Practical information for planning the trip

Kyoto survival guide for ACEI 2012 participants

The next international conference of the Association for Cultural Economics International will be held in Kyoto, Japan, in 2012. This page contains practical information for conference-goers about traveling to Kyoto and Japan, transport within the city, accomodation, sightseeing, where to find food and daily necessities, and safety after the March 2011 disaster in north-eastern Japan.

We recommend that ACEI 2012 participants bookmark the following Google map, which indicates all ACEI 2012-related locations in Kyoto and will be updated regularly with photos and information about interesting locations in Kyoto as well as practical information about hotels, places to eat near the conference, and so on.

Click here to view a larger version of this map with descriptions of all indicated locations.

If you have any questions or suggestions about the contents of this page, please send a mail to Nele Noppe at nele.noppe@gmail.com, or better yet, tweet to @ACEI2012. or, professor Nobuko Kawashima at kawashi@kta.att.ne.jp.

General information about traveling to Kyoto and Japan

General information on Kyoto and Japan can be found all over the internet, for instance via Japan Guide (detailed information about various sightseeing spots, events, access, accomodation, suggested side trips from Kyoto, special interest guides about topics such as shopping, museums, food) or Wikitravel (sightseeing spots, very detailed access information, accomodation and restaurant recommendations). These websites also offer general information about travel in Japan, food and drink, different types of accomodation, cellphone rental, and so on.

Transport

For transport from Kansai or Itami Airport, we highly recommend you take 'Skygateshuttle' services run by the MK Company. Mini-bus drivers will meet you at the designated airport and take you to the hotel (and vice versa). It is a very cost-effective and efficiently-run service. You need to make reservations on the website of the MK Company.
http://www.mk-group.co.jp/english/index.html

From Tokyo, Kyoto is most easily reached by the Tokaido Shinkansen trains, which depart from Tokyo and Shinagawa stations (both on the Yamanote line). For participants coming from outside Japan, Kansai International Airport in Osaka is the airport of choice. Osaka's other airport, Itami, is used mostly for domestic flights. Kansai Airport's website has plenty of information on customs procedures and finding your way around the airport. See also how to reach Kyoto from Kansai International Airport and how to reach Kyoto from Narita Airport (Tokyo).

Note that it is possible to enter and leave Japan via different airports, and travel between -for instance- Kyoto and Tokyo is swift and easy. The Shinkansen takes only a few hours. Cheaper overnight and daytime buses between the two cities are also available. Ways to reach Kyoto are described here.

ACEI 2012 will take place at Doshisha University, one of Japan's most famous historical private universities. Doshisha University has two main campuses in the Kyoto area, Imadegawa and Kyotanabe. The conference location will be just outside the Imadegawa campus, which is located directly opposite to the northern edge of Kyoto's old imperial palace (easy to find on a map, just look for the large green rectangle on any map of Kyoto). The full address of Imadegawa campus is Karasuma Higashi-iru, Imadegawa-dori, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8580 Japan. The exact location of the conference will be announced at a later date.

The campus is easily reached by public transport. The subway station Imadegawa on the Karasuma subway line (station number K06) is right next to the campus, and the subway is the fastest and easiest way to reach the conference location. The trains can be crowded during rush hour, but run continuously until quite late in the evening. There are also several bus stops close to the campus. Most bus lines in Kyoto can be seen on this large pdf map, which also explains how to use Kyoto city buses. Doshisha University can be found on the map immediately to the left of where the Takano river joins the Kamo river, at the top right. The bus stops Karasuma Imadegawa (bus lines 9, 12, 59, 101, 102, 201, 203) and Doshisha-mae (bus lines 59, 203, 201) are within a few minutes' walking distance of Imadegawa campus. The stop Kawaramachi Imadegawa (bus lines 4, 17, 59, 102, 201, 203, 205) is about ten minutes on foot from the campus.

Besides the subway (Chikatetsu), there are several other rail lines in Kyoto that are operated by different companies. A brief explanation and simple map of these lines can be found here. A more detailed map of the rail lines is here. The abovementioned bus route map of Kyoto also includes the various rail lines, although they're a little hard to find among the bus stops.

Visit Kyoto City's tourism page for more information on public transport in Kyoto.

Accomodation

The application of accommodation and travel is here

For easy access to Doshisha University, we recommend booking a hotel that is near the Karasuma subway line. The area along the subway line between the Shijo subway station and Karasuma Imadegawa station is particularly convenient, being close to the liveliest part of the city (Kawaramachi street and the covered Teramachi shopping area) and famous attractions such as the Kyoto International Manga Museum, Nijo castle, and the old Imperial palace. Kyoto boasts a wide range of affordable Western-style hotels, Japanese-style hotels (ryokan), and hostels. These can be booked online via many websites. Japan Guide, for instance, allows searching several booking websites at once for accomodation during a given period.

Accomodation that is near the old Imperial palace (Kyoto gosho) will generally be within walking distance of Imadegawa campus as well, although it may be a walk of twenty minutes or more; the old Imperial palace is a very large park area, and Imadegawa campus is located at the northern end of it. We recommend checking the map to make sure that your chosen hotel is indeed close enough to the campus if you wish to come on foot.

Machiya stay and Machiya art

If you are interested in staying at Kyoto style old houses and looking at the art events in it, click http://www.kyoto-machiya.com/eng/

Sightseeing

Kyoto is Japan's former capital and a hub of old and new Japanese culture. The city boasts an immense variety of temples and other traditional buildings, museums, and festivals and other cultural events. Osaka, Japan's second-largest metropolis, and other cities such as Kobe and Nara are close enough for a day trip.

Detailed information about tourism in Kyoto and the wider Kansai region abounds on the web, for instance on Japan Guide and Wikitravel. During the next year, we will blog and tweet about various cultural events, news items, and sights that may be of interest to ACEI 2012 participants. Please follow us via @ACEI2012!

Individual sightseeing plan

JTB SUNRISE TOURS WEST
http://www.jtb.co.jp/shop/itdw/info/e/

Food and daily necessities

The abovementioned tourism-related websites have ample recommendations for eating in Kyoto. The ACEI 2012 Google map points out various places for eating in and around Doshisha University's Imadegawa campus. Meals will be arranged for conference participants, but those who wish to eat elsewhere can also use the university restaurant, on-campus cafes, and an on-campus convenience store (open from 10am to pm on week days and from 10am to pm on Saturday, closed on Sunday).

There are vending machines for cold and hot drinks nearly everywhere on the streets in Japan. Nearly as ubiquitous are the "conbini", chain convenience stores that are open 24/7 and sell anything from snacks to hot food (microwaved in the store for you), toiletries, magazines, and stationary. There are several chains, such as Lawson, Family Mart, 7eleven, and others. It is also possible to make copies and send faxes in combini, and most have a banking ATM as well. Most of these ATMs can handle Visa cards. 7eleven ATMs can also handle Mastercard. The conbinis that are closest to Imadegawa campus are the Family Mart located directly opposite the exit of the subway Karasuma Imadegawa station, and the 7eleven about 40m down the street.

Safety after the March 2011 disaster in north-eastern Japan

Kyoto is completely safe. The Kansai area is located very far from the area that was affected by the March 11 earthquake, the tsunami, and the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The city suffered no damage, and all shops and transportation facilities are operating normally.

Japan is a large country, and Kyoto has not been influenced in any way by the nuclear crisis. Radiation levels are not and were never elevated in this area of Japan. Detailed information about radiation levels throughout the country can be found here.

Travel

• Kyoto travel guide - Wikitravel
• Kyoto Travel: Access, Orientation and Transportation
• KANSAI AIRPORT TO KYOTO - Japanese Lifestyle
• Kansai International Airport | Access Information
• Kansai Airport limousine
• Osaka International Airport (Itami Airport)
• Osaka Airport Limousine OKKBUS