No excuses: testing Tokyo’s anti-procrastination cafe

Although a few people stay past the official closing time, they all eventually finish their work, the cafe’s proprietor, Takuya Kawai, said. Photograph: Justin McCurry/The Guardian

Writers in Tokyo in search of an antidote to procrastination and unproductive work practices can now toil in the company of the similarly afflicted, united in their determination to confront the tyranny of the looming deadline.

They can be found at the Manuscript Writing Cafe, which opened in April in the city’s Koenji neighbourhood as a haven for writers, editors, proofreaders, video producers and manga artists – anyone struggling with the distractions of the home or office.