Access and Hotels

Venue

  The conference will be held at the Science Seminar House, Kyoto University. Kyoto is often called the "Japanese heartland", and it is said that it is impossible to know the real Japan without knowing Kyoto. For over 1,000 years, Kyoto was the capital of Japan, the heart of culture and politics. Furthermore, Kyoto is unique within Japan in that it was virtually untouched during World War II, leaving a myriad of temples, shrines and a castle intact. This legacy has been recognized by UNESCO, which has designated seventeen separate sites within Kyoto's borders as World Cultural Heritage sites.

  Natural scenery, temples, shrines, towns and houses intermingle with a poignant historical beauty in Kyoto. Tea ceremony, Japanese flower arrangement, Nishijin-brocade, and many other unique Japanese traditional cultures and industries continue to thrive in Kyoto.

Weather
  Average temperatures in late October in Kyoto range from a high of 21 degrees to a low of 10 degrees – in autumn.

Travel Information

Japanese Map

@ From Kansai International Airport (KIX) to Kyoto Station

  • Take Kansai Airport Express train "Haruka" operated by West Japan Railway Company. The station is in the airport. It runs every 30 minutes and takes about 80 minutes to Kyoto station. The reserved seat ticket costs 3,170-3,570 yen (variable by season), and the non-reserved seat ticket 2,850 yen.
  • Airport Limousine bus service to "Hachijo" Exit of Kyoto station is available. It runs about every 20-30 minutes. and takes about 90 min.. The cost is 2,550 yen.
  • You can access directly to the registration desk by Shuttle Omnibus service. The cost is 4,200 yen. Please refer to the links below for more detailed information and reservation.

Kansai Airport website: http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/index.asp

@ From Osaka International (Itami) Airport (ITM) to Kyoto Station

  • There existsAirport Limousine bus service to "Hachijo" Exit of Kyoto station at every 20 minutes. The bus stop is in front of the airport exit. It takes about 50 min., and the cost is 1,310 yen.
  • You can access directly to the registration desk by Shuttle Omnibus service. The cost is 2,900 yen. Please refer to the link below for more detailed information and reservation.

Osaka Airport website:http://www.osaka-airport.co.jp/en/

@ From Kyoto station to Kyoto University

  • The bus terminal (Map including Japanese) is just outside of the north exit of the station. From bus stop No."A2" of the terminal, you should get on the city bus of Route No.17 for "Ginkakuji and Kinrin Shako" (Timetable ). It runs about every 15 minutes. You get off at "Kyodai-Noougakubu Mae" bus stop. It takes about 35 min., and the cost is 230 yen which you pay on your getting off. The bus has an English voice/character guide, but you should not expect that the driver understands English.
Kyoto Map
  • You can most easily come to the Science Seminar House by taking taxi. Taxies are always waiting for passengers just outside of the both "Main" (called "Karasuma") and "Hachijo" Exits of the station. Please show the "Kyoto Univ. Area Map" on the back cover to the taxi driver. It takes about 20 min. and the cost is about 2,000 yen. No tipping is necessary in Japan.
Kyoto University Area Map

Hotel Information

  Following is a list of URLs where you can find and make reservation of your hotel room by yourself. (There must be many other URLs.)

icon http://japantraveleronline.com/
icon http://www.jtbgmt.com/services/accommodations.html
icon http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/
icon http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g298564-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki-Hotels.html
icon http://www.expedia.com/
icon http://www.asiarooms.com/
icon http://www.asiahotels.com/

Practical Information

Currency and Money Exchange
The unit of Japanese currency is "yen". There are four kinds of bills (10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, 2,000 yen, 1,000 yen) and six kinds of coins (500 yen, 100 yen, 50 yen, 10 yen, 5 yen, 1 yen). Only Japanese yen (JPY) is acceptable at ordinary stores and restaurants. The exchange rate of Japanese yen is about 108-113 yen to one US dollar as of April 2017. You can buy Japanese yen at international airport exchange centres or at authorized city banks in Japan.

VAT
VAT (value added tax) of 8% may be excluded in some goods purchased in Japan.

Traveller's Checks and Credit Cards
Traveller's checks are accepted only by airport, leading banks, and major hotels; and the use of traveller's checks is not popular in Japan. VISA, MasterCard, Diners Club, and American Express are widely accepted at shops and restaurants in urban areas. Many ATMs in Japan do not accept foreign credit cards for cash advances. We recommend you to exchange your currency into yen when you arrive at the Kansai (KIX) or Itami (ITM) airport or obtain yen in your own country.

Visa
A visa is required for citizens of countries that do not have visa-exempt agreements with Japan. Please contact the nearest Japanese Embassy or Consulate for visa requirements. Detailed information is available through the Web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html. For those who need invitation letters for visa arrangements, please contact the LOC.

Electricity
Electricity is supplied at 100 volts, 60 Hz AC in western Japan including Kyoto and Osaka.