The joint meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) and the Acoustical Society of Japan (ASJ), held in Honolulu in December 2025, was a welcoming gathering for the international acoustics community. This joint congress happens only once every ten years, making it a rare opportunity for researchers, consultants, and students from both societies to come together, reconnect, and exchange ideas. Hosting the meeting in Hawaiʻi—literally and figuratively a bridge between the two countries—added to the collaborative and relaxed atmosphere.

Across the week, a wide range of ASA and ASJ technical committees organized sessions that showcased the diversity of acoustics research and practice. These included:

• Architectural Acoustics
• Noise
• Physical Acoustics
• Psychological and Physiological Acoustics
• Speech Communication
• Musical Acoustics
• Computational Acoustics
• Engineering Acoustics
• Education in Acoustics
• Structural Acoustics and Vibration
• Underwater Acoustics
• Signal Processing in Acoustics
• Biomedical Acoustics
• Animal Bioacoustics
• Acoustical Oceanography

Together, these sessions reflected the breadth of the field—from fundamental physics to human perception, from engineered systems to the natural environment.

One such session was organized by the Architectural Acoustics Technical Committee and focused on the Advances in Absorption Measurement and Design. Presentations explored how these materials are evaluated in the lab, how they are specified and integrated into buildings, and how they ultimately shape the acoustic experience of everyday spaces. This session was co-chaired by Jim DeGrandis (Acoustics First Corporation) & Daniel Robinson (Sublime) from the ASA, as well as Toshiki Hanyu (Nihon University) and Tetsuya Sakuma (The University of Tokyo) from the ASJ.

A highlight of the session was a three-part breakdown of a developing Japanese acoustics standard for general spaces—such as lobbies, sporting facilities, and multipurpose rooms. The proposed standard is being informed by the well-established German DIN 18041 room acoustics standard, with thoughtful adaptations for Japanese building practices and cultural expectations. The presentation sparked lively and friendly discussion, illustrating how international collaboration can help refine tools and standards that benefit practitioners worldwide.

Overall, the session captured the spirit of the once-a-decade ASA–ASJ meeting: technically rigorous, openly collaborative, and genuinely enjoyable.