Today is the first day in the new Google office in Tokyo. I must say that it is the coolest office I've seen thus far, and I've spent time in at least 12 around the globe. The view is excellent and you can tell they spent a lot of time thinking about the small details. The wallpaper, for example, consists of artistic interpretations of the various Google product logos. The micro-kitchens, breakout rooms, and game rooms are all very modern chic with a touch of Japanese style. The lighting is perfect, not too bright so your eyes start hurting around 2PM, nor too dim so you don't fall asleep while trying to work.
The cafe is not as good as New York's Hemisphere Cafe IMHO, which still holds the crown for
best cafe in all of Googledom, though the Japanese flare is new and exciting to me. The main entrance was filled with flowers and arrangements presumably sent by clients to welcome us to
our new home. Funny enough the receptionist has bad allergies and was teary eyed all day. She told me she hated flowers.
The highlight of the new office is certainly the panoramic views. The windows are huge and completely unobstructed in most places. Roppongi Hills is, as you might guess, on a hill in Tokyo so from the 26th floor you get a great view of the various parts of Tokyo. My desk, enjoyably enough, is right near the window so I get to enjoy Shinjiku in the distance. This shot was taken while sitting. En
joy the pics.
Labels:
Google,
Japan,
Tokyo
