It is a pleasure for all of us that the Asian Pacific Craniofacial Association Congress is held here in Nara city. I would like to express my sincere welcome to all of you as mayor of this city.

Since the Asian Pacific Craniofacial Association was established in 1996, this congress is held biannually to give an opportunity for the experts in each country to exchange and share their knowledge and information. This is the second time for Japan to host this conference since it was held in Tokyo in 2002.

In conclusion, I would like to say that Nara, the ancient capital of Japan, has been the spiritual root for Japanese people. Nara is the city where humans and nature have coexisted in harmony for over 1300 years, and blessed with many magnificent world heritage sites that Japan boasts to the world.

I hope you will fully enjoy staying in Nara at this time of the year.

Dear Colleagues,

It is a great honour for us to host The 11th Biennial Congress of the Asian Pacific Craniofacial Association & The 2016 (and 9th) congress of International Society for Simulation Surgery in Nara, Japan in December 2016.

This congress provides a forum in which the international leading experts from all over the Asian Pacific region and the world can present and discuss the latest topics of craniofacial surgery, giving a great opportunity for them to share the knowledge and experiences. The scientific arena of this congress is of fundamental importance in trying to innovate craniofacial surgery and step up again by all generations.

We are convinced that Nara, which is most traditional city on the center of Japan and recognized as a perfect location hosting conferences, can offer us the best scientific and social exchanging atmosphere. You can enjoy the fantastic shrines and temples built more than 1000 years ago when the emperor transferred the capital to Nara. Nara is located near Osaka and Kyoto, and you can also enjoy variety of Japanese scenery.

The train ride from Nara to Osaka or Kyoto takes approximately 30 minutes. The Kansai International Airport is very convenient to access to Nara from Asian Pacific region, having the low-cost airlines. We therefore encourage all colleagues from all over the Asian Pacific region and the world to attend and make this an unforgettable important and enjoyable meeting.

We look forward to enjoy having a pleasant last-autumn at the center of Japan with you.