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It is a great pleasure and still an honor to welcome you to the 52nd Annual Musculoskeletal Tumor Meeting of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA-TUMOR). This is the second time that a JOA-TUMOR meeting is organized by Saitama Medical University, the previous occasion being the Annual Research Meeting hosted by Professor Hirohiko Azuma in Karuizawa in 1995. I feel it is both a great happiness and a heavy responsibility.

As the first JOA-TUMOR meeting to be held in Saitama prefecture, it will have a distinctively Saitama ambience. The venue is Westa Kawagoe, a multipurpose facility in Kawagoe City where the Saitama Medical Center is also located nearby. The old townscape of Kawagoe is a well-known tourist destination redolent of the Edo period, as is evident in its welknown nickname of “Little Edo.” Only 30 minutes distance by train from central Tokyo, during weekends it is a popular destination for tourists, and was the setting for the NHK morning drama “Tsubasa.” Please take the opportunity to stroll around the town before, after, and during the meeting. You may choose to stay in Tokyo or Kawagoe, but accommodation in the latter is likely to be in demand, so please do book early.

We have also emphasized the Saitama theme in our plans for the meeting. Saitama Medical University has three large affiliated hospitals (Saitama Medical University Hospital, Saitama Medical Center, and International Medical Center), and the meeting is being organized collaboratively by the departments of orthopedic surgery of these three hospitals, the Saitama Orthopaedic Oncology Research Group, and the regional association of orthopaedic surgeons. We are working together on practical arrangements, including symposia and panel discussions, to ensure a successful program. We hope that by bringing together the wisdom found in Saitama we can ensure an enjoyable meeting for participants.

The theme of the meeting is “Lifetime learning, always young.” This is one of the quotes of Mitsuo Aida, a calligrapher and poet from my own home town of Ashikaga. I grew up watching his writings. I am constantly telling my younger colleagues that “Being a doctor entails lifetime learning,” and have therefore chosen these words as the meeting’s theme. The subtitle, “There is always more to learn,” is a quote of William James Mayo, one of the founders of the Mayo Clinic in the United States, where I studied. I hope this meeting will be an occasion for people to remember the real joy of learning to the full.

We have invited lecturers from overseas including Professor Franklin Sim, who can justly be described as an embodiment of the history of orthopedic oncology, from the Mayo Clinic. From Australia we have invited the global authority Professor Peter Choong and radiotherapist Professor Samuel Ngan, as well as other specialists in chemotherapy and pathology. I hope this will be a good opportunity to consider the shape of Japanese orthopedic oncology in the context of global trends.

A social program will be held at the Hikawa Kaikan, near the kurazukuri (old warehouse-style buildings) area that is the most popular tourist spot. Why not take an evening stroll around the area, which holds many authentic restaurants, cafés, and bars, after the reception? Western Saitama, which includes Kawagoe, is home to numerous tourist attractions and resorts, which I hope participants will be able to enjoy. Chichibu and other interesting destinations are not far away.

Saitama whether in July is extremely hot and humid. However, although I know this might be a strain on participants, we are preparing a welcome that will far outweigh the effort involved. I look forward to seeing as many people as possible there.

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