Itis hard to believe that over a year has passed since officially opening Kyoto Makers Garage. With a vibrant makers’ community hailing from all over the world, it has been quite a busy year!

Our first year is replete with stories of accomplishments and discoveries. Let’s recap some of the sweet and essential moments that got us to where we are today:

• Monozukuri Hub meetup series, a unique chance for those interested in entrepreneurship to soak up as much knowledge as they can, get feedback on their tracks by our local community and industry professionals. Check our Makers Boot Camp blog for startup founding stories, insights for cross cultural team management and much more!

• Kyotographie photo festival exhibition by French artist K-narf. For a month, tape-o-graphic portraits of workers from Japanese markets took over the entire Kyoto Makers Garage space. With full-size portraits and visitors roaming around, the retro wholesale market area of Tambaguchi received a new lease of life.

• Three talented and motivated interns from The University of Austin in Texas joined us at Kyoto Makers Garage for the summer! Get a closer look at our interns and what inspired them to be a part of this summer’s internship.
• Monozukuri Tours for international visitors to shed a light on the Kyoto ecosystem that combines a strong tradition of artisanship and innovation.
• Many students have used the makerspace for their personal creations and turned their product ideas into real things. Accomplishments to be proud of: a guitar prototype by Kyoto University of Art and Design graduate Aoki Takada and an innovative, compact, folding kickboard-type bicycle designed for daily commutes by Miwa Kaito.

What a year it’s been!

To celebrate a successful year, the Kyoto Makers Garage team hosted its first anniversary party. Close to 50 makers, startups, Kyoto City & KRP partners, and friends joined the event in tribute of the KMG’s pioneering role in offering a liberating space where people can make a wide range of things. The event was not just a celebration of all things within the Kyoto makers ecosystem though — it brought together the community to highlight exactly how varied and creative Kyoto can be.

Narimasa Makino, CEO of Makers Boot Camp and Kyoto Makers Garage:

I am excited to share these milestones and the other work we have done and the makers community we’ve built. In an effort to support and foster it, we want to involve more students, engineers and entrepreneurs in spurring innovation and makers’ activities in Kyoto.

Moving forward, KMG has increased its tool capacity and is planning to bring more students and makers to engage in new projects together. The space will also provide small businesses or those looking to start one an opportunity for an affordable permanent workspace while others can drop by and use equipment whenever needed.

Connor Kirk, Kyoto Makers Garage’s manager:

We expanded our facilities to accommodate a wide range of activities, tools and materials. A lot of new machines have been added, for example, a large CNC router which is mainly used for making furniture and cutting thick plywood quickly. In addition, people are now able to order things to be custom-made: if you want something to be 3D printed for example, you can give us the data and we will make it.

Kyoto Makers Garage team takes pride in not only providing, equipment, technical expertise, and a well-organized space, but also in introducing a vibrant community that has been cultivated here — the most important aspect of any creative space. It is not just about a physical space — it is first and foremost about all the people working together.

It is a great pleasure to deliver opportunities that are helpful and valuable to the maker’ community. A big thank you to all of you!