pretty interchangeably in Japan. Both provide a 24-hour place for rest and recreation, but their main focuses are slightly different. Internet cafes originated in London as places where people could access a computer with an internet connection.
Manga cafes, on the other hand, are a Japanese invention, charging customers by the hour to read comic books. Nowadays both internet cafes and manga cafes offer a wider range of services and can be difficult to tell apart. However, manga cafes tend to showcase their comic book libraries as the main attraction and may offer fewer additional facilities than internet cafes.
Internet cafes are popular for several reasons. Tokyoites and other Japanese city dwellers work hard and play hard, which often means missing the last train. Since internet cafes are open 24 hours a day and often have rooms available on short notice, they make an ideal place to crash when there’s no way home.
They also provide a temporary alternative to the cramped living spaces of Tokyo apartments, some privacy for adults cohabiting with parents, and a cheap way to sample different forms of entertainment. While the private rooms in standard internet cafes may be acceptable in a pinch, many women prefer to seek out internet cafes that provide special areas and facilities exclusively available to female guests. These spaces offer some extra privacy and peace of mind to help you relax and enjoy everything the internet cafe has to offer.
Here are five of our favorite women-friendly internet cafes in Tokyo. Kaikatsu Club is one of the biggest internet cafe chains in Japan, and some of its branches feature women-only areas. Dubbed Villa Me Time, these attractive Balinese-themed facilities are designed by women for women.
In Tokyo, you can find Villa Me Time at the Kaikatsu Club Ueno Hirokoji branch. Space Create Jiyukukan is another popular internet cafe chain with women-only areas in some stores. These spaces include drinks bars and manga libraries, so female customers can enjoy all of the cafe’s facilities in comfort.
Women-only areas can be found at the Ikebukuro West Exit Rosa branch, as well as the Self Narimasu, Self Gotanda and Big Box Takadanobaba stores. Tokyo-based internet cafe chain Customa Cafe has three branches with women-only shower and laundry areas: Kabukicho, Yoyogi and Machida. The Kabukicho branch is notable for providing a safe and affordable place for women to spend the night in Shinjuku’s raucous red light and entertainment district.
Unlike many internet cafes, you do not need to register as a member. Mine Space is the biggest internet cafe in Ikebukuro, and its entire fourth floor is dedicated to women-only areas. However, all women-only rooms allow smoking, so customers who prefer a non-smoking room will have to stay on a mixed floor.
The cafe also boasts a wide range of amusements including a darts lounge, karaoke booths and ping-pong tables, as well as an office space for customers who need to get some work done. Hailey’5 Cafe is an internet cafe chain with a decidedly more sophisticated atmosphere than most. While there is no separate area for women, female customers may still appreciate the bright and mature surroundings, which make Hailey’5 stand out from the competition.
Tokyo branches can be found in Shibuya, Ikebukuro and Ueno. The simple answer is: It depends. If you’re searching ahead of time for a place to spend the night in Tokyo, then hostels and hotels are generally the more comfortable option, and in some cases more budget-friendly for an overnight stay.
However, if you’re looking for somewhere to relax for a few hours before the first train, to shower after a trip on the night bus, or just kill time in peace, then a women-friendly internet cafe might be the ideal place to go..
