Participation in the Japanese Congress and Yokohama Community: A Japanese Congress Reflection

Participation in the Japanese Congress and Yokohama Community: A Japanese Congress Reflection

　　From 2004 to 2010, I was an International Visiting/Adjunct Professor at YIC Rehabilitation College, Ube City. So it was good fortune that I could return to Japan after four years absence to renew friendships and enjoy Japan for a few days. The 16th International Congress of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists and the 48th Japanese Occupational Therapy Congress and Expo offered the perfect opportunity to combine meeting friends and acquaintances from other countries, attend stimulating continuing education sessions, and as the themes of the conference suggested, create future projects with colleagues.

　　I was very impressed with the opening ceremony and with the presence of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Their presence reflected the growing level of importance and stature of occupational therapy in Japan. Perhaps the best example of the important national contribution of Japanese occupational therapists was the individual efforts of practitioners and the Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists'（JAOT）response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. The day after the disaster, the JAOT established disaster headquarters and began the task of collecting information and decimating critical information for associations of effected prefectures. Subsequently financial support was garnered from throughout Japan, support to affected JAOT members was offered, a number of volunteer activities were initiated, occupational therapy interventions were offered to citizens affected by the disaster, all of which over the intervening years offered evidence of the dedication of JAOT and its members to the wellbeing of Japanese citizens.

　　From 2004 to 2010, I was an International Visiting/Adjunct Professor at YIC Rehabilitation College, Ube City. So it was good fortune that I could return to Japan after four years absence to renew friendships and enjoy Japan for a few days. The 16th International Congress of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists and the 48th Japanese Occupational Therapy Congress and Expo offered the perfect opportunity to combine meeting friends and acquaintances from other countries, attend stimulating continuing education sessions, and as the themes of the conference suggested, create future projects with colleagues.

　　I was very impressed with the opening ceremony and with the presence of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Their presence reflected the growing level of importance and stature of occupational therapy in Japan. Perhaps the best example of the important national contribution of Japanese occupational therapists was the individual efforts of practitioners and the Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists'（JAOT）response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. The day after the disaster, the JAOT established disaster headquarters and began the task of collecting information and decimating critical information for associations of effected prefectures. Subsequently financial support was garnered from throughout Japan, support to affected JAOT members was offered, a number of volunteer activities were initiated, occupational therapy interventions were offered to citizens affected by the disaster, all of which over the intervening years offered evidence of the dedication of JAOT and its members to the wellbeing of Japanese citizens.