Access and Hotels

Updated: Hotels are indicated on Google Map >>

1. Venue

  The conference will take place at the Kyoto University Clock Tower Centennial Hall on the main campus of Kyoto University, which is located at the north-east part of the city. 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 early September in Kyoto range from a high of 30 degrees to a low of 20 degrees – still in summer and good for drinking beer at the restaurant on a river in downtown area.


2. Travel Information

Access to Kyoto

From Kansai International Airport (KIX) to Kyoto Station

  1. Take Kansai Airport Express train "Haruka" operated by West Japan Railway Company . The station is in the airport. It runs every 30 - 60 minutes and takes about 75 minutes to Kyoto station. The reserved seat ticket costs 3,290 or3,690 yen (variable by season), and the non-reserved seat ticket 2,980 yen.
  2. Airport Limousine bus service to "Hachijo" Exit of Kyoto station is available. It runs about every 30-50 minutes. and takes about 90 min.. The cost is 2,500 yen.
  3. You can access directly to the registration desk by Shuttle Omnibus service. The cost is 3,500 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

  1. There exists Airport 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 1,280 yen.
  2. You can access directly to the registration desk by Shuttle Omnibus service. The cost is 2,300 yen. Please refer to the link below for more detailed information and reservation.
  3. MK Skygateshuttle

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

From Kyoto station to Kyoto University

  1. 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 in which blue, green and red columns show the schedule on Weekdays, Saturdays and Holidays, respectively). It runs about every 15 minutes. You get off at "Hyakumanben" bus stop. It takes about 35 min., and the cost is 220 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


  2. You can most easily come to the clock tower 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


3. 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/

The registration system is available from http://lhweb.jp/knt/wds2011/index.html

hotel map

View WDS2011 Kyoto -Access and Hotels- in a larger map

Download KML/KMZ files. icon KML file. icon KMZ file.
(You can load this map into Google Mobile Maps on your mobile phone.)


4. 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 81-84 yen to one US dollar as of March 2011. You can buy Japanese yen at international airport exchange centres or at authorized city banks in Japan.

VAT
VAT (value added tax) of 5% is included in all 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.