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About Kobe

The center of Kansai (Osaka bay area) consists of three big cities, which are Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. These three cities are in commuting distance and each city has different characters. To come to Kobe from abroad, we recommend to take a direct flight which arrives at the Osaka (Kansai) international airport (KIX) and take a limousine bus to Sannomiya (downtown of Kobe).

Here are links to tourist agencies of Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto.

Access

Preparations

We recommend you to make money exchanges at the airport. Rates are the same with banks in downtown. You can also make money exchanges in some banks in Sannomiya area ( google map ). Most bank ATM's will not accept your ATM card, but cashing machines of credit card companies may accept your card. (Please check on these things for your bank or card companies.) You can find cashing machines at Sannomiya area. The center street in Sannomiya area is a shoping mall with a roof. The entrace is the south of the sannomiya station and is near the building with the sign OIOI Kobe Marui. Banks and cashing machines are near the entrance.

Japan uses AC power plugs of the type A, which is also used in US. The voltage is 100V. Most laptop computers will work with 100V, but it is hard to buy a plug converter from other types to the type A, once you have arrived in Japan. Do not forget to bring a plug converter!

How to come to Kobe downtown (Sannomiya)?

If you arrive at the Kansai (Osaka) international airport (KIX), take a limousine bus to Kobe (Sannomiya). The bus stops near the Sannomiya station. Please look up this for details.

If you stay at the Toyoko-Inn Sannomiya No.2, the hotel is near the bus stop. See the map (hand written) and the video

How to come to the conference place?

ICMS2010, Kobe is going to be held in the building Z of the faculty of science (No.12 in the map), Kobe University ( Campus map ). You can come to the building Z by following the 3 steps. It will take about 30 minutes.
  1. Go to the Hankyu Sannomiya station (wikipedia): map (hand written) and video (Toyoko-Inn Sannomiya No.2->Hankyu Sannomiya station ).
  2. Take a Hankyu local train bound for Umeda (downtown Osaka): video (Hankyu Sannomiya station -> Kasugano-michi stn -> Oji-koen stn -> Hankyu Rokko station). The ticket price is 180yen.
  3. Go to the Kobe University from Hankyu Rokko station by taxi or bus (No.36, 200yen) or by walk: map (hand written) and video (from Rokko station to building Z).
    When you take a bus, get off at the 3rd stop (Shindai-bunri-nougakubu mae).

If you come from different places or want to know more details, please look up "Travel guide to the Department of Math., Kobe Univ."

Note 1: If you firstly come to the university, we recommend to take a taxi from Hankyu Rokko station. The cost will be about 680yen (small sized car). If you share the taxi with other participants, it will be cheaper than taking a bus (200yen). The campus is big and the taxi driver needs to know which place he should go. Show this map and instruction to the driver .
Note 2: Ticket vending machines work with the order (1) insert money (2) press the ticket price or the destionation (3) issue a ticket. The order is not (2), (1), (3), which is common in Europe and in north America.
Note 3: Any city bus has a money changing machine, which accept 1,000 yen bills. It does not accept 5,000 yen or 10,000 yen bills.
Note 4: Buses from Hankyu Rokko station might be very crowded. In this case it will be a good idea to take a bus No. 36 from JR Rokko-michi station where you can go from Sannomiya by the JR line.
Note 5: In order to buy a prepaid card for Hankyu lines and buses, please look up this .

Download this guide, map, and movies in zip file.

FAQ

  • Q. The airfare is too expensive.
    A. At the beginning of June, I found (direct) round trip tickets Europe/Osaka about 1,000 euros. (The carrier of this airfare was the Finair.) If the price is far from it, please try again to find a less expensive ticket, but prices are changing day by day. The plan of leaving on the weedend is usually expensive. It may be a good idea to extend your stay to avoid the weekend-leaving if your schedule allows it.
    The airfare to Tokyo is less expensive in general and the airfare North America/Osaka is also less expensive. Flights via the mid east from Europe are less expensive, but it will be a little exhausing.
    If you do not have a connection flight from Tokyo to Osaka, you need to take a train. The cost of the train from the Narita airport (Tokyo international airport) to Kobe via the downtown of Tokyo is 9,560yen + (the price of the express tickets), which will be about 16,000 yen (one way). You can buy train tickets at the Narita airport station (JR, Japan Railway).
    Other way to come to Kobe is (1) to go to the Haneda airport in the downtown of Tokyo by a train (Keikyu Railway) from Narita and (2) to take an airplane to the Kobe airport, which can be reserved from the skymark airline (web reservation) . The total cost will be about 15,000 yen (one way).