Travel Information

Official Travel Agent

JTB Corp. (JTB) has been appointed as official travel agent for the conference for hotel reservations.

              JTB Corp.

              International Travel Division

              Convention Center (CD100748-051)

              2-3-11 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku,

              Tokyo 140-8604 Japan

              Phone:           +81-3-5796-5445

              Fax:              +81-3-5495-0685

              E-mail:            sispad2002@itd.jtb.co.jp

Hotel Accommodations

Reservations will be made in order of receipt of application form. If the hotel of your first choice is fully booked, your second choice or a hotel of similar category will be reserved auomatically. Rooms are available at special rates for the conference attendants at following hotels;

u       Room rates include service charge. 5% tax will be added to your bill. Room rates include no meals.

Application and Payment for Hotel Reservations

Participants wishing to reserve hotel accommodations should complete the application form and fax or mail to reach JTB no later than July 20, 2002.

Application should be accompanied by a deposit of one night room charge plus a handling charge of JPY800 due JTB. (The hotel deposit will be credited to your bill. All hotel expenses deducting the deposit should be paid directly to the hotel.) All payment must be in Japanese Yen.

No reservation will be confirmed in the absence of the deposit. Personal checks are NOT accepted. The remitter’s name should be the same as the participant’s name. If the remittance covers more than one person, please inform us the name of each participant.

Payment should be in the form of:

- One of the following credit cards:

              1. VISA  2. MasterCard  3. Diners Club  4. AMEX

- A bank transfer to JTB Corp. (Message: CD100748-051)

              Account at the Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, Shin-Marunouchi

              Branch (Account number: 1025740)

              1-4-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005 Japan

- A bank draft payable to JTB Corp.

Hotel Reservation Form Download

Microsoft Word

PDF

Bank Information in Japanese

Cancellation

In the event of cancellation, written notification should be sent to JTB. The following cancellation fees will be deducted before sending refund.

              Up to 9 days before the first night of stay-----------JPY2,000

              2 to 8 days before-----------20% of daily room charge (minimum JPY2,000)

              Fewer than 2 days before, or no notice given---------------- 100% of daily room charge

Passport and Visa

To visit Japan, you must have a valid passport. A visa is required for citizens of countries that do not have visa-exempt agreements with Japan. Please contact the nearest Japanese Embassy or Consulate for visa requirements.

Duty Free Import

Personal effects and professional equipment can be brought into Japan duty free as long as their contents and quantities are deemed reasonable by the customs officer. You can also bring in 400 cigarettes, 500 grams of tobacco or 100 cigars; 3 bottles of alcoholic beverages; 2 ounces of perfume; and gifts and souvenirs whose total market price is less than 200,000 yen or its equivalent. There is no allowance for tobacco or alcoholic beverages for persons aged 19 years or younger. Strictly prohibited are firearms and other types of weapons, and narcotics.

Insurance

The organizer cannot accept responsibility for accidents that might occur. Delegates are encouraged to purchase travel insurance before leaving your 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 Kobe during the period of the conference ranges between 20.4C and 27.6C.

Currency Exchange

Only Japanese yen (\) is acceptable at regular stores and restaurants. Certain foreign currencies and credit cards 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, but AC with two different cycles throughout Japan: 50 in eastern Japan including Tokyo and 60 in western Japan including Kyoto and Kobe. 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 during one weekday, differing by store, and certain specialty shops may not open on Sundays and national holidays.