Ambassador Yamada visits Edgerton for Library of Japan Donation

EDGERTON, Wis – Over 70 people gathered in the historic Edgerton Public Library on September 18th to celebrate Japan-Wisconsin literary connections with JASWI’s second Library of Japan donation. The JASWI Board in consultation with library staff selected over 100 titles for ages 0-105 to learn about and appreciate Japan via fiction, non-fiction, manga, cookbooks, travel guides and more.

This was a very special donation reception as Edgerton is the birthplace of the author Sterling North and the settling of his novel Rascal, the story of a boy and his pet raccoon. Rascal became a beloved tale in Japan thanks to the 1977 Nippon Animation series Araiguma Rascal (Rascal the Raccoon). Shigeo Yamada, Ambassador of Japan to the United States, spoke of the power of books to spark a strong interest in another culture and country. Honorary Consul of Japan and JASWI Board Vice Chair, Andrew Seaborg, also took this opportunity to announce the Rascal Trail, a new tourism initiative to encourage visiting sites across Wisconsin. Ambassador Yamada visited the Sterling North House, a stop on the trail, prior to the reception and was surprised to see the number of gifts from Japanese visitors over the years.

Guests at the reception enjoyed Japanese snacks and tea as they explored the new library items to decide which to request first. Japan Outreach Coordinators Keiko Morikawa and Sae Iino offered Rascal-inspired origami tutorials to visitors. Thank you to Wisconsin Public Radio for their coverage of this event.