Fukuoka University Hospital

Today, we began our first full day in Hakata City, Fukuoka beginning with a tour of the new, state-of-the-art Fukuoka University Hospital, which just opened on May 7th, 2024. We spent some time with the gracious team of Orthopaedic surgeons there, led by Tetsuro Ishimatsu, who showed us around the immaculate new inpatient units where we met some Orthopaedic patients who were recovering from surgery. We learned more about the Japanese healthcare system and discussed the dramatic difference in hospital length of stay between the two countries, with the average stay in Japan being about 2 weeks.

The Hospital is in a stunning setting on the main campus of Fukuoka University, giving it a vibrant atmosphere with a strong focus on academics.

Next, we were driven to downtown Fukuoka to visit the Fukuoka City Museum, which is a beautiful facility that illustrates the history of the region as the hub of international relations for Japan over many centuries, especially with establishing trade connections between Korea and China. This history has set the stage for Fukuoka being a very cosmopolitan city and an important port to this day.

We also learned about the cultural history of Fukuoka including the tradition of The Hakata Gion Yamakasa, a yearly event in July, when a race is held with many people carrying large floats. The origin of this festival dates back to 1241, when the founder of Joten-ji temple, monk Enni had people carry him around the town on a float, while praying to get rid of the plague – which is considered to have been successful.

We then visited Fukuoka Sky Tower with spectacular views of the coastal city, and then went on to a fantastic sushi lunch, taking this time to get to know our colleagues and new friends from Fukuoka University.

Our day came to a close with a dinner reception hosted by the Japan Orthopaedics and Traumatology Foundation (JOTF) and SICOT. This was a great event which highlighted the importance of this Foundation in supporting young researchers in Japan. We also learned that the SICOT meeting will return to Kyoto in 2026 after 40 years!