The City of Tokyo and ClimateTokyo, the capital of Japan and the center of national administration, education and finance, is a highly developed metropolis, similar to New York and London. Tokyo Bay opens to the east and the Pacific Ocean; the fertile Kanto Plain lies to the north side of Tokyo. Tokyo has a population of 12.3 million. As people continue to flow into the city, surrounding cities and towns are changing into teeming residential areas. Tokyo is endowed with every modern convenience, enabling overseas visitors to feel at ease. It serves as the hub of a nationwide transportation system with an extensive network of urban trains and subways crisscrossing the city. Tokyo is a relatively safe city: participants should be able to walk safely on the street around the conference site late at night. The climate in late February/early March is cold, with the average high temperatures at 46ﾂｰF / 8ﾂｰC and the average low temperatures at 32ﾂｰF / 0ﾂｰC.
Passport and Visa RequirementsAll overseas visitors wishing to enter Japan require a valid Passport. Visa will also be required for participants coming from countries without visa exemption agreements with Japan. Participants requiring visas should apply well in advance to Japanese consular offices or diplomatic missions in their countries prior to making final travel arrangements with a travel agent. For more information about visas, please see http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html (The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan).
CurrencyThe currency used in Japan is yen. Bills come in units of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen, and coins in units of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 500 yen. The approximate exchange rate for U.S. $1 is 120 Yen. Foreign currency or traveler's checks can be changed to yen at major banks or airports. It is necessary to show your passport when changing traveler's checks. However, none of the hotels in which participants will be staying will change foreign currency or traveler's checks. Cash machines are not easily available, unlike in European or American cities. Furthermore, only Japanese yen is accepted at small local stores and restaurants. Therefore, we suggest that you bring sufficient yen with you, especially because the conference is held during the weekend when banks are closed. The banks are open from 9 am to 3pm weekdays.
Traveler's Checks and Credit CardsTraveler's checks are not popular in Japan. They are usually accepted only by leading banks and major hotels. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Diners Club cards are accepted at hotels, department stores, large shops, and restaurants. All accommodation facilities that participants will be staying in, except for the Sanjo Conference Hall and its Annex, accept major credit cards but not traveler's checks. However, small shops and restaurants around the conference site usually accept cash only.
Tax and TippingThere is no custom of individual tipping in Japan. Instead, a service charge will be included in the bill where applicable. A 5% sales tax applies to almost all consumer goods and services.
Transportation: From the Tokyo Narita International Airport to Conference Site/HotelsThe main international airport in the Tokyo area is the Tokyo Narita International Airport. In order to reach the conference hall and hotels, take the KEISEI line Skyliner express train to Keisei-Ueno station (about 70 minutes, US $20), which runs about every 40 minutes, and then get a taxi (about 15 minutes, US $10). We will have assistants at the Keisei-Ueno station in the afternoon and early evening on the 28th of February. Please look for people with a "RC28" sign. A map which can be given to the taxi driver is available for download in http://web.iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~rc28/map.html.
If you plan to arrive in Tokyo area through Haneda Airport, please contact the RC28 Tokyo meeting organizers in advance so that we can give you directions from Haneda Airport to the conference site/hotels.
KEISEI Skyliner timetableAccommodationsThe participants should have received notices about their accommodations by now, if they filled out the accommodation request. Please print relevant maps which show the exact location of your hotel (available from RC28 Tokyo Meeting website, map section). The participants are expected to arrive by the early evening of February 28th. Those who are assigned a room at the Sanjo Conference Hall or its Annex must arrive at the Sanjo Conference Hall for check-in by 19:30, the end of the reception, in order to receive keys to their room. Participants staying in other accommodations may go directly to their respective hotels.
All accommodation facilities where participants will be staying, except for the Sanjo Conference Hall and its Annex, accept major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Diners Club) but not traveler's checks. The participants who are staying at the Sanjo Conference Hall and its Annex must pay in cash (yen) when they register and receive their keys at the Sanjo Conference Hall.
For those staying at the Sanjo Conference Hall or its Annex, please be aware that (1) breakfasts are not served, (2) you must carry your own key to enter the buildings, and (3) the main gate of the Hongo campus closes at mid-night and the red-gate at 22:00, although the Tatsuoka gate which is next to the Sanjo Conference Annex is open 24 hours.
In the event of a hotel reservation cancellation, you must notify the RC28 Tokyo meeting organizers and also contact the hotel directly (or in the case of Sanjo Conference Hall/Annex, notifying the organizers of the RC28 Tokyo meeting is sufficient) two days before your arrival. If you cancel the day before your arrival, you will be charged 50% of the daily room rate. If you cancel on the reservation day, you will be charged 100% of the daily room rate. Please be aware of the time difference between Japan and your country when you have to cancel your reservation. The day before your arrival in Japan may mean two days before your arrival in your country due to the time difference.
(contact information)
Hotel Forest Hongo (Category A)
5-10-5 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
Tel (+81)-3-3813-4408
Fax (+81)-3-3813-4409
Email: forest_hongo@hsr-hq.co.jp
Homeikan Daimachi Annex (Category B)
6-16-4 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
Tel (+81)-3-3811-1186
Fax (+81)-3-3811-1764
Email: homeikan@nuc.odn.ne.jp
Sanjo Conference Hall and its Annex (Category C)
RC28 Tokyo Meeting Organizers
Tel (+81)-3-5841-4965
Fax (+81)-3-5841-4905, c/o Professor Hiroshi Ishida
Email: rc28@iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Hotel Tokyo Garden Palace (Category D)
1-7-5 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0034, Japan
Tel (+81)-3-3813-6211
Fax (+81)-3-3818-6060
Registration Fee and RC28 Membership FeeThere will be a registration fee of 10,000 yen (about US $83) which includes the cost of the conference dinner and excursion on 2 March. Because the restaurants at the Sanjo Conference Hall are closed during the weekend, we decided to order lunch boxes on 1 March (Saturday) and 2 March (Sunday) (2,000 yen or about US $16). Please be prepared to pay 12,000 yen in cash when you register at the Sanjo Conference Hall. Every additional person accompanying you to the conference dinner will be charged 8000 yen (about US $67), payable in cash only.
The participants who are not members of RC28, whose membership has expired, or whose membership is expiring this year are asked to pay the membership fee (US $80). There are three ways to pay the membership fee: (1) a check of 80 US dollars drawn from a U.S. local bank (payable to "RC28 of the ISA"), (2) payment in cash (80 US dollars), or (3) payment in cash in yen (equivalent of 80 US dollars plus transaction cost). We prefer that you pay the membership fee by a check, but other payment methods are accepted. Please notice that we do not accept credit card payment for the registration fee and the membership fee.
Plenary Session of the ConferenceThe plenary session will discuss the accomplishments and future of RC28, based on Michael Hout's paper, "WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED: RC28'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE." Please download and read Mike's paper which is available from our website (download PDF, DOC) prior to your arrival, so that you can participate in the discussion.
Conference PresentationEach paper is allowed about 30 minutes - 15-20 minutes presentation, 5 minutes comments by the discussant, and 5 minutes general discussion. Please prepare your presentation so that it will be 15-20 minutes. The Sanjo Conference Hall is equipped with OHP and Powerpoint presentation facilities. If you bring your own portable computer, please make sure that the type of electric plug and voltages/frequencies (Hertz) are compatible with those in Japan (100 voltage/50-60 Hertz). The Japanese type of electric plug can be found at: http://geo.ya.com/travelimages/electric-plugs.html.
You may need a plug adjuster and/or a power converter for your computer.
Internet Connection updated on Feb.21Neither the Sanjo Conference Hall nor your hotels have "high-speed internet connection." We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. We thus ask participants that they be prepared to be disconnected from the internet during the conference (e.g., set up an automatic out-of-office reply). However, we understand that some participants have urgent needs to have access to internet, so we will set up a room with computers in a research institute near the conference site for "high-speed internet access." The institute building is closed during the weekend, so access must be done on an individual basis. You may hock up your own computer to the institute's network by wire, provided that your computer has the correct electric plug and voltages/frequencies. There is an internet cafe in the neighborhood, but we cannot guarantee that you will be able to have access to your preferred site.
Except for the Homeikan Inn, other hotels including the Sanjo Conference Hall/Annex have phone cords that are not fixed to the phone. You may detach the line from the phone and plug it into the computer. We believe that the shape of the phone plug used in Japan is identical to that used in the United States. However, there is one thing you need to be aware about using the phone lines from the hotels. That is the cost. Phone bills are expensive in Japan, and hotels usually charge an addition of more than 30% of the already expensive regular phone charges. For example, using 30 minutes to access your local provider through hotel line may cost you more than two US dollars.
Local Shops and RestaurantsThere are a number of small shops and restaurants around the Hongo campus where the Sanjo Conference Hall is located. The package distributed at the conference will include a list of restaurants in the neighborhood. However, most restaurants do not have an English-language menu, and we strongly suggest that you go as a group and ask one of the Japanese participants to assist your group. Again small shops and restaurants accept payment by cash in yen only.
ExcursionWe plan to visit Meiji Jingu. Please see the following website:
http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/index.htm
Going Back HomePlease take a taxi from your hotel or the conference site to the Keisei-Ueno Station. You should be able to catch a taxi on the street or ask the front desk at the hotel. Take the KEISEI line Skyliner express train to the Narita Airport.
KEISEI Skyliner timetable:Access Between Hotels and the Sanjo Conference HallA (From Forest Hongo and Homeikan to Main Gate (seimon) of the University)
When you exit your hotels, turn left (Forest Hongo) or right (Homeikan Daimachi Annex) toward Hongo Dori Avenue. If you follow the small street in front of your hotel, you will hit a large street, Hongo Dori Avenue. You should be able to find the Main Gate immediately in front of the street (if you are coming from Forest Hongo), or towards the left of Hongo Dori Avenue (if you are coming from Homeikan).
B (From Main Gate to the Sanjo Conference Hall)
After entering the campus by the Main Gate, walk straight ahead on paved roads until you reach a large building with a clock at the top. Go along the right side of the building and follow the downhill slope and turn left. At the bottom of the slope you will find the Sanjo Conference Hall on the uphill slope to your right.
C (From Tokyo Garden Palace to Red Gate, University of Tokyo)
When exiting from the hotel, take right on the Hongo Dori Avenue towards the University of Tokyo. Pass five stop lights (third and fourth lights are on small streets) and the sixth stop light is in front of the Red Gate (akamon). The Gate resembles an old entrance to a temple and is colored red brown. This is one of the entrances to the Hongo Campus of the University and one of the ways to reach the Sanjo Conference Hall. It takes about 10-15 minutes from the hotel. (However, you can also enter the campus by the main gate, which is 300 meters further along Hongo Dori Avenue.)
D (From Red Gate to the Sanjo Conference Hall)
After entering the campus by the Red Gate, walk straight ahead for about 100 meters until you reach a garden. Turn left in front of the garden, and proceed on paved roads along the edge of a forest. Keeping the forest on your right for a few hundred meters, turn right at the northern end of the forest to a downhill slope, then right again after another few hundred meters. You will then see the Sanjo Conference Hall on the uphill slope, adjacent to the eastern edge of the forest.