This page provides information on traveling within Japan to the MIC2010 meeting. We are in the process of constructing detailed guides and so this page will be updated from time to time as these guides become available.

Our recommended travel option is to travel from Narita Airport to Shinjuku station and then to take the special bus from Shinjuku directly to the Hotel Belnatio in Niigata. However, we anticipate that people may have different plans and so we will try to cover the most common travel possibilities below.

It is anticipated that most visitors will be arriving in Japan at Narita Airport. If you intend to arrive at a different airport, please e-mail us directly at contact@mic2010.org and we will provide the specific information you require.

The following video provides information on navigating Narita airport upon arrival.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pb8Eia58Lw

For delegates traveling directly to the conference hotel, there are two possible ways to reach the hotel; by shinkansen and by bus.

On arrival at Narita, take the Narita Express train to Tokyo station. This train takes approximately 1 hour and costs JPY2,940. The Narita Express has a detailed English webpage which includes full train timetables.

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/index.html

On arrival at Tokyo station, one can quickly then transfer to the Shinkansen (Bullet Train). There are a number of Shinkansen, so make sure that you catch the Joetsu Shinkansen to Echigo-Yuzawa. Again, full details are available in English on the JR East website.

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/routemaps/shinkansen.html

The fare is around JPY6,490, varying slightly depending on which day you travel.

A courtesy bus is run by the hotel that will take you from Echigo-Yuzawa station to the hotel. (About bus stop, please refer the map of the Echigo-Yuzawa station.) It is important that if you would like to take the courtesy bus, that you book a place on it. This can be done during the registration procedure for the conference on this website. If you did not, and would like to book the bus, please let us know which bus you will take by e-mail.

There will be a bus to take participants directly from Shinjuku to the conference hotel in Niigata. The price for this bus is JPY3000 regardless of whether you use the service one way or for both legs of your return journey. If you will plan to take this bus, we strongly recommend you to arrive one day in advance and stay one night in Tokyo, because of earlier departure of 9:15 am (see From Narita Airport to Shinjuku).

This bus represents excellent value for money compared with taking the Shinkansen, even if you only use it in one direction. The bus can be booked during the registration procedure. Video and pdf guides on how to get to the Bus Station are given in following links (an instruction video and a pdf guide from Shinjuku station to the bus stop). You can also get a map around the bus stop from here. Details of reaching Shinjuku from Narita Airport are provided below.

If you intend to travel on the bus from Shinjuku direct to the Hotel Belnatio, we strongly recommend you to arrive on September 4th, and stay one night in Tokyo, presumably in Shinjuku. We checked train connections from Narita Airport to Shinjuku, and found that there is no realistic connection if you will arrive in the morning of September 5.

For the transportation to Shinjuku, we recommend to take the Narita Express train (http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/index.html) from Narita Airport direct to Shinjuku. The train costs JPY3,110 and takes about 80 minutes.

If you will stay in other area of Tokyo, please find your train connection from the nearest station to Shinjuku (or Tocho-Mae of Toei Subway-Oedo line) by the train route finder web Jordan.

http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/

We anticipate that some participants will want to stay overnight in Tokyo and catch the bus to the conference hotel the following morning. In this case, we highly recommend that you stay in Shinjuku to make access to the bus straightforward. Additionally, Shinjuku is one of the most famous spots in Tokyo and has much to see before heading out to the meeting.

The bus station is located right next to the Keio Plaza Hotel (http://www.keioplaza.com/). This is the most convenient place to stay but is an expensive, luxury hotel. Room rates are typically around JPY25,000-30,000.

Recommended hotel - Instead we recommend making a reservation at the Shinjuku Washington Hotel (http://www.shinjyuku-wh.com/english/). This hotel is close by - just a short walk to the bus station - and is much more economical.

Single rooms are around JPY10,000 - very reasonable for this part of Shinjuku. Directions from this hotel to the bus station are included in the ‘Bus Method Eguides above.

For the young, energetic and adventurous, there are cheaper hotels available in other areas of Shinjuku. The Toyoko Inn chain of business hotels offers an excellent no-frills stay at a good price. There is one in Shinjuku (http://www.toyoko-inn.com/e_hotel/00078/index.html) which we can recommend if you are prepared for a bit of a walk (or taxi ride) to the bus station. Please bear in mind, that this hotel is in East Shinjuku, which is a famous entertainment district. Those participants who want to ensure a quiet night should plan to stay at either of the previously mentioned hotels. Rooms are available for JPY6,800 or less.

A map around Shinjuku station that shows the above hotels and the access to the bus stop of direct courtesy bus are avilable from the following link.

Google Map

At the end of the conference, buses will be available to return you to either Shinjuku or Echigo-Yuzawa station. You will be able to reserve your place on these buses while you are at the conference.

The direct bus will depart at 14:30 from the Hotel Bernatio and will arrive Shinjuku at 18:30. If you paid 3000 yen of bus charge on your way to the conference, this bus is free. However, probably most of people would like to go back to Tokyo as early as possible on Friday. In this case, I recommend to take courtesy bus and Shinkansen to Tokyo (see next).

The hotel operates several courtesy to the nearest Shinkansen station (Echigo-Yuzawa) according to the schedule of Shinkansen train (fast train).

The connection table of the courtesy bus schedule to Shinkansen and Narita Express for Narita Airport is shown below.

The most preferred schedule will be the courtesy bus departing at 9:10. Then you will be at Tokyo before noon. To get this connection, it is important to book your sheet to the courtesy bus in advance (until August 9 if possible). The booking of the bus is possible even after the registration. Please send e-mail to the conference office (contact@mic2010.org) and let us know which bus will you take.