Live sports and in-person gatherings added to the feeling of normality as chamber events such as the ACCJ Charity Ball, which returned to its in-person format at the Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku, and the Tokyo and Kansai Shinnenkais kick off the year.

The intersection of health and technology has become an important part of my life. They say that when you turn 40 your body starts to fall apart. They also say that 40 is the new 20. I say that neither is true, not entirely, but as you age you do have to work harder to stay fit. In this issue of The ACCJ Journal, we embrace the vision, ideas, and creations of those entrepreneurs and companies who are developing solutions to the wellness challenges facing society.

For most of the past two years, we’ve been writing about overcoming the challenges of the pandemic. While the threat of Covid-19 continues, and will likely remain with us for a long time, we’ve adapted and are learning how to function and flourish in a changed world. This includes adjusting how we work. To explore this new reality, we’ve put together four features that focus on various aspects of work and the expectations now shaping the path to success. Plus, there's lots more in the spring 2022 issue of The ACCJ Journal.

Transitions have been a way of life over the past two years. The coronavirus pandemic has forced companies to rethink how they operate, how they manage staff and workflows, and how they communicate. The winds of change have also rustled through the pages of The ACCJ Journal. Since bringing the magazine in house at the start of this year, we’ve made some adjustments and additions that have allowed us to better meet the needs of chamber members and communications. This has been a prelude to a bigger shift.

Most members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) will agree that a greatly missed part of business life over the past two years has been meeting fellow professionals in person. I know that, as a writer and editor, covering the chamber’s events is a highlight of putting together each issue of The ACCJ Journal. It’s been a long road through the pandemic but, thankfully, the ACCJ is once again hosting in-person sessions. The number of these events is limited, but it is wonderful to see that opportunities for networking in the physical world are returning.