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Media often portrays Japan as a country with a large amount of people working for corporations, but it is also a country filled with small makers and entrepreneurs.

This is 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan, a maker market located in Ueno, underneath the elevated railway tracks. Previously used for parking and machine storage, this maker district consists of artisan shops, studios, galleries and cafes.

Elements of this linear urban market include : the concrete pillars of the elevated railway structure, the asphalt pavement, and the enclosed shops and studios that form and face an interior pedestrian pathway. This central pathway has some level of permeability. It is open to the seasons, with fluctuations in temperature, shafts of sunlight, overhead rumblings from the train and the sounds of traffic from the surrounding streets.

Scale is important. Like the micro-bars and restaurants of the yokocho, the shops and studios in this maker district are often less than 1000 square ft. The planned framework of a minimal footprint and shared facilities offer opportunities for a new generation of craftspeople and small business owners.

Programming includes monthly events in the main space, featuring pop-up stalls with a changing variety of craftspeople. There are hands-on workshops and weekly demonstrations on the process of making.

This neighborhood was part of Edo’s history of craft. 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan, as an unconventional undertrack infill just steps away from two transit hubs, demonstrates how contemporary artisans might work together to build a new maker community.