The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Movies, fish tanks ... in a laundromat
It’s stylish, it’s bright, it’s used as an event space — this is not your usual self-service laundry.
On a recent Friday just after 8 p.m., about 20 people gathered at the Freddy Leck sein Waschsalon Tokyo in the capital’s Meguro Ward to enjoy a screening of short films.
As the guests faced the screen, behind them spun not a projector but washers and dryers.
“We’re probably the first coin laundry in Japan to show movies,” laughed Tomoki Matsunobu, 43, who manages the store.
The combination self-service laundry-cafe opened last year. As the “salon” in its name implies, it’s meant to be a place where people can gather for small live performances, parent-child laundry classes and other events — a kind of neighborhood well for the community.
The laundry operates 24 hours a day, while the cafe is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Laundry services and dry cleaning are also available during these hours. The cafe serves coffee, muffins and other treats, offering a comfortable place for customers to wait until their laundry is done.
“I was astonished that I could watch a movie and enjoy a cup of coffee at a coin laundry,” said Masahiro Yamada, 50, a company employee from Yokohama who attended the screening.
Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, is home to Aquarium Laundry Mizue-ten, an automated self-service laundry that is also open 24 hours a day. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by about 60 fish.
“A clean, refreshing atmosphere is important to bring in customers,” said Hidenori Udagawa, 34, who works for the company that runs the store. Ward resident and regular customer Yoshiko Aoki, 66, said: “I feel comfortable going in because it’s brightly lit. I like to watch the fish while I wait.”
The store also has rental units where people can store bedding and other items they just washed. They appear to have hit their mark, as there’s a waiting list to get a unit.