Why I, a Breast Cancer Survivor, Create a 'Place for Smiles'. On April 12, Online Salon Be.smiling Steps Off the Screen for Its First In-Person Meetup!
The online salon 'Be.smiling,' run by breast cancer survivor Kaori Nakano, will hold its first in-person offline meeting on April 12. The goal is to provide a cheerful place for people fighting the disease in solitude.
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- 📰 Published: April 2, 2026 at 06:04
- 🔍 Collected: April 2, 2026 at 09:03 (2h 58m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 18:38 (465h 35m after Collected)
Our company supports April Dream, which aims to make April 1st a day for sharing dreams. This press release is the dream of "Be.smiling".
Kaori Nakano, the representative of the cooking class Smile Kitchen Yachiyo Chuo in Yachiyo City, Chiba Prefecture,
also leads the online salon "Be.smiling," which will hold its long-awaited offline meeting on April 12, 2026.
I want to bring smiles to those fighting breast cancer in solitude.
The origin of my launching this online salon was the keen realization that women who have experienced the great ordeal of breast cancer need a place where they can regain their "sense of self" and laugh together from the heart even after treatment.
Illness may be a part of life, but it is not all of it.
Any experience can be turned into a smile.
Believing this, I launched the online salon.
I want to bring smiles to as many people as possible who are fighting breast cancer in solitude.
We have been holding chat sessions using ZOOM since January 2025,
but this year we are stepping off the screen to hold an in-person offline meeting.
I never thought I'd be traveling on a plane a year later.
These are the words of an online salon member.
She said that around this time last year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and felt death was near, so she never imagined she would recover and be able to take a plane to participate in an offline meeting a year later.
Because we have overcome the same illness, there are things we can understand without saying anything.
On April 12, many members from far away places like Miyagi, Akita, Fukushima, and Tochigi will gather at Smile Kitchen in Yachiyo City, Chiba Prefecture.
[To facilities and stores nationwide: A request to place our leaflets]
Currently, leaflets communicating the activities of Be.smiling
are mainly placed in breast cancer clinics nationwide.
We are looking for owners of hot spring facilities, cafes, and local community spaces
who support our dream of "bringing smiles to as many people as possible fighting breast cancer in solitude."
A small amount of space can be an opportunity to turn someone's "loneliness" into "hope."
If you are willing to cooperate with the placement, please contact us at the information below.
[Contact Information]
Be.smiling Representative: Kaori Nakano
Phone number: 090-8068-9439