The 145th Science Cafe Sapporo “Remembering the Days of COVID-19: Rethinking Our Future Lives from a Public Health Perspective” will be held on Sunday, November 30, 2025, at the Inner Garden on the 1st floor of Kinokuniya Bookstore Sapporo Main Store. This is a joint event with the Hokkaido University Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (IVReD) and Hokkaido University CoSTEP. We look forward to seeing you there!

What’s the talk about?

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 drastically changed our daily lives.
People we could no longer meet, joys we suddenly lost, and anxieties we could not easily share—these memories of “those days” still linger in our hearts.

What is a virus?
Where do infectious diseases come from?
How should we deal with infectious diseases from now on?

These are questions that continue to shape how we think about public health and our way of life.

In this Science Cafe, we welcome Dr. Masayuki Saijo, Director for Medical and Public Health Affairs, Sapporo City Health and Welfare Bureau, who led Sapporo’s COVID-19 response.
With extensive experience in infectious disease control, including Ebola virus response in Africa, Mr. Saijo will reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic and share insights into how infectious diseases influence our communities and everyday lives.

【Event Overview】

• • Date and Time: Sunday, November 30, 2025, 14:00–15:30
  • Venue:Inner Garden, 1F Kinokuniya Bookstore Sapporo Main Store
    (Sapporo55 1F, Kita 5-jo Nishi 5-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo))
  • Speaker: Dr. Masayuki Saijo (Director General for Medical Affairs and Public Health, Sapporo City Public Health Office, Health & Welfare Bureau)
  • Listener: Shojiro Numata, Specially Assistant Professor / Hokkaido University CoSTEP
  • Fee： Free, no need to apply
  • Organizer：IVReD and CoSTEP