LITTLE FREE LIBRARY IN SHIMOKITAZAWA TOKYO LAUNCHED!

Mottainai, the regret of wasting things with life still left in them, is the core of my being. Since childhood I have saved, collected, repurposed and re-imagined items I find useful or interesting. And for years in Tokyo we've had a family Mottainai Box which is regularly placed  outside our house when it's full of things we no longer need. I hope with all my heart that this passing along of things has inspired others in my community (as well as my kids) to consider new ways of discarding things that no longer serve us.

With this core thought in mind (it's always there) and Inspired by my friend Ushka from NEKO NEKO STAYS, the new stage in my mottainai service is to set up a Little Free Library at my studio in Shimo-Kitazawa, Tokyo.

It's taken a few weeks of planning, ordering the right library box for my needs, buying solar lighting, designing decorative stickers and a book stamp and it has now almost all arrived, and is now open!
I'll be sharing more about the installation over on Instagram and YouTube in the hope to pass along the inspiration Ushka gave me to get it going.

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT USHKA, HER LIBRARY, HER WONDERFUL BUSINESSES AND HER CAT PIPPIN

Pippin was "The best boi!" who inspired Ushka to open the doors to Pippin's Inn, a cat-themed short-term-rental for cat lovers located in Sangubashi close to Yoyogi Park. Featuring artwork by Erica Ward, whose beautiful work I stock in my studio shop, the Little Free Library at Pippins Inn is dedicated to Pippin's memory. (Erica also designed the book stamps for Pippin's Inn and Neko Neko Inn as well as the portrait on my own shop card).

"A single book can plant a seed of hope, joy, or courage that grows for a lifetime. I hope that the books that pass through my little free libraries encourage the people who take them to believe in their dreams and follow them."
-Ushka Wakelin

You can find out about Ushka's other ventures with her business partner and friend Sharla below.

NEKO NEKO STAYS
Pippin's Inn- Sangubashi
Neko Neko Inn- Sangubashi
Neko Neko Home- Setagaya-ku

NEKO NEKO POST
For (mostly) cat  themed stationery from Japan

INSPIRED TO SET UP YOUR OWN LIBRARY? Click the image below to find out how!

---

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY...