Dear Colleagues
It is my great honor and pleasure to host the 51st annual meeting of PAPS at Sapporo, Hokkaido. In the past, the annual meeting of PAPS was held in Japan 5 times all in the western half of Japanese islands. This time, we have selected Sapporo, a northern city in Hokkaido as the venue city for the first time. Sapporo was developed during the relatively modern era in the Japanese history. It is a well-designed, beautiful, compact, and attractive city. The spring season begins in May in Sapporo. Many flowers, cool and pleasant wind, friendly people; everything is waiting for your visit there. At the same time, Sapporo is a business center in the northern district of Japan, therefore, Sapporo has very convenient traffic access and large capacity of accommodation for visitors. We aim to take these merit of Sapporo and prepare a meeting that is easy-to-attend and enjoyable for everyone including young colleagues. Around the venue site, there are many hotels that offer a comfortable room with a reasonable price. We are planning to set up a corner to experience traditional Japanese culture in the venue. Furthermore, a 30 minute drive would take you into the great nature of northern Japan, some of which we are going to visit in the conference tour.
I wish many people would attend the 2018 Sapporo meeting of PAPS, and enjoy the top science in pediatric surgery and also the incredibly beautiful scenery of Hokkaido. We are all looking forward to welcoming you; O-Mo-Te-Na-Shi in Japanese.
Tatsuo Kuroda
Local Organizing Chair