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want to meet at fmd_good The Grillery
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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What does cafe work pay in Tokyo in 2026?
the hourly rate is fine but most cafes cap u at 28 hrs a week so rent in Tokyo is basically out of reach on barista pay alone
True, though some spots quietly let you stack two stores for extra hours, which helps a bit with rent.
honestly the 28 hr cap is more of a guideline at smaller spots, ive seen people push closer to 35 if the manager likes them. still not rent money in central Tokyo tho unless u split a place.
Shifts around Kanda typically land at ¥1,200 to ¥1,400 an hour, so realistically you're looking at ¥150,000 to ¥180,000 a month before tax.
That pre-tax figure ignores the income tax and shakai hoken deductions that knock you down closer to ¥130,000 take-home.
night shifts add the ¥200 late premium too
Most Kanda cafes close by 10 so you rarely catch that premium anyway unless you're doing the 5am bake shift.
depends if store stays open past 10 at all
Only applies after 10pm, and Kanda spots mostly shut before then.
yeah that range sounds right, though i'd add that spots near Kanda station pay a bit more than the ones tucked further out
What's the story behind Local House in Tokyo?
Worth checking the noticeboard by the gate, there's usually a flyer for whatever's renting it that month. Last I saw it was a jazz trio doing Saturday afternoon sets, which explains the noise you might hear on your walk.
It was built in the 1920s as a chapel for the foreign community, and the little graveyard behind the hedge is still technically consecrated ground.
Consecrated, yes, but the 1920s date is off by a decade.
early 1910s actually, the foundation stone has the date
that building's been a few things over the years. pretty sure it's a small language school / event space now, they do the occasional thing on weekends but nothing you'd call a congregation. the bell tower's just leftover from when it was a chapel
the language school thing closed a while back i think
Pretty sure the language school packed up last year, so it's mostly just sitting empty now.
Still has the odd weekday booking, I saw a film crew there Tuesday.
Bell tower got re-leaded in 2019, hence the scaffolding.