RetireJapan

I moved to Japan just over two years ago and have mainly been freelancing using my laptop. Working from home is challenging... baby, wife, futon, fridge, etc compete with work for attention!

I had anticipated working from public libraries but was surprised to find that most don't have wifi, don't permit laptops (keyboard noise) and don't let the riffraff hook up to their electricity. Also, they are stiflingly silent; my optimum work environment has some background noise. Cafes would be the secondary choice in the UK, but here it would seem to be a cultural faux pas to nurse a coffee for hours so as to use the wifi.

After various false starts including...

* a laptop-friendly Starbucks -- consumed too many calories, and wifi kept disconnecting
* the lounge of a gym -- cancelled my membership so no longer an option
* the atrium of a public building with sockets available for public use -- gets periodically overrun with kids before and after soccer training
* an international communication centre -- designed for vocal communication not for my writing activities; I became a magnet for Japanese retirees wanting to practise English
* a new-concept public library -- music played, conversations encouraged, drinks allowed, 30+ bookable laptop desks, wifi, sockets... seemed perfect on paper, but the internet needed a fresh log-in every 30 mins and the desk bookings only lasted 80 mins max; fine if there was another immediately available; not so fine if there was an 80-minute wait

... I've finally found my solution: a university library. I can use the internet due to credentials from a distance learning degree I'm undertaking. Bonus: canteen food is great value if I have neglected to pack bento. I really should have hit on this sooner!

Curious to hear if others have had similar experiences, or where other roaming freelancers actually get their work done.

kuma wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2019 1:36 am I can use the internet due to credentials from a distance learning degree I'm undertaking.

Can you give details on that part? Are you taking the degree specifically for the purpose of using the library+internet, or is this something else?

I study out of interest. It's a master's degree from a UK university.

Free public WiFi is not only crap but also potentially insecure. You should use a VPN (which will make it even slower).

Best option is to get a pocket WiFi router from au or similar. Then you’ll have reasonably fast, secure WiFi wherever you are: cafe, park, beach etc. Will probably cost around ¥5,000 a month for unlimited data usage.

Also consider a pair of noise-cancelling headphones to allow you to work in places like McDonald’s, noisy cafes etc.

How about a coworking space? They're not free, but you have a list of things you're unsatisfied with, so paying a little for a suitable working environment is probably worth it.

https://www.coworker.com/ looks like an interesting site to find a place, but I'm sure there will be others that aren't listed there.

Not a freelancer but....companies like ServeCorp https://home.servcorp.com/ specialize in this type of thing.

So I second the idea of using a sharped work space.

BTW where do you live and what do you do?

Cheers,

Sean

Have you tried McDonalds?

McDonald’s WiFi is fast but about as safe as a night with Stormy Daniels......

Thanks for the replies. Yes, a coworking space is a good idea, and one of the links included spaces in Sapporo, where I live. Also, excellent points about the pros of pocket wifi and the cons of public wifi in general and McWifi in particular.

I write and edit children's non-fiction books for publishers in the UK. I also work two days a week at an eikaiwa. Home is becoming a more viable working environment now that my son has started hoikuen and my wife has started a part-time job. The uni library is also an excellent space, and I'm there with the blessing of the librarians who are supportive of my writing and confirm that I can do educational writing alongside my studies in their library.

I'd be interested in hearing about solutions other roaming freelancers have found if any are on this forum, but no worries if not. Do people actually work from home? The writing community in the UK is quite polarised on this -- some swear by it, some swear at the idea of it. Libraries were my workplace of choice in the UK during my short time as a freelancer there; I mainly worked in-house for publishers before moving to Japan.

I've always worked from home as a freelancer, partly (significantly?) because laptops weren't much of an option when I started out (1989–90), and it seems that my early experiences created what I'm used to in a working environment. I've been 100% freelance in Japan for about 20 years now, working out of a dedicated space in our home. My work has covered a pretty wide range, usually in the writing/editing/publishing world, with editing and rewriting now being the mainstays. Just for what I do, I find it helpful to be close to my infrastructure (machines; references; my wife's assistance in proofreading outgoing email in Japanese ).

Another thing to be aware of is that creating a dedicated workspace -- could be in the home; could be rented somewhere -- has many advantages in terms of tax deductions. Keeping track of necessary business expenses can be a challenge for a freelancer in a field where we don't need to buy raw materials or maintain heavy equipment! My understanding is that working at home makes it possible to claim a percentage of rent, internet, and so on as work-related expenses.

There are times when I do work in public places (mainly airports, by necessity), but WiFi (un)reliability has bothered me, too. I have a pocket router thing I got for use overseas, and that can be a good choice. Depending on your plan, tethering to a phone or tablet could be an option. Although it could vacuum up your bandwidth pretty quickly…