Impressions of 54th General Assembly of JARM

Abstract

 The 54th General Assembly of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine was held in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on October 20 and 21. The autumnal air was crisp and refreshing. Presiding over this annual meeting was Dr. Shusuke Natsukawa, director of the Saku Central Hospital affiliated with the Nagano Prefectural Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives for Health and Welfare. Nagano, the venue for five annual congresses in the past including the monumental first one, played host to the latest event for the first time in 20 years. With “the return to the starting point of rural medicine” as its main theme, the 54th meeting was opened with the speeches and lectures by the General Assembly president and others. Symposia were so excellently performed and papers presented by JARM members were so rich in substance that, I think, the scientific meeting was very valuable for all the participants. Moreover, President Natsukawa and staff members of his hospital and the people of the Nagano Prefectural Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives for Health and Welfare showed warm hospitality to us so that the general assembly turned out to be an unforgettable heart-warming gathering.