Useful Information

General Information:

PASSPORT AND VISA

Without a legal visa, foreign participants may be denied entry into Japan. Please contact your nearest Japanese embassy in order to ensure entry. In some cases it may take two months to obtain a legal visa. The following Web page of Japanese embassy may be helpful.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/

Please Help to Prevent the Spread of Swine Flu(H1N1)!

The organizer will provide an antiseptic hand-wash area in the venue.
Please help our efforts by washing your hands and covering your mouth when coughing.
If you have a fever or are not feeling well, please see a doctor as soon as possible and refrain from attending the conference

INSURANCE

The organizer cannot accept responsibility for accidents that might occur. Delegates are encouraged to purchase travel insurance before leaving their home country. Insurance plans typically cover accidental loss of belongings, medical costs in case of injury or illness, and other possible risks of international travel.

CLIMATE

The temperature in Yokohama during the period of the Congress ranges between 18-25 degrees Celsius.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE

Only Japanese yen (JPY) is acceptable at regular stores and restaurants. Certain foreign currencies may be accepted at a limited number of hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops. You can buy yen at foreign exchange banks and other authorized money exchangers on presentation of your passport.

TRAVELER’S CHECKS AND CREDIT CARDS

Traveler’s checks are accepted only by leading banks and major hotels in principal cities, and the use of traveler’s checks in Japan is not as popular as in some other countries. VISA, MasterCard, Diners Club, and American Express are widely accepted at hotels, department stores, shops, restaurants and nightclubs.

TIPPING

In Japan, tips are not necessary anywhere, even at hotels and restaurants.

ELECTRICITY

Electric current is uniformly 100 volts, AC, throughout Japan, but with two different cycles: 50 in eastern Japan including Yokohama and Tokyo, and 60 in western Japan including Kyoto and Osaka. Leading hotels in major cities have two outlets of 100 and 220 volts but their sockets usually accept a two-leg plug only.

SHOPPING

Shops and other sales outlets in Japan are generally open on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays as well as weekdays from 10:00 to 20:00. Department stores, however, are closed on one weekday, differing by store, and certain specialty shops may not open on Sundays and national holidays.

Banks

Around the conference area, there are post offices and convenience stores which allow international ATM withdrawals.

Banks

Bank of Yokohama Head Office: Near the Sakuragicho Station, 15min walking distance from the conference venue
Teller window: 9:00-15:00 (Monday to Friday)
Tel: 045-225-1111
Citibank Yokohama Branch: Yokohama Station West Exit
Teller window: 9:00-15:00 (Monday to Friday)
Tel: 045-314-0716

ATMs

Japan Post Bank (JP Bank): Queen’s Square YOKOHAMA 1F
9:00-19:00 (Monday to Friday)
Bank of Yokohama Head Office: Near the Sakuragicho Station, 15min walking distance from the conference venue
7:45-21:00 (Monday to Friday)
9:00-21:00 (Saturday and Sunday)
Citibank Yokohama Branch: Yokohama Station West Exit
24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Daily Yamazaki (Convenience Store): Exhibition Hall 1st Floor
7:00-23:00, 365 days a year (Japanese Bank/Credit Card only)

Temporary Childcare Service

Kid's Square

Kid's Square (in Pan Pacific Yokohama Bay Hotel) is the nearest childcare service from Pacifico Yokohama.
Please contact directly. TEL/FAX: 045-640-6008
Website: http://www.alpha-co.com/english/ks01_yokohama.html

Sightseeing:

CHINA TOWN

Being the largest Chinese settlement in Japan, Chinatown is always alive with people who come to enjoy Chinese food. It is also a fun place for shopping or just walking around its many streets and alleys lined with colorful restaurants, shops overflowing with Chinese goods and stores that sell exotic ingredients and Chinese medicines.

LANDMARK TOWER

296 meters high with 70 stories above ground and three levels underground. It is Japan's tallest skyscraper. A 40-second ride on the world's fastest elevator skyrockets you to the 69th floor's Sky Garden, the highest observatory in Japan.
Hours: 10:00-21:00 Admission:1,000yen
Access: 3 min. walk from Minato-mirai Station

SANKEIEN GARDEN

A purely Japanese-style landscape garden. Accenting the main garden is an impressive three-story pagoda and graceful garden bridges. Inside contains several old houses and farm buildings as well as Important Cultural Properties such as Rinshunkaku Villa and Chosukaku House.
Hours:9:00-16:30 Admission:500yen
Access: From Sakuragicho Sta., take Bus No.8 or No.125 to Honmoku-Sankeien-mae.

MARITIME MUSEUM

The site of the previous Nippon Maru, the former training ship for Japan's Maritime Defense Force. The Yokohama Maritime Museum, which specializes in ports and ships, is located next to the Nippon Maru.
Hours: 10:00-17:00 (Closed Monday) Admission: 600yen
Access: 5 min. walk from Minato-mirai Station