The 5th MSJ-SI
Mathematical Society of Japan
Seasonal Institute

Schubert Calculus


Top
Getting started
Culcure
Traveling basics
Access to OCU
Useful maps
Emergency contact
Internet, tel, etc
KKC (hotel)
OCU GuestHouse

Conference page
Megumi's (highly opinionated)

Guide to Japan for foreign participants

Getting started

  • Where is Osaka, anyway?

    Well, for starters, here's a map of Japan that shows Osaka in context.

    Osaka is one of Japan's major cities, known for its down-to-earth attitude and hearty working-class appetite (the Osakans are famous for their "kuidaore" attitude -- "Eat 'til you drop" -- and they eat well , and are proud of it). One of the major touristy attractions of Osaka is the Dotonbori, which is a hustle-and-bustle area in downtown Osaka where rows and rows of cheap eats, dives, noodle stands, and other no-frills but scrumptious eateries all loudly vie for your tastebuds. Osaka is on the main island of Honshu and is a few hours' Shinkansen ("bullet train") ride southwest of Tokyo.

    Osaka is very close to the ancient capital cities of Nara and Kyoto, so it would be very easy to "tourist around" these two ex-capital cities before or after the conference. (You can reach either Nara or Kyoto within an hour from Osaka.) Of the two, Nara is the older capital city, much more rural, and certainly less glamorous from a touristy point of view, but it has bucketloads of small hidden treasures if you take the time out to look for them; moreover, if you are a Buddhist-art and -architecture and -history buff, you really can't do better than Nara. Kyoto, on the other hand, is much more lively, has a red-light district, gives you a much higher chance of seeing a real geisha (I did, the last time I was there), is a truly urban environment but also has temples and shrines and museums on nearly every street corner (or so it seems), has an abundance of woefully expensive but utterly traditional Japanese craftwork shops, and its main Japan Rail train station alone is worth the visit (the train station is virtually a world unto itself).

    Of course, there's always Tokyo. But for that you're on your own (but see the guidebooks below).

  • Tourist guidebooks:

    Naturally, you should just go to a bookstore and find what you like, but here are my recommendations. The most sensible, all-around guidebooks to all of Japan that I have recently seen are

    • Frommer's guide to Japan, 7th edition,
    • The Rough Guide to Japan, 3rd edition.

    NOTE: although Japan is a first-world, generally safe, industrialized country, if you are (say) a North American, you WILL find that traveling in Japan is NOT like traveling in (say) western Europe. In particular, Japan does NOT, as a whole, ``cater'' to Western travelers nearly as much as you might expect. And most Japanese do NOT speak English. And many Japanese signs (at train stations, roads, etc) are ONLY in Japanese, with no English or even any Romanization. PLEASE please read the cautions and preparatory material in the above guidebooks carefully and thoroughly while planning your travels and before arrival!

  • Buying airline tickets:

    Probably, what I'm about to say will only apply to those of you living in major cities with a sizeable Japanese population. But, if you're lucky enough to live in such a place, it is absolutely worth your while to check your local Japanese tourism companies in addition to the obvious Internet travel sites; the specialized Japanese tourist places often have special discount deals for Japanese families going home to Japan for the summer holidays. For example, I often see such very low rates (sometimes nearly 40 percent off of the regular prices that one finds on-line) advertised in the Japanese-Canadian newspapers here in Toronto.

  • Visa information:

    Many countries (62, in fact) have reciprocal visa-exemption agreements with Japan, so citizens of these countries do not need to obtain a "Temporary Visitor Visa" to Japan before arrival (you will be issued one upon arrival). The Japanese embassy explains that these Temporary Visitor Visas are "for sightseeing; visiting relatives, friends or acquaintance; attending conferences; participating in business meetings or atheletic tournaments and so on."

    Here are some websites where you can obtain more information.

    • Find out whether your country has a visa-exemption agreement at this website.

  • The Japan Rail Pass:

    If you intend to tourist around Japan either before or after the conference for at least a week, then GET THE "JAPAN RAIL PASS" -- it's the best deal in the country. There are 7-day, 14-day, or 21-day options, and they give you unlimited access to all JR trains except the super-fast Nozomi Shinkansen ("Bullet Train") for the duration of your pass. This last exception regarding the Nozomi isn't a serious limitation, since you DO get unlimited access to the Kodama Shinkansen and the Hikari Shinkansen, the latter being nearly as fast as the Nozomi -- it just makes a handful more stops en route, making travel time an epsilon amount longer. Just one ride on a Bullet Train costs a bundle, so if you catch just a couple of rides, you'll already be saving loads of money.

    To find out more about Japan Rail routes, maps, and other general information, check the Japan Rail homepage.

    Note that you MUST PURCHASE an "Exchange Pass" for a JR Pass BEFORE arriving in Japan, because a JR Pass is only available overseas (it's only meant for tourists; your average Japanese person isn't allowed to buy it). You can buy it through most travel agencies. Then, upon arrival, you can exchange your "Exchange Pass" for the real thing at the JR office at the airport (such offices exist both at the Narita International and Kansai International Airports). You will need to present your passport in addition to your Exchange Pass in order to receive your Pass.

    Find out more details about the JR Pass in any tourist guidebook, or check out this JR webpage.

    Once again: you MUST purchase an "Exchange Pass" before arrival in Japan.

  • "Will I be bankrupt after I visit Japan?"

    Japan has a long-standing reputation of being horrendously, inhumanely (?) expensive. No doubt about it, it's not like visiting a third-world country. Nevertheless, it IS possible to "do Japan" on a tight(er) budget, if you're willing to do a little research and a bit of extra legwork. (Also, keep in mind that Japan has been suffering from "deflation" for many years now, so Japan is much more affordable than it used to be in the heydeys of the Bubble.) To be more specific: for example, Youth Hostels in Japan usually have no age restrictions, so anyone can stay there, and they are usually well-kept, well-lit, clean, and comfortable places to stay. (But you should check beforehand whether the hostel requires an international hostel membership card.) Just as an example, check out the prices at Utano Youth Hostel, a hostel in Kyoto; an adult can share a room for one night for 2500 JPY. Also, the Japanese people's standards for food is such that even a bowl of street-vendor noodles, a plate of "fast-food" curry, or a "bento box lunch" that you can get at a train station, any of which you can get for about 400 to 900 JPY, are often above the quality of anything you'll find in (say) North America.