Everybody knows that it is hard to make a good living from writing alone. However, every aspiring writer I've met has thought they might end up as that one-in-a-million exception to the rule. Most learn the hard truth in their 20s, but some have to get to their late 40s, like me.

That is why I recently accepted a semi-regular editing stint in Tokyo. Mostly for the money, of course, but also to break free from the routine lull that comes from working at home. The job description required the successful candidate to "be at the office at least sometimes," and that's exactly what I wanted after nearly three years of not being at an office at all: To be at one sometimes. Not all the time, mind you. About 20 years spent at offices full-time in my pre-Japan life have cured me of that.

I apologize if I sound privileged. Some people accuse writers of living in ivory towers, but that's not true. Most of us live at Tully's Coffee. I used to consider writing at cafes a bit gauche, but I've come to realize that writing at home is inefficient. There are too many distractions between books, DVDs, video games and bathtubs in need of a scrub. Yet even when working at a cafe, you can eventually get that same feeling you get when you've stayed in your home for too long: Life is taking place in the offices of Tokyo, and passing right by your home office.