Q1: Can we visit KAGRA?
Q2: How can we sleep in the Japanese-style room?
Q3: How will the poster sessions be?
Q4: Where can we go for lunch?
Q5: Where can we go for sightseeing?
Q6: Is there a private bathroom in the room?
Q7: Is there a coin laundry in the hotel?
Q8: How can we connect to the internet in the hotel?
Q9: Do you have a day-care center for small children?
Q10: I need an invitation letter to get a visa. Who shall I contact with?
Q11: Is there a discount train ticket for oversea visitors?
Q12: Can I buy a prepaid SIM card in Japan?
Q1: Can we visit KAGRA?
- Yes. KAGRA tours are scheduled on the 27th and the 29th. The participants of the conference are split to two groups according to the capacity of the tour. Each tour starts at 12pm. We charter a bus and bring a bento lunch-box to save time. It takes 1.5 hours to go to Kamioka and prepare to enter the mine. We will see the KAGRA site as well as the CLIO and SuperKamiokande facilities within 2 hours. The tour bus will come back to the Hida Hotel at around 5pm. See the detail here. The rules for visitors in the Kamioka observatory is here.Clothes and shoes in the mine
Due to the condition in the mine, you need to wear work clothes and boots. Please check out the photos!
Q2: How can we sleep in the Japanese-style room?
- A serving person will make your futons on tatami while you are having dinner. Futon is comfortable without a mattress but some people from western countries may feel a futon harder than a bed. At most 7 people can stay in a Japanese-style room.Q3: How will the poster sessions be?
- The poster sessions will be held while a half of the participants are on the KAGRA tour. Posters will be displayed in a small meeting room, which will be also used for coffee breaks. The size of each poster panel is 1200mm(h) x 1800mm(v).
Q4: Where can we go for lunch?
- There are many restaurants for lunch: Japanese, Italian, French, soba noodle, ramen noodle,etc. Meanwhile, you will find small shops for snacks: dumplings, steamed buns, skewered beef, etc.Q5: Where can we go for sightseeing?
- The lunch time is for four hours. In the four hours, you can visit, for example, a world heritage Shirakawa-go, or an open-air museum Hida Village. Walking around in the Takayama city will be certainly interesting as well. The hotel provides a rental bicycle (300 JPY per an hour).Q6: Is there a private bathroom in the room?
- Yes, there is a bus tab with shower in each room.
Q7: Is there a coin laundry in the hotel?
- No, but there is a coin laundry near the hotel.Q8: How can we connect to the internet in the hotel?
- In the room, you can connect to the internet via a LAN cable. In the reception area and in the conference hall, you can find the wireless network. Note that there is no wireless in the room.Q9: Do you have a day-care center for small children?
- Yes, we have a baby-sitting service at the Hida Hotel. The fee will be supported by the conference unless there are too many babies. If you would like to use the service, please email us with the name/age of the baby and the days/hours of use.Q10: I need an invitation letter. Who shall I contact with?
- Please contact with Ms. Rie Kikuchi (ICRR) by email.Q11: Is there a discount train ticket for oversea visitors?
- Yes. Japan Railways (JR) offers a discount ticket for oversea visitors. You have to book it before departing your country. Please see here.Q12: Can I buy a prepaid SIM card in Japan?
- For those who wish to use your smart phone in Japan, you can get a prepaid SIM card from here. Click "Product Details." Our frequent visitors to Japan have good experiences with the 1GB SIM. You can order online, and pick it up at most airports, from a post office inside it. Although the SIM allows the use of only data i.e. you cannot make a phone call, it may be useful for you. [information from Fumiko Kawazoe] © Somiya Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology