Reprint Announced! Hiroki Kashiragi's Latest Essay — 'Thirteen Years in a Six-Bed Room: Unforgettable People Met in the Hospital Ward,' a Poignant and Humorous Portrait of Life in the Hospital

Cover image of 'Thirteen Years in a Six-Bed Room' with author Hiroki Kashiragi

Media Features Continue!

Following its release, the book has been featured across multiple media outlets, and we are pleased to announce a reprint (2nd edition).

The reprinted edition is scheduled for release on July 16.

Nikkei Newspaper – July 4, 2026

Shukan Bunshun – Issue dated July 9, 2026

Shukan Shincho – Issue dated July 2, 2026

Kyodo News (distributed to Okinawa Times and other regional newspapers)

Monthly Care Management – July Issue

Cultural Broadcasting 'Takeda Satetsu’s Radio Magazine' – Broadcast on June 17, 2026 … and more

The Earthquake of Hospitalization: What Breaks, What Remains?

The author, who has suffered from ulcerative colitis since age 20, spent nearly 13 years of his illness in a six-bed hospital room. This 10-chapter essay explores the raw truths people reveal, the unexpected faces life shows, and how families endure seismic shocks within the extraordinary space of a hospital ward.

A poignant yet humorous piece of ward literature, ideal for those planning hospitalization, currently hospitalized, with hospitalized family members, or even as a thoughtful gift for visitors.

From the Introduction

What exactly is hospitalization?

What kind of place is a hospital ward, and what kind of encounters await with doctors, nurses, and fellow patients?

It might sound like traveling to a foreign country, but of course, hospitalization is very different from travel.

First, almost no one chooses to be hospitalized.

Moreover, it often happens suddenly—without mental preparation, life abruptly changes.

You cannot choose your doctors or nurses. Even if you’ve been seeing a doctor for outpatient care, your inpatient physician is often different.

Fellow patients in the same room, though sometimes called 'fellow patients,' vary widely in age, occupation, hobbies, and even illnesses. You suddenly begin sharing life with people with whom you have nothing in common.

Of course, you can transfer hospitals if you’re dissatisfied, but it’s not as simple as changing hotels.

Your everyday life is abruptly severed, and you must adapt to the extraordinary reality of hospital life.

That alone is stressful, but on top of that, worries about illness, money, work, and family swirl endlessly in your mind and heart.

I lived this cycle of hospitalization and discharge for thirteen years.

You might be curious about someone who’s traveled to a foreign land.

You might also want to know what it’s like inside a prison.

Even if you don’t plan to go.

Similarly, I hope people who don’t plan to be hospitalized might still read this book.

Of course, I especially hope those planning hospitalization, currently hospitalized, or visiting someone in the hospital will read it.

And if you’re visiting a hospitalized person, please bring this book along.

Because when I was hospitalized, I wished I could have read a book like this.

That’s why I wrote it.

I also hope those with hospitalized family members will read it in advance.

Illness is like a massive earthquake striking one individual and their family alone.

Within it lie countless dramas and human dynamics.

Truths about humanity that are invisible or hard to see in daily life.

What breaks and what remains after the earthquake of hospitalization? What should one be cautious about? I’ve written about it in ten chapters.

I hope it may serve as even a small reference.

Table of Contents

Introduction: 10 Things to Beware of When Hospitalized

Chapter 1: Beware of Life’s Empty Spaces!

— The Mysterious World of the Six-Bed Room

Chapter 2: Beware of the Two-Bed Room!

— The Man in a Fundoshi, Tattoos, and the Natto Man

Chapter 3: Beware of Inequality in Early Hospitalization!

— Until You Start Talking in the Six-Bed Room

Chapter 4: Beware of Money!

— Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Chapter 5: Beware of Family Collapse!

— Hospitalization Violently Shakes Families

Chapter 6: Beware of Patients’ Private Time!

— The Six-Bed Room Unknown to Doctors and Nurses

Chapter 7: Beware of Visitors!

— Eight Scenes of Hospital Visits

Chapter 8: Beware of Doctors and Nurses!

— The Doctors and Nurses I Remember

Chapter 9: Beware of Outpatient and Outside Relationships!

— Outpatient Care is Tough

Special Chapter: Beware of Painful Examinations!

— A Different Way of Seeing the World

Afterword: Beware of Reintegration into Society!

Author Profile

Hiroki Kashiragi

A literary introducer. Graduated from the University of Tsukuba. Diagnosed with a serious illness (ulcerative colitis) at age 20, he spent 13 years battling the disease. Inspired by Kafka’s words during his illness, he translated and edited 'Kafka’s Philosophy of Despair' (Shinchosha Bunko). Since then, he has written across various genres. His works include 'Reading Despair' (Kawade Bunko), 'Eating and Eliminating' (Igaku Shoin), 'Tired of Myself' (Soogensha), 'Is It Okay If the Talkative Win?' (Seidosha), and 'What You See from Pain' (Bungeishunju). His edited anthologies include 'Library of Despair,' 'Literature of Poop' (Chikuma Bunko), 'Hikikomori Library' (Mainichi Shimbun Publishing), and 'Short Stories to Read After School' (Rironsha). He currently appears on NHK’s 'Radio Fuyuube' in the 'Famous Despair Quotes' segment.

Bibliographic Information

Title: Thirteen Years in a Six-Bed Room: Unforgettable People Met in the Hospital Ward

Author: Hiroki Kashiragi

Format: B6 paperback

Pages: 276

Price: ¥1,980 (¥1,800 before tax)

ISBN: 978-4-7949-8054-0

Release Date: May 26, 2026

Publisher: Shobunsha Co., Ltd.

Book Website: https://www.shobunsha.co.jp/?p=9419