Music is not something experienced only in live houses or concert halls. A song playing in a neighborhood café, or a sound encountered by chance in a place one happens to enter, can also enrich everyday life.

On July 3, 2026, Fender Cafe Shimokitazawa, Fender’s first independent café, will open in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo.

photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE

Yet the essence of this project is not simply the arrival of a new café. What it seeks to connect is the music culture Fender has cultivated over many decades and the history accumulated by Shimokitazawa as a city.

Why Fender Chose Shimokitazawa

In 2023, the world’s first Fender Cafe opened inside Fender Flagship Tokyo in Harajuku.

That project began in a special setting: a flagship store dedicated to communicating the world of the brand. Three years later, Fender has chosen Shimokitazawa as its next stage.

photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE
Shimokitazawa is known as one of Japan’s leading music districts.

Live houses and recording studios of all sizes are scattered throughout the area, and countless bands have taken their first steps on stage here. Major-label artists and musicians supporting the independent scene alike have built their relationships with music somewhere in this neighborhood. This is precisely what drew Fender to the area.

Fender founder Leo Fender once said:

“Artists are angels, and our job is to give them wings to fly.”

What Fender has created is not merely instruments. It is also an environment that supports people who make music and helps expand their possibilities.

From a Destination for Music to Everyday Life

Fender Flagship Tokyo in Harajuku was a destination for experiencing the brand’s world. In Shimokitazawa, however, the aim is slightly different. A musician drops by before a show. Someone has coffee after a live performance. Local residents use it as part of their daily routine.

In this way, Fender Cafe Shimokitazawa seeks to create a place where music exists not as a special event, but as part of everyday life.

photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE

Giorgio Guerrini, President of Fender Music Japan and APAC Regional Head, explains that the goal was not to display music as something special, but to create a place where it naturally blends into people’s daily lives and connects them with one another.

Fender Cafe Shimokitazawa can be seen as a direct expression of that idea.

Translating the Aesthetic of a Guitar Into Space

The interior design of the new café takes inspiration from the 1969 Rosewood Telecaster®, a guitar that holds a significant place in music history.

Courtesy of Fender Cafe

The space was designed by Satoshi Mimura, whose work includes store designs for numerous luxury brands such as Givenchy, Valentino, Balenciaga, and Dolce & Gabbana.

Furniture and a substantial wooden counter based on the deep tones of rosewood create warmth, while concrete surfaces and expansive glass bring a contemporary sense of openness.

Courtesy of Fender Cafe

The result feels almost like a spatial expression of Shimokitazawa itself, where vintage guitars and today’s music scene coexist.

Designing the Sound Itself

At Fender Cafe Shimokitazawa, sound is treated as an essential part of the spatial experience, alongside coffee and interior design.

The audio system is supervised by Sound Create, a specialist audio store based in Ginza. The main speakers are RCA LC-1 studio monitors, the same model once used by Elvis Presley to listen to playback during his early RCA recording sessions.

photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE

The system also combines the renowned Linn Sondek LP12 analog record player with a contemporary network player, creating a sound environment where vintage warmth and modern fidelity coexist.

photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE

Space, furniture, lighting, and sound come together to shape the lifestyle Fender envisions.

Encountering Music With Coffee in Hand

The food and drink menu also carries stories that feel unmistakably Fender. One symbolic item is First Set, a cold brew available exclusively at the Shimokitazawa location.

Courtesy of ZENSE


The phrase “first set” refers to the moment when a musician steps onto a stage for the first time and begins the opening performance.

Shimokitazawa is a city where countless artists have started their careers. For Fender, this café is also its first independent street-level location. The drink brings together these two ideas of beginning.

Courtesy of ZENSE


The menu also includes items inspired by guitars and music, such as the Six Strings Burger and Chicken Overdrive Rice.

From a Place to Visit to a Place to Gather

In recent years, many brands have opened cafés. But Fender Cafe Shimokitazawa is not intended simply as a place for brand experience.

Musicians, people who go to live houses, local residents, and travelers from overseas. It is designed as a place where people from different backgrounds can meet naturally and where a loose community can form through music.

photo by ©FASHION HEADLINE

Shimokitazawa has long welcomed diverse cultures.

Fender Cafe Shimokitazawa exists as an extension of that cultural landscape. What Fender is bringing to the city is not merely a new café. It is a new lifestyle hub where people who love music can gather naturally and spend time with music as part of everyday life.