The wooden-barrel pen shop "Shimada Kowari Seizaisho" (島田小割製材所) will open at 11:00 AM on Friday, November 6, 2026, at 2k540 AKI-OKA ARTISAN (ニーケーゴーヨンマル アキオカ アルチザン). The commercial complex, themed on "Japanese craftsmanship," sits under the elevated railway tracks between JR Akihabara Station and JR Okachimachi Station. The shop is the first directly operated store of the wooden pen brand run by Shimada Kowari Seizaisho Co., Ltd. (株式会社島田小割製材所), a lumber milling company with more than 70 years in business.
About the Shop
Shimada Kowari Seizaisho Co., Ltd. was established in 1959 and is based in Shin-Kiba, Tokyo. The sawmill has worked with wood for many years, handling everything from felling trees to milling, processing, and making products. Drawing on its extensive knowledge of wood and its processing techniques, the company has recently also offered products that let people feel the appeal of natural wood up close, including wooden-barrel mechanical pencils and ballpoint pens.
The pens use the sawmill's quality wood for their barrels and are carefully finished one at a time to bring out the grain and color. Their appeal lies in a wood texture that fits comfortably in the hand and a character that deepens with use.
At the first directly operated store, the lineup centers on wooden-barrel mechanical pencils and ballpoint pens made from wood selected by the sawmill and finished one by one by craftspeople. Visitors can pick them up to see how each wood differs in appearance, and choose a pen that becomes more comfortable in the hand with use. Craftspeople will also demonstrate how they process wood in the shop.
Shop Details
- Shop name: Shimada Kowari Seizaisho (島田小割製材所)
- Opening: Friday, November 6, 2026, at 11:00 AM
- Address: 5-9-23 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 2k540 Section J-1
- Hours: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Closed: Wednesdays
- Official website: https://shimada-kowari.co.jp/collections/pen
- Instagram: @shimada_kowari_woodchip
Sock Lab. Hand-Dyeing Workshop Begins Permanent Operation
Sock Lab. (ソックラボ), a newly installed sock hand-dyeing workshop at the sock specialty store GLENCLYDE SOCKCLUB TOKYO, will begin operating at 2k540. The store reopened in September 2026 in Section J-2 of 2k540.
At the workshop, visitors create their own colors and patterns to make one-of-a-kind original socks. The workshop can be used to make a one-of-a-kind item for yourself or a gift.
- Sock Lab. opening: From Saturday, November 7, 2026
- Inquiries and reservations: Store phone 03-5846-8907
- Website: https://glen-clyde.com/
- Instagram: @glenclydesocks
About 2k540 AKI-OKA ARTISAN
- Facility: 2k540 AKI-OKA ARTISAN (ニーケーゴーヨンマル アキオカアルチザン)
- Address: 5-9 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Access: 3-minute walk from Suehirocho Station (Tokyo Metro), 4-minute walk from JR Okachimachi Station, 6-minute walk from JR Akihabara Station
- Hours: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM (except for some restaurants)
- Closed: Wednesdays
- Official website: https://www.jrtk.jp/2k540/
- Instagram: @official_2k540
