- By Mariko Oi
- Business reporter, Japan
Mariko Oi reports on Japan’s quest to rediscover the Walkman ethos
Guarded by heavy metal gates, it feels like a secret base in the heart of Tokyo. Inside a typical office building in the Akihabara district is a high-tech factory that is created for use by anyone with innovative ideas.
It is a makerspace with equipment worth 1bn yen ($8.5m; £5.5m). Whatever you need to turn your idea into a product is here, including the latest 3D printer.
DMM.make Akiba occupies three floors of the building with total space of 2,000 sq m (21,500 sq ft). It is open 24/7 to members who pay a monthly fee of 30,000 yen.
“I don’t know how any of the machines work and we are losing money for now,” laughs Keishi Kameyama, chairman of internet company DMM.com, which is…
