09/10/2026
Lakeland University Japan is delighted to announce the launch of the Tokyo Little Free Library project, in partnership with Sumida Ward. The opening ceremony was held on Friday 25th September and attended by Mayor Toru Yamamoto, Deputy Mayor Noriko Kishikawa, and other representatives from the local Sumida government as well as LUJ Vice President Anderson Passos, Associate Vice President Charlie Stockman and Dean Charles Laurier.
The Little Free Libraries come in two forms: one that resembles the Lakeland University campus in Wisconsin and the second, designed by Chiba University's Professor 霜田 亮祐, and students 柳澤 佳歩 and 謝 利亜, who designed the library as a traditional Japanese wooden boat. It incorporates locally sourced and recycled cherry wood, traditional Japanese patterns and other elements of Sumida’s culture.
The Little Free Library project is an important part of the Wisconsin campus' community outreach, and everyone at LUJ is delighted to see how enthusiastically it has been embraced in Tokyo.
Our thanks also go to LUJ Youth Programs Coordinators Udara Perera and Alina Fujiura as well as Youth Programs Volunteer Mone Ishii.
🔗Learn more by checking the link in our bio.
📍 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo