Travel Information
Welcome to NARA
Nara, a beautiful ancient city of World Heritage, is located about 35 km east of Osaka and south of Kyoto. Nara is a city of cultural and historical importance in Japan, having been the capital of the country in 710-784 A.D. There are numerous temples, shrines, statues, carvings and paintings, many of which are well-preserved and designated as important cultural assets and national treasures. Nara-ken New Public Hall is situated in Nara Park, where you can also find famous historical buildings such as Todai-ji Temple, Koufuku-ji Temple, and Kasuga Grand Shrine. Nara park is also famous for its thousands of tame deer that roam freely.
Nara Prefecture 　http://www.pref.nara.jp/index-e.html
Nara City http://www.city.nara.nara.jp/english/index.htm
Access to Nara (PDF)
Transportation to Nara from abroad is shown in the following diagram. The most convenient means of transportation is to take a direct flight to the Kansai International Airport (KIX). From there, the simplest route to Nara is by the Airport Limousine Bus, which takes approximately 85 minutes to arrive at Nara Hotel and Nara Station (Kintetsu and JR lines). This costs \1,800 one way, per person. Buses depart from stop No.9 and are scheduled to depart approximately once every 60 minutes. Should there be any inquiries regarding access to Nara, please ask at the Information Desk at the airport on the first floor in front of the arrivals area.

Limousine bus time table

Kansai Airport＋Osaka Airport http://www.kate.co.jp/pc/english/english.html

From Nara Station, city bus numbers 2 or 6, or buses bound for Takabatake-cho may be taken to bus stop, “Daibutsu-den Kasugataisha Mae” (approximately a five-minute ride). From there it is only a three-minute walk to the Nara-ken New Public Hall (Shin-kokaido). Buses run every five minutes. The basic fare for a taxi is \590 per 1.5km. The cost of a taxi from JR Nara Station, or Kintetsu Nara Station to the Nara-ken New Public Hall (Shin-kokaido) should be around \680~\800.

　　Nara-ken New Public Hall　　　http://www.shinkokaido.jp

It is recommended that participants planning to travel in Japan purchase a Japan Rail Pass. This pass encompasses all JR trains including the Bullet train (Shinkansen) and the Narita Express. Please note that this pass must be purchased prior to arrival since it can not be purchased in Japan. The price for a 7-day pass is about \30,000.
Map of Central Nara

Electricity and Climate in Japan
The electricity of the “Kansai” area of Japan (where the conference site locates) is 100V, 60Hz. Shape of electrical outlets is “parallel” type. Check the type in your country and if the type is different, prepare the converters to connect your computers and other electric devices to the Japanese type outlets. End of March is the season of flowers in Japan. Attractive is the cherry blossom in that time. The temperature in Nara during the conference period will range between 15℃ during the day, and 7℃ at night, and the average humidity is 65%. The weather, however, is often unpredictable during this season, so sweater or light coat is recommended.

VISA Information

Note that visa is required for participants from several countries, such as P. R. China. Please check with your local consulate/embassy on the requirements, keeping in mind that obtaining a VISA can be a lengthy process. Those who need a letter of invitation to the conference must first register for the conference. To request a letter, please send the following items to pro-office@gavo.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp

(1) the confirmation email received upon registration to the conference
(2) a draft of the letter needed

Letters will be mailed after registration payment is received. If you are in rush, let us know the situation.

We received several requests of invitation letters from those who might have no plan to attend SP2004. So we decided the following rule:

  • We will respond to those who send a proof what he/she completed the payment of registration.
  • If you are the author of one of the submitted papers (regardless of acceptance, rejection), tell us so. Then, we will hear your requests.

Sorry for the inconvenience for those who are planning to really attend SP2004, but to respond “spam” mails now becomes a burden for us.