A festival of Hakozaki Shrine

This festival, named Nagoshi-Matsuri, is a relatively small one compared with other two major festivals of this shrine with long and distinguished history. The term 'Nagoshi' means 'living well and safely during summer', so this festival is to celebrate and pray our good health during hot and humid season of Fukuoka.
Unfortunately, we have had heavy rain during the last a few days. So some ceremony and their accompanying activity might be canceled. Today, we finaly had a sunny hours, and the festival became bit active and shops opend along with the approach path to the shrine seem busier, gathering kids and families.

Two travels in a week.

The last weekend, I flew to Tokyo to attend a seminar on HAE (Hereditary Angioedema, caused by genetic deficiency of C1INH, a complement regulatory protein also controlling many kinds of endogenous proteases). The main purpose of mine was to introduce the Complement Symposium to the attendee, but the contents of the seminar themselves were also very interesting to me. I was invited by the sponsor, being provided with air tickets and accommodation.


Mt. Fuji seen from the plane to Tokyo

Three days later (on Wednesday), I visited Jinju city in South Korea to give a lecture in a syposium entitled “Fish Defense Mechanisms against Invading Pathogens” held in Gyeongsang National University, and just came back to Fukuoka today (4 days trip). Almost all the speaker were from Japan, but their lectures were still interesting and informative for me. Mine was on the functional diversity of carp C3 isotypes mainly in biochemical aspects. Professors Tae Sung Jung and Takashi Aoki, the organizers, and their posdocs and PhD students showed maximum efforts in the symposium and also genuine hospitality for us. Their passion and consideration were impressive. Also impressive was an encounter with Ms. Rhoda Mae Cerbo, a secretary of the symposium. She turned out to be a graduate of Univ. Philippines School of Visayas, in which she had supervisors, Drs. Jp and Lani, my friends. I was realized again what a small world is it.


In a banquet, with Rhoda

In their lab on Vet. School, PhD students behaved politely, and they all were sufficiently good in communication with us in English (and also drank a lot!). I expect that the laboratories will develop to a COE for fish immunoogy/pathology, with much effort of those stuffs.
Jinju city is a medium sized calm city, as long as I felt, having the National University. We also visited College of Marine Science of the University and found beautiful new lab on fish pathology and marine life science. I hope we can develop fruitful collaboration on fish immune system in near future.

12th ISDCI congress is coming to Fukuoka

Finally it was decided. It'll be the first congress held in Asia, in 2012 July. I'll do my best, with collaboration with Japanese and international colleagues, for successful congress here.