JAPAN'S WORKPLACES
Concept
Meet Up, Switch Up, Dream Up
The concept is For Communication, broken into three jobs for the space: Meet Up, to see someone the moment you think of them; Switch Up, to move between on and off; and Dream Up, to have ideas. Walls are kept to a minimum and every floor is linked by an internal staircase, so chance meetings are part of the plan.
01 · Reception
A front door for partners
The entrance is designed as the face of a company that wants to be a platform: a place where many partners pass through and business conversations start.
02 · Workspace
Deep Zone
Every desk is a sit-stand desk with an Aeron chair. Seating runs on MIXI’s own Flexible Address, which lets each department switch between fixed and shared seats, with electronic name tags.
The 2024 renovation added the Deep Zone: 28 half-enclosed booths with dimmed light, dual 4K or ultra-wide curved monitors, and a strict no-talking, no-eating rule. Phone booths sit nearby.
03 · Meeting rooms
Family-restaurant booths and a decision room
Open Meet Up spaces are everywhere, alongside plenty of closed rooms. New in 2024 are family-restaurant booths with screens and power for lunch meetings and remote calls. The Decision Room has two large LED walls for reviewing creative work, video, and playable prototypes.
04 · Cafeteria & events
Half-price lunch, a coffee bar and a garden
The staff cafeteria (weekdays 11:00–16:00) serves a buffet, curry and daily noodles at half price; the in-house Byron Bay Coffee is subsidised by half too. The Collabo lounge and the Square Garden are for breaks that turn into ideas; a free drink bar and a Lawson convenience store are on the floor. The 2024 Rest Zone offers high-back and half-enclosed sofas under low light — the counterpart to the Deep Zone.
05 · Welfare
Massage and an infirmary
A massage room with licensed therapists takes bookings of up to 30 minutes. Occupational physicians and nurses, a first-aid room, a safety-check system and disaster supplies are all on site, and office supplies are free to take.
06 · How they work
Marble Work Style and a ¥240,000 cafeteria plan
Marble Work Style — tested in July 2020, made official in 2022 — mixes office and remote work, with each department setting its own rhythm, from fully remote to fixed team days. A weekly online all-hands keeps everyone aligned.
The MIXI Cafeteria Plan gives each employee 240,000 points a year across five categories; the most MIXI-like is the invention subsidy of up to ¥50,000 for theatre, concerts, festivals, museums, films and theme parks — paid inspiration for a company in entertainment. New graduates living within 5 km of the office get ¥30,000 a month in rent support for three years, and every five years staff take MIXI BREAK: five days off plus a bonus.
