Tour recap provided by Miho J. Tanaka, MD, Johns Hopkins Orthopaedic Surgery
We arrived in Hiroshima from Kobe after a short ride on the famous Japanese bullet train. The contrast of castles and modern architecture, set against the backdrop of the islands on the Pacific Ocean in this beautiful city impressed us greatly.
We met with Prof Adachi at Hiroshima University Hospital, and toured their facilities. The interior was modern and decorated like an art gallery.
We met with the physical therapists and had a great discussion regarding the use of functional measurements for sports performance optimization. We also visited their Sports Medical Center, which contained high-tech optical tracking equipment which they use for professional athletes.
The academic session included their entire department, and we had a great discussion with our hosts, who had authored some of the studies that we cited. Prof Ochi, the previous chairman of the department (who now serves as president of Hiroshima University), later joined us for discussion. The surgical observation included a double bundle ACL reconstruction, which led to an interesting discussion on ACL and knee kinematics.
On our last evening, we joined team physicians for the Hiroshima Carps professional baseball team at a game against the Tokyo Giants. Despite a forecast for rain, the weather turned out to be beautiful. We were amazed by unique and organized cheering as well as the incredible turnout for a Tuesday night game!
Our hosts treated us to more classic cuisine including teppan-yaki (which features a chef cooking in front of you at the table), authentic Japanese ramen dishes, and other local specialties. They also graciously arranged for a day trip to Miyajima island, where we saw the famous floating shrine.
During this trip, we had a great hike up to the top of Mount Missen, where we enjoyed an incredible view of Hiroshima and the surrounding islands.
We also took some additional time to visit the Atomic Bomb Dome, one of the remnants of the blast, and the Atomic Bomb Museum, which were sobering reminders of World War II. This was an important historical and cultural stop on the trip.
Miho J. Tanaka, MD
Johns Hopkins Orthopaedic Surgery
Learn More About Dr. Tanaka
AOSSM gratefully acknowledges DJO Global for their support of the Traveling Fellowship program.