First of all, I would like to thank Kanazawa University and Prof. Takahashi for providing such a wonderful opportunity, and Professor Kawasaki, Prof. Hanayama and Prof. Yaegashi. At the same time, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the Pavlov First St. Petersburg State Medical University for their warm reception.

This time we visited St. Petersburg in mid-September when the weather was good. While Japan was in the midst of hot summer, the temperature in St.Peterburg was about 10 ℃, so I arrived with anxiety about the temperature difference. But it was cool rather than cold, a very comfortable climate. Arriving at night, the beautifully illuminated cityscape was impressive, and I was looking forward to staying there for a couple of days.

In the hospital tour, we visited from the basic laboratory to the clinical ward. Even though the doctors were busy, it was very impressive that they explained each one carefully. Above all, when I visited my urology ward, I was very surprised to see that it was divided into chemotherapy, general urology, and stone treatment. Because there were many patients with stones, I thought that the stone ward was characteristic and highly specialized. The number of beds was also very high at 80, and I was able to see the height of activity.

At the Russian-Japanese Symposium, I think it was a very good opportunity for each of us to actively discuss. Urology was very happy to learn new markers such as new markers in high-risk prostate cancer and using lasers to treat infertility.

I was also blessed with the opportunity to visit St. Petersburg. The Hermitage Museum was wonderfully overwhelming for the appearance, and the interior decoration of each room in the museum was impressive. Needless to say, I couldn't appreciate all the works, so I wish I would come back to visit. The entire city of St. Petersburg was very beautiful and it was a lot of fun just taking a walk. I didn't know much about Russian food, but there were a variety of food such as Russian, Georgian, and Armenian, and I was surprised by how delicious they were. My favorite dish is borscht, and I loved it because it tasted nostalgic for the first time. I would like to make it in Japan too.

Finally, St. Petersburg was a beautiful, friendly and memorable stay. I hope that the medical exchange between Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University and Kanazawa University will continue to develop actively.