We recommend that you check as soon as possible whether you need a visa for coming to Japan. See the page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for information on this. If you need a visa please send us the following information as soon as possible and by July 31 at the latest, so that we can send you the forms necessary for applying for a visa:

Except for invited speakers, the forms for the visa will be sent only after you register. See the registration page. There are no hotels close to the conference venue, Kyoto Sangyo University, but there are plenty of choices in downtown Kyoto. For a convenient commute to Kyoto Sangyo University (see below, Travel in Kyoto, for details), we recommend hotels in walking distance to the Subway Karasuma Line, e.g., either in the center around Shijo station and Karasuma Oike station, or around JR Kyoto station.

Kyoto is one of the main tourist destinations in Japan, and with the recent influx of foreign tourists, the city has become even more crowded. We therefore recommend that you make your hotel reservation as early as possible!

Train tickets (and tickets for airport limousine buses) are bought at vending machines outside the entrance/exit gates. If you need a receipt for refund of your travel expenses, use the receipt button when buying the ticket (the ticket itself will disappear once you exit the train system).

The fare for local buses (e.g. buses inside Kyoto) is paid when you get off. Please make sure you have exact change before boarding the bus. (Coins or 1000 yen bills can be changed at little machines next to the driver, but larger bills cannot.)

Since you will most likely often use trains, subways, and buses, you may want to buy an ICOCA Card. You can buy (and charge) it at ticket vending machines of train lines. There is a deposit of 500 yen, which will be refunded if you return the card. It can be used in particular for traveling to and from Kyoto, for buses and the subway in Kyoto, etc. As for normal tickets you can get a receipt from the ticket machine (for later refund) each time you charge the card.

For train (and bus) schedules in Japan we recommend Jorudan.

Arrival at Kansai International Airport

The closest and most convenient international airport is Kansai International Airport (KIX). From KIX there are three options for traveling to Kyoto, two by train and one by bus.

By train: The cheap option is to take the regular JR train to Kyoto. A one-way ticket is 1,860 yen. Take the Kanku-Rapid train for JR Osaka station and change there to the Special Rapid (Shinkaisoku) train to JR Kyoto. (Sometimes you have to change more than once.) This option takes about two hours. Trains are frequent.

The fast (and convenient) option is to take the Haruka train (still with JR). It is direct to JR Kyoto, takes about 1:20 h, and costs 3,060 yen (1,860+1,200) without seat reservation / 3,390 yen (1,860+1,530) with seat reservation. The Haruka runs every 30 minutes. (Note however that if you use the ICOCA Card (see above) for the Haruka train to go to Kyoto, you will still have to pay the extra charge for the express: 1,200 without reservation, 1,530 with reserved seat.)

NB: There are two train stations at KIX, the Nankai and JR stations (next to each other). Nankai is not convenient for traveling to Kyoto. Please make sure you go to the JR station.

By bus: Buses to Kyoto (to Hachijoguchi at JR Kyoto station) leave from bus stop 8 right outside Terminal 1 (almost all international flights arrive at Terminal 1; in the unlikely case you arrive at Terminal 2, you can take the same bus there). The fare is 2,800 yen for a one-way ticket and 5,100 yen for the round-trip (valid for 14 days). The trip takes about 1:30 h. Frequency depends on the time of the day, but there is roughly one bus every 30 minutes. See the timetable.

Arrival at another international airport

If you arrive at another international airport, like Haneda or Narita in Tokyo or Chubu in Nagoya, you may have a connecting flight to one of the three airports in the Kansai region, KIX, Osaka Itami Airport (ITM), or Kobe Airport (UKB), the most likely being ITM because it is the largest airport for domestic flights (it is also the closest to Kyoto). Here is the timetable for buses from Itami to Kyoto (Hachijoguchi); the fare is 1,500 yen, and travel time is about 50 minutes.

If you don't have a connecting flight, take a bus or train from the airport to the nearest Shinkansen station (e.g. JR Tokyo in case of Haneda or Narita, or JR Nagoya in case of Chubu), and then the Shinkansen bullet train to JR Kyoto.

A much cheaper alternative for traveling between Tokyo and Kyoto is the express bus (overnight options available as well). Most buses have to be reserved in advance. Reservations can be made for example on the Kosokubus page. (There are also other pages.)

More information can be found on the travel page of the local guide.

Travel in Kyoto (general)

For getting around Kyoto, use either one of the two subway lines (Karasuma Line and Tozai line), one of the train lines operating inside Kyoto (e.g. JR, Hankyu, Keihan), or a bus. Buses are usually slow (because of traffic jams) and crowded (because of the influx of tourists), so we recommend you use subway/train as much as possible. Unfortunately (since there are only two subway lines), there are many places in Kyoto that can only be reached by bus. Here are some maps, in particular the City Bus and Subway Route Map. See here for a simpler map with train and subway lines only.

The bus fare inside Kyoto City is 230 yen. The fare for subway/train depends on the distance traveled. There is also a subway and bus one day pass for 1,100 yen (2,000 yen for two days).

To Kyoto Sangyo University

Ideally, your hotel is located in walking distance to the Subway Karasuma Line, e.g. close to JR Kyoto or in the Shijo / Karasuma Oike area. (If not you may need to first take public transport to reach the Karasuma Line.)

Via Kitaoji: This is the most convenient option. Take the Karasuma Line bound for Kokusaikaikan, get off at Kitaoji, and change to City Bus Kita 3 (North 3) bound for Kyoto Sangyo University (KSU). The subway takes 13 minutes from JR Kyoto (9 minutes from Shijo), and the bus about 17 minutes. The fare is 490 yen (260 for the subway from either JR Kyoto or Shijo and 230 for the bus). Here is the bus schedule. Because of the summer vacation of KSU, the buses in parentheses are not running. See here for buses going back.

Alternatively, you may take a taxi from Kitaoji to KSU for about 1,500 yen. This may be a reasonable deal for a group of 3 or 4. There are always taxis waiting at the Kitaoji taxi stand.

Via Kokusaikaikan: Take the Karasuma Line till the end at Kokusaikaikan and then change to Kyoto Bus 40 bound for KSU. The subway takes 20 minutes from JR Kyoto, and the bus about 10. The fare is 520 yen (290 + 230). Here is the bus schedule. Because of the summer vacation, schedule B is the correct one. See here for buses going back.

NB: City Bus and Kyoto Bus are two distinct bus companies.

More information can be found on the travel page of the local guide.