Makers of the World, Come to Shimokita Robofes. 'Maker Residency Program' to Create, Engage, and Enjoy Together in Shimokitazawa Begins
An international maker residency program is launching in Shimokitazawa, inviting overseas makers to create robots and engage with the local community.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 22:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 16:47
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 17, 2026 at 12:55 (380h 7m after Collected)
Our organization supports April Dream, which aims to make April 1st a day for announcing dreams. This press release is a dream of the Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu, operated by the General Incorporated Association CO-SAKU Valley.
This image shows our participation in the German maker event 'Makers United' in 2025. The Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu's original fishing robot captivated both children and adults there. Overseas makers truly embody the spirit of 'touching technology as if playing.'
What is the CO-SAKU Maker Residency Program?
The 'CO-SAKU Maker Residency Program' is a program designed to foster a maker culture of 'touching technology as if playing' through the 'CO-SAKU' (co-creation/collaboration) of three parties: overseas makers, Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu, and the local community.
We invite overseas makers to stay in Shimokitazawa. During their stay, they will create original robots at Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu while interacting with local makers and the community. The venue for showcasing their works will be the town's maker event, 'Shimokita Robofes' (scheduled for November 2026). We welcome diverse forms of participation, such as challenging robot competitions alongside local children or holding workshops.
For the 2026 fiscal year, we aim to invite two groups of overseas makers as a trial period before the full-scale launch.
The term CO-SAKU (KOSAKU) encompasses three meanings:
KOSAKU (工作 - Make), KOSAKU (交錯 - Cross), Kyoso/Kyodo (共創・協働 - Co-Creation/Collaboration).
*CO-SAKU is a registered trademark of the General Incorporated Association CO-SAKU Valley.
Scenes of interaction with overseas makers were often seen at Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu.
Background of the Dream
Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu is a maker space located in Shimokitazawa. A maker space is a shared workshop equipped with tools and equipment for manufacturing, such as laser cutters, 3D printers, and sewing machines. Our facility also has these machines and is used by various people.
Through operating the facility, we have realized that there are psychological hurdles to manufacturing, such as:
'I don't really understand it, it seems difficult,' or 'I don't have anything specific I want to make.'
And physical hurdles, such as:
'There's no one to teach me,' 'I need materials and tools,' or 'I don't have time.'
We have been contemplating and experimenting with how to lower these hurdles.
What can a small maker space do?
Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu's Initiative: 'Touching Technology as if Playing'
The scope of manufacturing is very broad, and the support that Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu, with its limited resources, can provide is minimal.
However, today, digital fabrication equipment is becoming more accessible, instructions are available online, and even AI can assist.
In the KOSAKU-shitsu, children and adults share the same space.
What they make varies from person to person.
They bring their own objectives, work at their own pace, and concentrate on the task at hand.
Even those who meet for the first time in the KOSAKU-shitsu are fellow makers.
Conversations naturally arise, like 'What are you making?' 'This is...' and they lend a hand to each other.
We describe this state as 'touching technology as if playing.'
It's not about technical education or promoting manufacturing, but about 'making something that someone is passionate about = play.'
Because it's 'play,' everyone, regardless of generation, can enjoy it, become engrossed, and accumulate learning and experience on their own.
We want to deliver such rich experiences and interactions to more people.
Instead of confining it within the maker space, could the maker space be a starting point to open up opportunities to the community?
As a practical application of this idea, we started the robotics project called 'CO-SAKU Robotics.'
Since its opening in 2021, Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu has hosted and operated robot production and robot competition projects almost every year. Utilizing this experience and content, we launched the local maker event 'Shimokita Robofes' in collaboration with the Shimokita Shopping District Promotion Association. Held annually since 2024, this year's event will be further updated as a place where practices of 'touching technology as if playing' gather.
▼Press release announcing Shimokita Robofes 2025
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000001.000173202.html
The maker culture of 'touching technology as if playing' gathers and interacts in Shimokitazawa,
and then is taken back to respective regions and spreads.
We want to slowly but passionately ignite such a movement.
From Shimokitazawa, across Japan, and to the world, the maker culture of 'touching technology as if playing.'
The 'CO-SAKU Maker Residency Program' is one of the actions for that purpose.
Shimokita Robofes 2026
Held at a venue in the town
Workshops are very popular
The playfield is an important stage for 'play'
Future Initiatives
The CO-SAKU Maker Residency Program will start as a trial in fiscal year 2026, aiming to invite two groups (up to four people) of overseas makers.
This program is an initiative to create a new maker culture from Shimokitazawa through the stay, creation, and community engagement of overseas makers.
We are currently seeking corporate and organizational partners who resonate with the purpose of this project and can support it, including financially.
If you are interested in this initiative, please contact us.
General Incorporated Association CO-SAKU Valley
Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu is operated by the General Incorporated Association CO-SAKU Valley (KOSAKU-dani).
We are neither a group of engineers nor an educational institution.
That is precisely why, through hands-on, enjoyable practical experience, we have learned and accumulated diverse technologies and operational methods, including robotics, from the field.
This accumulation of practical experience has led to a project operation model that is not dependent on specialists, and to the development of opportunities to 'touch technology as if playing' across generations and experience levels.
*As of April 2026, Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu is temporarily closed for relocation preparations. A new facility is scheduled to open in Shimokitazawa around summer 2026, in the same area.
[Contact for this matter]
Akiko Takahashi, Representative Director, General Incorporated Association CO-SAKU Valley
info@co-saku-dani.com
Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu Official Website
https://co-saku-dani.com/
Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu Instagram (@co_saku_dani)
https://www.instagram.com/co_saku_dani/
CO-SAKU Robotics Official Website
https://robotics.co-saku-dani.com/
CO-SAKU Robotics Instagram (@CO-SAKU Robotics)
https://www.instagram.com/cosaku_robotics/
YouTube (@co-saku-robocon)
https://www.youtube.com/@co-saku-robotics
This image shows our participation in the German maker event 'Makers United' in 2025. The Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu's original fishing robot captivated both children and adults there. Overseas makers truly embody the spirit of 'touching technology as if playing.'
What is the CO-SAKU Maker Residency Program?
The 'CO-SAKU Maker Residency Program' is a program designed to foster a maker culture of 'touching technology as if playing' through the 'CO-SAKU' (co-creation/collaboration) of three parties: overseas makers, Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu, and the local community.
We invite overseas makers to stay in Shimokitazawa. During their stay, they will create original robots at Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu while interacting with local makers and the community. The venue for showcasing their works will be the town's maker event, 'Shimokita Robofes' (scheduled for November 2026). We welcome diverse forms of participation, such as challenging robot competitions alongside local children or holding workshops.
For the 2026 fiscal year, we aim to invite two groups of overseas makers as a trial period before the full-scale launch.
The term CO-SAKU (KOSAKU) encompasses three meanings:
KOSAKU (工作 - Make), KOSAKU (交錯 - Cross), Kyoso/Kyodo (共創・協働 - Co-Creation/Collaboration).
*CO-SAKU is a registered trademark of the General Incorporated Association CO-SAKU Valley.
Scenes of interaction with overseas makers were often seen at Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu.
Background of the Dream
Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu is a maker space located in Shimokitazawa. A maker space is a shared workshop equipped with tools and equipment for manufacturing, such as laser cutters, 3D printers, and sewing machines. Our facility also has these machines and is used by various people.
Through operating the facility, we have realized that there are psychological hurdles to manufacturing, such as:
'I don't really understand it, it seems difficult,' or 'I don't have anything specific I want to make.'
And physical hurdles, such as:
'There's no one to teach me,' 'I need materials and tools,' or 'I don't have time.'
We have been contemplating and experimenting with how to lower these hurdles.
What can a small maker space do?
Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu's Initiative: 'Touching Technology as if Playing'
The scope of manufacturing is very broad, and the support that Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu, with its limited resources, can provide is minimal.
However, today, digital fabrication equipment is becoming more accessible, instructions are available online, and even AI can assist.
In the KOSAKU-shitsu, children and adults share the same space.
What they make varies from person to person.
They bring their own objectives, work at their own pace, and concentrate on the task at hand.
Even those who meet for the first time in the KOSAKU-shitsu are fellow makers.
Conversations naturally arise, like 'What are you making?' 'This is...' and they lend a hand to each other.
We describe this state as 'touching technology as if playing.'
It's not about technical education or promoting manufacturing, but about 'making something that someone is passionate about = play.'
Because it's 'play,' everyone, regardless of generation, can enjoy it, become engrossed, and accumulate learning and experience on their own.
We want to deliver such rich experiences and interactions to more people.
Instead of confining it within the maker space, could the maker space be a starting point to open up opportunities to the community?
As a practical application of this idea, we started the robotics project called 'CO-SAKU Robotics.'
Since its opening in 2021, Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu has hosted and operated robot production and robot competition projects almost every year. Utilizing this experience and content, we launched the local maker event 'Shimokita Robofes' in collaboration with the Shimokita Shopping District Promotion Association. Held annually since 2024, this year's event will be further updated as a place where practices of 'touching technology as if playing' gather.
▼Press release announcing Shimokita Robofes 2025
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000001.000173202.html
The maker culture of 'touching technology as if playing' gathers and interacts in Shimokitazawa,
and then is taken back to respective regions and spreads.
We want to slowly but passionately ignite such a movement.
From Shimokitazawa, across Japan, and to the world, the maker culture of 'touching technology as if playing.'
The 'CO-SAKU Maker Residency Program' is one of the actions for that purpose.
Shimokita Robofes 2026
Held at a venue in the town
Workshops are very popular
The playfield is an important stage for 'play'
Future Initiatives
The CO-SAKU Maker Residency Program will start as a trial in fiscal year 2026, aiming to invite two groups (up to four people) of overseas makers.
This program is an initiative to create a new maker culture from Shimokitazawa through the stay, creation, and community engagement of overseas makers.
We are currently seeking corporate and organizational partners who resonate with the purpose of this project and can support it, including financially.
If you are interested in this initiative, please contact us.
General Incorporated Association CO-SAKU Valley
Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu is operated by the General Incorporated Association CO-SAKU Valley (KOSAKU-dani).
We are neither a group of engineers nor an educational institution.
That is precisely why, through hands-on, enjoyable practical experience, we have learned and accumulated diverse technologies and operational methods, including robotics, from the field.
This accumulation of practical experience has led to a project operation model that is not dependent on specialists, and to the development of opportunities to 'touch technology as if playing' across generations and experience levels.
*As of April 2026, Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu is temporarily closed for relocation preparations. A new facility is scheduled to open in Shimokitazawa around summer 2026, in the same area.
[Contact for this matter]
Akiko Takahashi, Representative Director, General Incorporated Association CO-SAKU Valley
info@co-saku-dani.com
Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu Official Website
https://co-saku-dani.com/
Shimokita FAB KOSAKU-shitsu Instagram (@co_saku_dani)
https://www.instagram.com/co_saku_dani/
CO-SAKU Robotics Official Website
https://robotics.co-saku-dani.com/
CO-SAKU Robotics Instagram (@CO-SAKU Robotics)
https://www.instagram.com/cosaku_robotics/
YouTube (@co-saku-robocon)
https://www.youtube.com/@co-saku-robotics
FAQ
What is the purpose of the CO-SAKU Maker Residency Program?
It aims to invite overseas makers to Shimokitazawa to create robots and engage with the community, fostering a maker culture of 'touching technology as if playing'.
When will Shimokita Robofes be held?
It is scheduled for November 2026. Robot competitions and workshops for local children are planned.
How can corporate partners get involved?
We are seeking corporate and organizational partners who resonate with the project's purpose and can provide support, including financial assistance.