ABOUT FILAMENT
We are open in Nishikasai from 5:00 to 23:00. (Staffed hours are 10:00–19:00.)
People come here to work, study, or relax, sharing the same place and time.
This page explains what kind of place filament is and what matters to us.
01 — The beginning
We, filament, did not start out as a cafe. The space was originally used as a members-only workspace. However, the management of the workspace did not go well and we had to close it.
However, the interior, which was created over time, remained. The counter and tables are made from old materials used for scaffolding at construction sites. All of the furniture and interior decorations were custom-made, one of a kind in the world. The large windows let in sunlight in the morning. “It would be a waste to lose this space.”—filament started from there.
The current interior was created by a team called Ie to Boken (HOUSE&ADVENTURE), who designed this space when it was a workspace. Since becoming filament, we have continued to maintain the furniture ourselves and make furniture using old materials, but we have not changed much from the original form.
In October 2022, we reopened this place as a cafe. Our goal is to turn a place that is only accessible to members into a place where first-timers, tourists, students, and people on their way home from work can stop by for just an hour.
The beginning of filament was not to create something new, but to open up what already existed.
02 — Name and logo
This logo features a light bulb and coffee. The meaning here is that inspiration cannot occur without relaxation.
The name filament comes from the thin wire invented by Thomas Edison that lights up an incandescent light bulb. At the same time, our desire is to be a place where connections between us and our customers, as well as between our customers, can be realized.
03 — Philosophy
On August 23, 2026, the following management decisions were made.
MISSION / Mission
To provide Nishikasai with a place that is open to everyone and where ideas can be born.
VISION / desired state
To become the first place people think of when they want to work, study, or relax in Nishikasai.
VALUE / What to cherish
We make our systems, shift schedules, and signs ourselves whenever possible. Our access control, payment, private-room reservation, and membership-pause systems were developed in-house. Even when outsourcing is possible, building it ourselves often produces something better suited to this particular place.
For 9 of our 18 opening hours, no staff are present. We believe customers continue to visit during those hours because they trust us. That gives us an even greater responsibility to explain how we think and what we are trying to do. We value our customers' trust and peace of mind.
You are free to bring in food and drinks and to move between seats. We want filament to be a place where you can spend time in your own way and feel like yourself.
04 — Create
filament is in its fourth year, and most people working on the floor are in their 20s and 30s. We do not have decades of accumulated experience. That is why we search for better ways through trial and error. When someone has an idea for a different approach, we try it. We have repeated that process throughout these four years.
At first, we used an outsourced system, but it simply did not fit the realities of the shop floor. We no longer wanted to say, “It cannot be helped; that is just how the system works.” So even when it takes the longer route, we try to build things ourselves. Our access-control app, signs, menus, and 22-language website are all made in-house wherever possible. We still have many ideas left to try.
“A place where inspiration takes shape.” These words are not only for those who visit us, but also for ourselves.
05 — What is important
There are many places in the world where you can concentrate. However, if you remain tense all the time, you won't be able to continue doing good work or studying well.
Make a cup of coffee. Look out the window. Talk with someone for a moment. Time like that makes it possible to focus again. Moving between concentration and relaxation can bring ideas that had not occurred to you before. That is why we consider both important.
That is why you may move between seats, and why we do not discourage reading, conversation, or even a short nap. Calls are also allowed in designated areas. We continually consider how to preserve quiet without making the space feel restrictive.
If a customer leaves thinking, “I made progress today,” “I finished my report,” “I organized my thoughts,” or simply “I feel refreshed,” then this place has fulfilled its role.
A little more positive than yesterday. I believe that the accumulation of these efforts will change the way we use our time.
06 — Features
We've narrowed it down to five things that can't be explained by either a "cafe" or a "coworking space."
01
3 minutes walk from Nishikasai Station. It is located on the first floor of the building, not on the upper floor, and the terrace seats face the street. In fact, about 40% of first-time visitors enter the store by ``passing by''.
02
It is open 18 hours a day, and staff are on site from 10:00 to 19:00. The remaining nine hours are self-service with smart locks and an app.
03
Monthly plans are divided into seven types: morning only, weekdays only, evening only, holidays only, and for students and seniors. Compared to similar facilities in the vicinity, which have 3 to 5 types, they are in a much more detailed category.
In fact, about half of our members choose a plan with limited time slots rather than the right to use it all day. Rather than having customers adjust to the store's convenience, the store is designed to fit the time of each person's life. Of course, you can also use it for just one hour without becoming a member.
04
Nishikasai is a city with a large number of foreign residents (Edogawa Ward has the highest number of foreign residents among the 23 wards). In addition to residents, many visitors come from overseas for sightseeing and business trips.
This website is available in 22 languages, and the access control app is available in 14 languages. filament staff can speak English.
05
We now develop most of the systems necessary for operation, including the entry/exit control system, shift management and staff skill management system, inventory management system, in-store notices, and this website. Because we create it ourselves rather than combining external services, we can fix what we discover in the field within the same week.
The manager also likes to make and repair some of the furniture in the store, so he is always making something. That is the content of "DIY" listed in VALUE.
07 — Social contribution
filament coffee is brewed using a commercial Nespresso machine. After extraction, aluminum capsules remain.
At our store, we return all used capsules to the Nespresso recycling program.
The aluminum in the returned capsule will be recycled. The coffee residue from the coffee capsules is also returned to the soil.
More than simply reducing waste, we believe that if we serve coffee, we should take responsibility for what remains afterward.
*Currently, we only collect capsules left at our store, and we do not accept capsules used at home.
08 — So far
vivid update Inc. was established in September 2022, and filament held its pre-opening that October. Over the past four years we have adapted to how people use the space: opening on Sundays, adding takeaway coffee, hosting jewelry exhibitions and practical training by a confectionery school, expanding monthly plans and multi-use passes, introducing app-based access control, and extending self-service operation into the evening.
09 — Media
Work style media operated by Okamura Co., Ltd.
Regional revitalization media
Regional information program (released on YouTube)
FOR PRESS
We are receiving more and more requests to learn about filament and to feature it. For inquiries about interviews, photography, contributions, and publication of case studies, please send them to the address below. The store manager, Yosuke Enoki, will get back to you.
Contact information regarding interviews and publications
Please include “Press inquiry” in the subject line.
For urgent inquiries, call 03-6808-5511 from 10:00 to 19:00.
