A Trip to "Everyone's Cancer Classroom" — Shiojiri Edition

Today I took a day off from the bookstore and went to Shiojiri City. "Everyone's Cancer Classroom" is a program I worked on when I was a librarian — creating places for cancer education in libraries. It started about six years ago at Shidami Library in Moriyama Ward, Nagoya, and not long after it began to be held at the municipal library in Enpark, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture. Later, Nagoya City Moriyama Library, which is also in Moriyama Ward like Shidami Library, began hosting the program on alternating months with Shidami. This initiative is run in collaboration with libraries by Kanako Hikoda, who organizes the Cancer Philosophy Outpatient Medical Café "Shachihoko Memorial." "Everyone's Cancer Classroom" is held once a month at either Shidami or Moriyama Library. As of this month (October 2026), it has reached its 55th session. I was involved with "Everyone's Cancer Classroom" from the start until I retired from the library last March. The program exists and continues because of Kanako Hikoda's passion. She has many colleagues and supporters; among them is Hiromi Oguchi, who runs a peer-support group in Shiojiri called "Cancer Support Omusubi." Oguchi came all the way from Shiojiri to the first session in Shidami, and afterward spoke passionately about wanting to bring "Everyone's Cancer Classroom" to Shiojiri. I gave her the Shidami Library event flyer and encouraged her to propose it to the wonderful Enpark library in Shiojiri. Thanks to Oguchi's efforts, "Everyone's Cancer Classroom @ the Library" was first approved as a trial program at Shiojiri Library and from the following fiscal year began to be held regularly. There are essays by Oguchi and Hikoda about the project in the ZINE "This Library Is Not Just for Borrowing Books," so please have a look: https://sheepsheepbooks.stores.jp/items/693c12d9029af1c7671e372a There was a reason I visited the Shiojiri session after such a long time. Last November I was invited by the staff of the Minamisoma City Library in Fukushima Prefecture to talk to their staff about the initiatives at Shidami and Moriyama libraries. At that time I asked the Minamisoma librarians not to just listen and let it end there — since I had come all the way from Nagoya, I urged them to definitely turn it into something concrete. I half-expected nothing would come of it, but to my surprise I heard this fiscal year the Minamisoma City Library decided to hold "Everyone's Cancer Classroom" as well. The Minamisoma librarians planned to visit Shiojiri's session to observe as part of their preparation for hosting the program. When I heard that, of course I couldn't not go from Nagoya to Shiojiri. I wasn't a librarian anymore and hesitated at first about participating, but in the end I shamelessly decided to show up. Information about Enpark Shiojiri Library's "Wholehearted Cancer Classroom" is here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dei-1JGk7JG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&rpxt=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== So, I plan to visit Minamisoma City Library again on Sunday, March 14 next year.