120 WORKPLACE KOBE

What 120 WORKPLACE KOBE does

120 WORKPLACE KOBE is a physical coworking and rental office facility operating from the 6th through 8th floors of Sannomiya Sky Building in Kobe, Japan. The facility comprises a 257 sqm shared coworking floor, approximately 30 private rental office rooms (9.35-10 sqm each), three meeting rooms, a photo studio, and an on-site specialty coffee cafe branded as 120 cafe. Pricing is tiered across four recurring membership models: Address Coworking (¥16,500/month) bundling coworking access with legal business address registration, Standard Coworking (¥11,000/month) for unlimited access during business hours, Student Monthly (¥5,500/month), and Drop-in (¥550/day), alongside hourly meeting room rentals (¥550-¥3,300) and event floor rental (¥44,000 base for 4 hours, capacity 80).

The facility is owned and operated by Kobe Shimbun (神戸新聞社), a regional newspaper company, as part of its regional economic revitalization and startup support strategy. The company launched on July 2, 2018 with the participation of Kobe City Government officials and JETRO San Francisco. There is no proprietary technology stack; the product is a physical space and associated services. The business runs no disclosed software platform, mobile app, or API, and revenue is generated entirely through membership subscriptions, room rentals, cafe sales, and event hosting fees.

Customer segments span startup entrepreneurs and freelancers (primary), small-to-medium enterprises seeking satellite offices, remote workers needing a business address, and university students. GTM is community-led and event-driven, with a sustained program of networking events, entrepreneurship seminars, coffee tastings, and member interviews distributed through the company website, Instagram, Facebook, email newsletter, KOBE TV video content, and Kobe Newspaper earned media. Strategic partnerships include Kobe City Government, ROUND POINT CAFE (specialty coffee curation), JETRO, and Kansai Gakuin University. The facility celebrated its 8th anniversary in July 2026 and remains actively operating under private ownership with no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or revenue figures.

Name

120 WORKPLACE KOBE

Legal name

120 WORKPLACE KOBE

Website

https://120workplace.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

120 WORKPLACE KOBE is a privately operated coworking space, rental office facility, and specialty coffee cafe in Kobe's Sannomiya district, serving startups, freelancers, SMEs, remote workers, and students with tiered monthly memberships and on-demand room rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coworking and Flexible Workspace Services

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Coworking Cafes / Work Cafes (THAFADAJ)

Keywords

• Coworking space services
• Rental office solutions
• Meeting room rentals
• Shared workspace facilities
• Business address services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kobe

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Rental Office Membership: Private office rental with 24/7 access, includes coworking space access, meeting room allowance, mail handling, and free printer use. Available in multiple room sizes and price points.
2. Address Coworking Membership: Hybrid plan combining coworking access with business address usage for legal registration and mail receiving services.
3. Standard Coworking Membership: Monthly unlimited access to coworking space during business hours, includes meeting room access at facility rates.
4. Drop-in Day Pass: Single-day access to coworking space for occasional users and students.
5. Cafe Sales: Specialty coffee and beverages served at the on-site 120 cafe, hand-dripped by staff, with seasonal limited menus.
6. Meeting Room Rental: Hourly rental of small, medium, and large meeting rooms with AV equipment. Rental office members receive 5 free hours monthly.
7. Floor Rental: Private floor rental for events, seminars, and workshops on weekends and evenings. Includes all meeting rooms and AV equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

120 WORKPLACE KOBE operates a coworking space, private rental offices, meeting rooms, and an on-site specialty coffee cafe (120 cafe) across the 6th-8th floors of Sannomiya Sky Building in Kobe's Sannomiya district. Membership plans include monthly coworking access, address coworking (for legal business registration and mail receipt), drop-in day passes, and student plans. The facility serves as a community hub for startups, freelancers, SMEs, and remote workers in the Kansai region, hosting regular networking events, seminars, and workshops.

Product overview

120 WORKPLACE KOBE is a coworking space and rental office facility operated by Kobe Shimbun, located in Kobe's Sannomiya district. The facility offers a comprehensive workspace ecosystem comprising: a shared coworking space with specialty coffee service, private rental offices for businesses requiring dedicated space and business registration, conference rooms and a photography studio available for reservation, and a cafe serving hand-drip specialty coffee. Membership options include address coworking, standard coworking, drop-in, and student discount plans, each with varying access levels to the facility's services. The venue hosts regular events, workshops, and networking activities for members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 120 cafe: The specialty coffee cafe operated within the coworking space, featuring hand-dripped coffee and seasonal menu items. Coffee is curated in collaboration with ROUND POINT CAFE.

Products and services

• Coworking Space Shared coworking space on the 7th floor of Sannomiya Sky Building in Kobe with free Wi-Fi, hand-drip specialty coffee, various seating including square tables, counter seats, and sofas, plus access to printers and meeting rooms. Open weekdays 9:30-20:30 and Saturdays 9:30-17:30. For freelancers, entrepreneurs, remote workers, and students.
• Rental Office Private dedicated office rooms (~9.35-10 sqm) on the 6th and 8th floors available 24/7 with desk and chairs included, free Wi-Fi, shared printer access, access to coworking space, mail handling, and 5 free meeting room hours per month. Suitable for business registration, satellite office use, and tenant companies. Pricing from ¥140,800 to ¥151,800 per month (tax included), all-inclusive of utilities.
• Conference Rooms and Photo Studio Three types of meeting rooms and a photo studio available for reservation. Small Meeting Room A (up to 6 people, with window) at ¥1,100/hour; Small Meeting Room B (up to 6 people, semi-private with partition walls) at ¥550/hour; Large Conference Room (up to 12 people, large windows and large display monitor) at ¥3,300/hour. Equipped with monitors, whiteboards, and equipment rental.
• 120 Cafe On-site specialty coffee cafe supervised by ROUND POINT CAFE serving hand-drip specialty coffee, specialty lattes, and seasonal limited menus. Coffee beans sourced from women-managed cooperatives in Guatemala (Esquiplas La Libertad Florida Farm) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Muungano Cooperative, ECOCERT and Fairtrade certified), with ethical direct-trade practices.
• Floor Rental (Event Space)

Quantifiable outcome

• Community engagement through 8+ years of operation with regular member events

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kobe Newspaper Co., Ltd. (神戸新聞社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2018Parent company and operator of 120 WORKPLACE KOBE. Established the facility as a startup support initiative contributing to regional economic activation. Opening ceremony attended by Kobe City Mayor Hisamoto and city officials.
• Kobe City Government (神戸市)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2018Municipal government partner supporting startup ecosystem. Mayor Hisamoto attended opening ceremony and expressed expectations for 120 WORKPLACE KOBE's role in regional startup support.
• Kansai Gakuin University Graduate School (関西学院大学大学院)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2018Academic partner. Professor Nishimoto serves as startup mentor for 120 community members and participated in opening token session discussing entrepreneurship support systems.
• Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) San Francisco OfficeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2018Presented opening lecture on Silicon Valley innovation trends. Director Nakazawa shared insights on startup ecosystems and compared Japanese and Silicon Valley business practices.
• ROUND POINT CAFE (栄町)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Specialty coffee curator and advisor for 120 cafe. Provides coffee beans sourced from women-managed cooperatives in Democratic Republic of Congo (Muungano union) and Guatemala (Esquiplas La Libertad Florida Farm). Beans are traceable and traded at fair prices supporting producer communities.
• Muungano Coffee Cooperative (ムンガノ組合)minorOthers · 1 January 2018Congolese coffee cooperative with 4,000+ small-scale farmers, approximately half women. Provides ECOCERT and Fairtrade certified coffee beans. Funds clinic construction for women and children healthcare through bean sales.
• Esquiplas La Libertad - Florida Farm (エスキplas農協 フロリダ農園)minorOthers · 1 January 2018Guatemalan coffee farm operated by women, established 1964. Part of cooperative with credit union and healthcare services for members. 222 member farmers (168 male, 54 female). Committed to sustainable coffee production and direct trade relationships.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bizflex: Japanese small private office operator offering 1-5 person units nationwide. Similar product mix to 120 WORKPLACE KOBE's rental offices (small dedicated offices with 24/7 access), but operates a chain model across multiple Japanese cities rather than single location.
• Fabbit: Japan-based startup-focused coworking chain with locations including Kobe. Targets similar startup and freelancer segments with similar product mix (private offices, coworking, meeting rooms). Directly comparable in customer focus on early-stage companies, with Fabbit offering multi-city network that 120 WORKPLACE KOBE lacks.
• theGuild: Kobe-based coworking and coliving space specifically targeting engineers, developers, and tech startups. Operates in the same Kobe market with similar community-driven GTM and event programming. Directly competes for the same Kobe tech entrepreneur customer segment.
• TKP: Japan's largest meeting room rental operator with growing coworking and shared office offerings. Comparable meeting room rental product (¥550-3,300/hour at 120 WORKPLACE KOBE parallels TKP's hourly meeting room model). Operates across Japan with substantially larger meeting room inventory.
• OpenOffice: Japanese operator of small private offices and coworking spaces, similar in concept to 120 WORKPLACE KOBE's rental office offering. Targets solo entrepreneurs and small teams with low-cost dedicated office units across multiple Japanese cities.
• いいオフィス (ii office): Japanese coworking chain offering day-pass access to coworking spaces across multiple locations nationwide. Comparable drop-in coworking product (¥550/day student pass at 120 WORKPLACE KOBE parallels ii office pricing model). Direct competitor in the Japanese casual/freelancer coworking segment.

Others

• Kobe Innovation Hub (KIH): Kobe municipal startup support facility operated with city government backing. Comparable in serving Kobe's startup community and event-driven programming, though operated as a public/municipal initiative rather than commercial coworking business.

Broad incumbents

• WORKSTYLING: NTT Group-operated shared office and coworking brand across Japan. Targets enterprise satellite office users with flexible access. Comparable coworking/satellite office product but operates at corporate-scale with multi-city footprint that 120 WORKPLACE KOBE's Kobe-only model cannot match.
• WeWork Japan: Japan operations of global coworking leader WeWork. Operates large, design-forward flexible workspaces across Tokyo, Osaka, and other major cities. Comparable as coworking competitor but with substantially larger scale, brand recognition, and footprint than 120 WORKPLACE KOBE's single Kobe facility.
• IWG / Regus Japan: Global flexible workspace operator (parent of Regus, Spaces, HQ) with extensive Japan presence. Offers coworking, private offices, and meeting rooms under multiple brands. Comparable business model with global member access, but operates at much larger scale than 120 WORKPLACE KOBE's single Kobe location.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/120workplacekobe
• Instagraminstagram.com/120workplace_kobe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 120 WORKPLACE KOBE