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In 2024, we purchased our first property in Komoro Town, Nagano Prefecture, with the dream of turning it into a community makerspace.
*This space was made possible by the 50+ volunteers who joined us during our 6 months of build weeks. We welcomed chefs, carpenters, musicians, and founders, who together: cleared out decades of clutter (125 futons, a garden overrun with brush, and thousands of kilos of rubbish), uncovered the kominka’s original architecture, and began its revival.
During this period, we also installed a septic tank, restored antique furniture, created art installations, participated in community events, and documented the hidden stories of forgotten artifacts, as seen below.*
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Built in the 1940s, this 80-year old house has the inspiring historical structure of a folk Japanese house, known as kominka architecture. We’ve conducted renovations to make the place fully livable, and transformed it into a community makerspace: a semi-public area to host international artists, and a local resource for nearby community members.
Currently, we have a space that can support experiments in woodworking, bio-yarn, bamboo, microcontrollers, and other material projects (concrete, plaster). Some tools include drone, VR headset, projector, 3D printer, telescope, a piano, and more.
A tea house constructed using tree logs and traditional Japanese joinery methods
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*Two large-scale art installations for Burning Man Japan:
Rituals and light installations using materials salvaged from the akiya itself
10 pieces of handmade furniture—pews, seats, and tables
Rebuilding villages, one connection at a time.