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Kyoto Makers Garage Celebrates its 1st Anniversary Party

is 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!

One year ago we had an opening party with the Mayor of Kyoto City, Daisaku Kadokawa.

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:

Kyohi Kang, CEO of MBC portfolio startup Atmoph, shared an inspiring story of the world’s first smart digital window. Photo: 
‘HATARAKIMONO’ project by K-narf at Kyoto Makers Garage
Kickboard-type bicycle Miwa Kaito, showcased at Kyoto Makers Garage

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.

Makers Boot Camp CEO Narimasa Makino opened the Anniversary Party with a welcoming speech.

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.

Catering for KMG Anniversary Party was provided by Wanderers Stand’s outstanding team

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, thanked everyone for all efforts involved

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!