Sunday, August 9, 2015

Working at Rakuten: The New Crimson House Office in Futako-Tamagawa

Anette 5:34:00 PM Japan, Rakuten, Work in Japan

The Crimson House

Rakuten's plans of moving their headquarters to a whole new office in the upscale residential area called Futako-Tamagawa has been in the making for quite some years now, and in July 2015 Mikitani-san's "Crimson House" (what internally also has been referred to as the 'nest of the Rakutenians') finally reached its completion.

View from the 22-floor cafeteria of the Crimson House

Futako-tama is situated in Setagaya-ku, only a short trainride from Shibuya. It is an area popular among young families with kids, and in addition to the fancy boutiques people are also attracted to Futako-Tamagawa for its riverbank where one can enjoy recreational activities such as for instance barbecue with friends. It is in other words an ideal location for people who want to balance work and private life (if you're in a department where you're lucky enough to be allowed to leave at 定時)

The entrance to the Crimson House present various events in Rakuten's history

Rakuten's presence around the globe

In terms of space the Crimson House feels a lot more comfortable than the previous building. The elevator is spacious and the work floor has a more laid-back atmosphere with comfortable furniture and opportunities to have meetings in a corner with sofas. The hight of the desks can be adjusted in accordance to one’s preference, so people with long legs won't have to suffer from lack of space and it’s even possible to work standing for those who might prefer that.

The cafeteria also looks pretty stylish, and the free lunch that Rakuten has become known for is just as good, if not even better, than the lunch we had at Shinagawa Seaside. Since Rakuten started up its own cafe in Shibuya last year they've also expanded that business to include a cafe outside the Crimson House, and there's also a Rakuten Cafe inside the 22-floor cafeteria.

The Rakuten Cafe inside the cafeteria

A small selection of some of the food at sale in the company cafe

From the Rakuten Cafe/Cafeteria

You can write your own message at the blackboard in the cafeteria

While we had two offices in Shinagawa Seaside all employees are going to work at the same building in Futako-Tamagawa. As of the beginning of August Rakuten Travel moved into the Crimson House and the office felt very spacious during the weeks I was there, but as all Ichiba employees in Tokyo are scheduled to move to the Crimson House in September it might get pretty crowded.

Visiting the Crimson House? Read my review for the Futakotamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyo here

Final note: I actually only had only 2 working weeks left at Rakuten when Travel moved to the new office in Futako-Tamagawa, and I was thus very lucky to have the chance to try and work at the new office for a couple of weeks before I'm changing jobs. The new office is a big improvement from the previous one and I would have liked to have the chance to stay there longer than I did, but I already have other plans for my next step. After one and a half year in Rakuten I’m feeling wistful to leave the company, but I'm already looking forward to the new challenges ahead.

Related blogposts

[Hotel Review] Futakotamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu

About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.