Mt.Tokachi-dake 2024!

by Kazu

It was so fine on that day. The shining sun rose from the hillside of Mt. Tokachi-dake on that day. Some campers were getting up and making coffee. Some trekkers left the accommodation with hot spring spa "Hakuginsou" and headed to the peak of Mt. Tokachidake. 

Some wild chrysanthemum were blooming beside the road on the hillside of Mt. Tokachi-dake and reflecting the bright sunshine. Other than joggers like me, nobody could recognize the pretty flowers.   

The adjacent mountains were also shining and the shadow of the ridge line clearly showed the sharp shape of the mountains and the art of the rainfall and winds. They are still living and continue to change the appearance. 

 

The Blue Pond in Biei Town 2024!

by Kazu

No sounds of cicadas in the woods surrounding the hidden gem Rokkasansou run by the confectionery Rokktei headquartered in Obihiro City. But this restaurant is in Furano City. Every year, we reserve a table for us two or three and savor the culinary delights amply.    

This iron figure at the entrance of this hidden restaurant in the woods receives us so nicely every year. It seemed to have been re-painted this year. But a different staff of the restaurant welcomed us this year. To be honest, we expected to see the same staff again but she moved to Rokkatei Campana in the same city. 

She treated us so nicely with pretty smile and hospitality for two years. She said that she had wanted to work in the restaurant and her dream came true. We are wondering if we would be able to find her in her new work space.

 

Lunch in Hidden Gem !

by Kazu

The main dish of the lunch course in Rokkasansou, the hidden gem in the woods run by the confectionery headquartered in Obihiro City , was beef stew or beef tongue stew or pork cutlet rice bowl on that day.

I chose beef stew and my wife went to beef tongue stew on that day. Both choices filled up our heart and stomach.  The crisp bread from the oven went well with the soup so much.  

As the hidden restaurant is run by the confectionery Rokkatei, the lunch course includes three kinds of desserts. The first dessert was the confectionery's flagship sweet Rokkatei Marusei Butter Sandwich namely butter cream and raisin cookie sandwich. Mango pudding and tiramisu followed. 

 

Rokka Sansou at the end of June, 2024!

by Kazu

 

Our annual visit and lunch in Rokka Sansou in Furano City run by the confectionery company Rokkatei headquartered in Obihiro City had made us looking forward to our pilgrimage in Tokachi Area of Hokkaido. We had worked so hard for that for a week. 

The bridge to the hidden gem in the woods made us thrilled and the wood chips on the bridge made our steps so comfortable. This is the border between the usual lives and separated gem area.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

The lunch course on that day was occidental cuisine. Boiled Furano pork topped with onion slices and chopped leek was the starter. It was so refreshing and tickle our appetite so much. The sauce seemed to be made with tomato, minced pork, red wine and onion. Onion soup followed the starter.

 

Suwa Shrine in Sapporo, 2024!

by Kazu

Suwa Shrine in Sapporo changed its decoration around the hand-washing area near the entrance of the premises. Pale blue umbrellas and flowers made us feel  comfortable even in hot summer.

The figure of dragon pouring water into the pool for hand-washing. A variety of flowers were floating on the water and refreshed  our souls. Japanese Buddhism "Obon" when the souls of the deceased come back to the existing world,  such decoration and lanterns are displayed around the Buddhist altar in each household in summer. I love that. 

 

Consadole Sapporo!

by Kazu

It has been a while since I enjoyed th professional football game last time. The soccer game Consadole Sapporo versus yokohama F. Marinos heated up in Sapporo White Dome which lost the professional baseball team Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters as it moved to Escon Ball Park in Kitahiroshima City.

The supporters of both team cheered up with some big drums, flags and their voices. We were overwhelmed by their enthusiasm during the game. The foods soled in the dome are comparatively not tasteful but all the audience fully enjoyed the game and their activity.
 

Rosa Hip !

by Kazu

This is the spearheading machine to conduct the joint replacement surgery, ROSA Hip. Dr. Arihiko Kanaji introduce this machine firstly in Asia and delivered the speech in this symposium and joined the panel.

It seemed that the angle of the artificial femoral joint head was crucial and femoral anteversion was discussed in the symposium. Spinopelvic relationship was also one of the items on the agenda. 

I  had to understand Antero Lateral Supine Approach but without the video presentation in the symposium, it was so difficult to understand what the Orthopaedicians were exerting efforts into.  

 

Zimmer Biomet !

by Kazu

I had not done research on the company Zimmer Biomet but I will get to know the company much better in the future. These tools and artificial parts of the replacement seemed so expensive but so functional. 

The parts  made of plastic or silicon may contribute to the smooth move of the joints. The parts made of titanium will not give the negative effects to the human body. 

State-of-the-art technology was used to make this artificial parts of the human joints but they should be replaced in ten years or more and fine-tuned.

 

State-of-the-art technology in Orthopaedic!

by Kazu

I got to know the name of this company for the first time in my life. I was asked to interpret in the interview with the participants from overseas to get the comments on the efforts exerted by Dr. Arihiko Kanaji spearheading the Total Hip Anthroplasty making the use of Rosa Hip.

These artificial femoral head of joints and the the tools to fix the to the natural bones looked so amazing and reliable. Even so, our natural joints given in our life are much better than them. 

I think they were developed and created from the goodwill but that costed a small fortune to fine-tune and customize for each patient.The patients can not afford to be cured by such high-tech surgery without insurance.

 

Joint Surgery !

by Kazu

In order to cure the disorders of femur joints, knee joints, a variety of replacements had been developed by several companies. I was so impressed the variety and preciseness of the artificial joints and bones.

It was interesting to see the bio hazard protector suit displayed in the venue. Tremendous amount of money moves in the world of medicine. The companies that sold a variety of tools, machines and gadgets were eager to appeal to the participants to the symposium.   

I could not understand what were the cutting edge of them but needless to say, they were spearheading the world of curing joint disorders. Orthopedic surgeons need to know the methods, tools and cares to ease the pain and improve the quality of life of the patients.     

 

Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Symposium 2024 !

by Kazu

An international medical symposium was held in Mercure Sapporo, former Hotel Royton Sapporo on June 15(Sat.) and 16(Sun.). The symposium on the second day started at 7:30 in the morning. The medical doctors seemed to be so busy.   

Dr. Arihiko Kanaji who is the front-runner of Total Hip Anthroplasty using the state-of-the-art robotics "Rosa Hip". Some devices of experiencing high-tech surgery were displayed outside of the venue of the symposium. 

Knee joint replacement surgery model was displayed outside of the ballroom in the hotel. It was so appealing and easy to understand. i was overwhelmed by the orthopedic-  related tools and systems as well as the participation fee for the symposium. It was 30,000 Japanese Yen.