Cucumber Machines, Adorable Felt Plushies, and More at Maker Faire Tokyo

If you expect to see robots at Maker Faire Tokyo, you wouldn’t be wrong. But what about a cucumber-sorting machine or wooden graffiti lettering? After attending last year’s Faire, Maker Faire founder Dale Dougherty recalled, “Wonderfully offbeat, carefully considered, and thoughtfully detailed, the projects of Japanese Makers filled Maker Faire Tokyo. Music. Robotics. Digital Fabrication. Food. Internet of Things. Early on, I heard people saying that there was so much to see here that they weren’t going to be able to experience it all in one day. There was so much good stuff, so much that was new and fresh and wonderful that I had to decide to pace myself.”

The fifth annual Maker Faire Tokyo takes place this weekend, August 1 and 2, at Tokyo Big Sight. Organized by the folks at Make: Japan, last year’s Faire featured 350 makers and drew 13,500 attendees. This year the organizers have facilitated 400 makers in sharing their creations with fairgoers. Tokyo’s maker community is sure to be in full attendance.

The Make: Japan recap video from last year’s Faire does a nice job of taking us through the Faire from setup to end:

Here’s a sampling of 11 of the maker projects that will be at Maker Faire Tokyo this year. You’ll have to attend to see the other 389.

SmileMachines by Mocymo

Shibuya-Tsugi Dome by Tokyo Fabbers Action Project

Wooden Gear Art by Kinohaguruma

3D-Printed Electronic Puppet by David Chung

Raspberry-Pi-Powered Mini Strand Beest by DT&T

The Art of the 3D-Printed Book by Tom Burtonwood

The Lehman Sat Project by Ryman Sat Project

Cucumber-Sorting Machine by Workpiles

Mini Tachikoma by Partmaton

Micro Bike by Hasegawa’s Factory

Wooden Graffiti Lettering by Junya Ohara

For a full list of makers download the program guide. Plus, all the information you need to attend Maker Faire Tokyo this weekend is on this site. Arigato!