Over the past decade or so, the popularisation of devices like 3D printers and laser cutters have brought digital fabrication or ‘fabbing’ to the forefront all over the world, as anyone with the right motivation and creativity is now theoretically able to make stuff formerly manufactured only on an industrial scale: just create a design on your computer and send it to the right kind of machine, which then creates a physical version of that design. The fab community has quietly been growing at breakneck speed, with ‘fabbers’ (people who fab, obviously) now found on every continent. Although unknown to most Tokyoites, fab culture, which is a part of the wider ‘maker movement’, is already well established in our metropolis.
For an introduction to this fast-rising phenomenon, you only need to visit Shibuya’s FabCafe, a comfy spot up on Dogenzaka that lets customers try their hand at laser cutting, designing and the like while sipping on a cute marshmallow latte, speciality coffee or some herbal tea. Putting on regular events like workshops and demonstrations, the FabCafe is an extension of FabLab Japan, the local chapter of a global network started by the MIT Media Lab.
Anyone is welcome to play around with the café's equipment, but reservations are recommended – when making a booking on the website, you can also specify the kind of item or design you'd like to attempt creating. We booked the laser cutter in order to make a snappy Time Out rubber stamp with our new logo, and had our hands on the finished product in a mere 30 minutes. However, that's assuming you already have a design: you might want to come up with an idea and/or sketch before heading over, as booking times are for the laser cutter only and you won't want to get caught with tool in hand but no idea in mind.
After passing our logo data over to the staff, who immediately fed it into the laser cutter, we moved back to our seat for a few minutes – long enough to have lunch (the café offers some pretty fab sandwiches) and assemble the base for our stamp. This ready-made kit consists of a few laser-cut wooden pieces and is simple enough to put together while sipping on some strawberry tea soda or artisanal coffee.
After receiving the finished cutout from the staff, we simply glued it to the base and – ta-da, done! Look out for this very official-looking seal of approval to appear on all documents passing through our office from now on. And if you'd rather create something more inspiring, the good folks at FabCafe are happy to oblige. Popular items include tote bags, custom notepads and books, and even original character figurines. When visiting, ask the staff for details on upcoming workshops: these are great for first-timers looking to dive deep into the world of 'fabbing'.
See full details for FabCafe here.
