Fab Cafe Shibuya

I have been meaning to go to the Fab Cafe for quite some time when I first about it in 2013 and sadly I missed my opportunity to visit the place on my first trip to Tokyo. Thankfully, my second trip to Tokyo allowed me to visit the area and boy oh boy, I wish they had it here in our neighbourhood.

Fab Cafe that I went to was in Shibuya, which was a bit of a walk from the station but definitely worth going to. For those wondering what Fab Cafe is, it’s an area which promotes the maker culture by being a meeting hub where these people can both conceptualize and execute their ideas. The entire cafe is divided into two parts namely the cafe area (1st floor) and the workshop area (2nd floor).

Cafe area is what you would expect, it’s more for actual food consumption, casual business talk and maybe a gathering place for ten to twenty people.

Products such as the Ride 1 and cloudiss on display. Not familiar with the stuff here but they still look cool regardless ^^

They also sell stuff made here also. Most of the things here really look like theyve been made by big companies given how great the crafting and the presentation is.

By the looks of it, I think it’s the Zotrax M200. There used to be a time that I was really interested in additive manufacturing and 3D printing but I shelved it for the time being due to the price (my target was Makerbot at 2.6k USD). Anyone have 3D printers at home?

They do feature items that you see in anime brought to life through the use of fabrication and sometimes 3D printing like this Dominator gun found in Psycho Pass. Sadly you can’t touch them but it’s fine. Seeing these items from fiction brought to life is eye candy enough really ^^

I think this was camera stand of sorts or a sentry gun. What do you think?

Versa UV printer. These babies are used to print art stuff (logos, design etc) on a vast variety of surfaces.

Laser engraver/cutter here. Makes more sense to use this thatn actually print a flat surface anyway ^^

Obviously since they’re a cafe, it’s safe to assume they’ll serve food. Got myself some sweet potato and yam fries with bacon bits which really went together. Wanted to get more but I was saving some stomach space for later in Shinjuku Golden Gai.

The cafe area has a mini private room area with all these monitors for ambiance. A lot of business gatherings, and networking usually occur here from time to time.

The workshop area departs from chic coffee house lighting and trades it for being a well lit area that’s necessary for creative work which uses actual crafting. Can’t work on small parts when you have minimal lighting after all.

Products like the ones from Arduino being on display here. Haven’t tried my mitts on them. You guys ever tried using them?

Another Industrial grade 3D printer here =))

The usual computer in case you need to print something like layouts or whatnot. Not entirely sure what that contraption is on the leftmost but it looks like a sweing machine of sorts that uses multiple threads.

They also have materials here for woodwork, tailoring and i believe they have machines for accessory making. Thye mostly have everything covered here!

Basic arts and crafts materials because you will always need scissors, blue tack, pins and the occasional glue from time to time.

It was definitely a conducive place for creators, builders and even producers. Would recommend visiting this place at least once when you go visit Japan as it really lends this productive atmosphere in making things. It’s truly a place that promotes the creator culture and more importantly, it’s a good place to meet fellow makers as well!

For more information you guys can check out their website, they have an english site. Their japan branch is waaay more active compared to other global branches. You guys might want to check out the blog section even if you cant understand Japanese. The pictures themselves speak volumes regarding their activities! (that and hurray to google translate!)