Fablabs and Makerspaces in Japan

= "FabMap Japan" map at https://mapsengine.google.com/map/viewer?mid=zDdwrP9NmZmQ.kX5EeV4hExrg

Event

Marc Chataigner:

"Tokyo Fabbers: People from FabCafé do coordinate this event, but the idea is to gather the Tokyo Fab. scene to get them to show projects and discuss openly about how they are doing their business, what are the different positionings and ways to run a space.

That event is funded by the Tokyo Metropolitan — the equivalent for Paris to the Paris region governement. Fab. people get together and share their experience ; all of them learn from each other, and moreover, visitors can finally get a better understanding of what make these spaces different. Because again, it is not — only — about the machines, but about the teams. For the potential customer, this event happend to be enriching in ideas of projects and clarifying in places where to do that project." (https://medium.com/open-air-factory/3-3-what-i-learned-from-visiting-fablabs-makerspaces-in-japan-312f66844eb)

Directory

1. FabLab Shibuya, part of Co-Lab /
2. &Fab, from Loft and MUJI stores, powered by FabLab Shibuya /
3. Happy Printers /
4. FabCafé Tokyo /
5. Makers Base, avec Project Esin /
6. Proto.Tokyo /
7. Akiba DMM.Make /
8. Fablab Kamakura /
9. Fablab Kannai, Yokohama /
10. FLAT, Fablab Sendai /
11. Ferment, at Fujisawa SST /
12. Lounge Fab Space — ラウンジFabスベース, operated by FabLab Shibuya.

Typology

By Marc Chataigner:

Graphic via https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/1069/1*e72rue2iuHTIzogMrcdrnw.png

‘Project development’ oriented versus ‘People development’ oriented

Maker spaces are opened to develop projects v/s develop people.

The reason to open and operate the space was either to develop projects — find the relevant one in order to help them meet the market — or to develop people — empower people to learn new tool, new skills, to enlarge their network and nourrish their ideas.

The Project developement oriented spaces and team were looking to discover ‘protégé’ and ‘incubate’ their ideas. The People developement oriented spaces were more focussing on the community level, thinking about growing ‘residency’ and ‘fab. as a lifestyle’.

‘business opportunity’ versus a ‘purpose opportunity’

Maker spaces are opened as an opportunity to create a business v/s an opportunity to create a collaborative project. When I was discussing with these Japanese Fab. people, some said that the Maker Movement represent business opportunities and starting such a space was an interesting market where to develop their business ideas. To some other space teams, such a project was first an opportunity to developp a collaborative working environment, sharing machines and knowledge, and making a living does not have to come from the space itself, but from collaborations." (https://medium.com/open-air-factory/3-3-what-i-learned-from-visiting-fablabs-makerspaces-in-japan-312f66844eb)