Travel Info
Traveling to the Convention Center from the Sapporo Grand Hotel
- Walk South to Odori Station, which is on the edge of Odori Park. (Odori Station includes a large underground mall with many entrances.)
- After entering, follow the signs to the Tozai line (Orange).
- Take the Tozai subway East toward Shin-Sapporo.
- Exit at Higashisapporo Station (it is the 3rd stop).
- If you exit from station 1 then turn Right (West) when you reach the street. (Station 2 is directly across the street and will be used for your return trip.)
- Walk West to the 2nd stop light. (You will see 10 foot tall, bright yellow egg at the North-East corner of the 1st light.)
- Turn Right when you reach the 2nd stop light
- Walk North to the 2nd stop light.
- The Sapporo convention center is on the North-West corner.
Travel Visa
The Cognitive Science Society will provide letters of invitation to accepted paper/poster authors and presenters only, and when needed. You may send your request to the Society at cogsci AT psy.utexas.edu. The requestor will need to send on Embassy visa address information for the letter and forward the acceptance e-mail. The deadline for requests is June 1.
The Society is not able to assist you with additional documents or requirements beyond a letter acknowledging your accepted presentation at the conference.
We strongly recommend every attendee to check the Japanese visa requirements well in advance. Some detailed information can be found here:
General information on Japanese visa
Visa exemption country list
List of Japanese embassies and consulates
Conference Venue and Host Hotel
Venue: Sapporo Convention Center
Hotel: Sapporo Grand Hotel (More information)
Communication Salon at the Sapporo Convention Bureau
When you need information about the city of Sapporo during your stay, please stop by the 'Communication Salon.' English-speaking staff and citizen volunteers are available to help you. Their office is located across from the Sapporo Clock Tower (3F, Sapporo MN Bldg., Kita 1 Nishi 3, Chuo-ku, Sapporo) and open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday (closed on Sundays and national holidays). Click here for more information.
Sapporo, Japan
Sapporo (official city guide) is a modern city of about 2 million people and it is located on the northern island of Hokkaido. Travel to and from Sapporo is exceedingly easy and English signage and audio guidance is readily available.
Traveling to Japan
If you are coming from outside Japan then you will most likely fly into Tokyo (Narita or Haneda airports), Osaka (Kansai airport), or Nagoya (Chuba airport) on the main island of Honshu where you will go through customs before taking a short domestic flight to New Chitose Airport (CTS) that serves the city of Sapporo and its vicinity.
One of the first things that you will want to do upon arriving in Japan is to exchange your currency for Japanese Yen, which you will need for the purchase of train and subway fares. The best time to do this is probably when you first arrive in Japan because the currency exchange windows in the New Chitose Airport close at 6:00 pm local time (more info). If you arrive after hours and are not able to purchase Yen before-hand then there is a CitiBank ATM on the 2nd floor of the main terminal (more info). There are also other ATM machines but CitiBank provides the convenience of an "English" button for translating the selection menu.
Getting to Sapporo downtown
After arriving at the New Chitose Airport, the fastest and cheapest transportation to Sapporo is by way of the JR Train (more info), which has a station on the first floor (B1) of the New Chitose Airport. You should purchase a ticket on the Airport Rapid Service train to the JR Sapporo Station, which takes about 36 minutes and costs about 1040 Yen. Ticket purchases will be made through a machine but remember to press the "English" button to receive a translated menu.
Within Sapporo
There are many options for transportation but the most convenient is the subway. The Odori subway station (on Nanboku line) is a short walk from most of the downtown hotels including the conference hotel, Sapporo Grand, and it will be the fastest way to travel to the Convention Center (Higashi-Sapporo station). This map indicates the typical times for traveling between the airport, convention center, and downtown Sapporo.
More Information
Sapporo is a beautiful city and we encourage you to explore both the city and the many breathtaking places on your trip to the 2012 Cognitive Science Society Conference. You will find travel in Japan and its transportation system to be remarkably safe, clean, and easy to navigate.
General information:
City of Sapporo Guide
Island of Hokkaidō Guide
Japan Guide
Transportation:
New Chitose Airport (Sapporo)
Japanese Rail Passes (JR)
Sapporo Public Transport
Understanding Japan:
Understanding Japanese Etiquette
Understanding Hot Springs
Understanding Ryokans (Guest Houses)
Understanding Shinto Shrines
Events:
Pacific Music Festival
Sapporo Summer Festival:
Located in Odori Park in the center of the city, the festival includes an open-air beer garden, live music, and numerous festive cultural events.
Sapporo City Jazz:
Concerts will be held in Odori Park as part of the Summer Festival, the Art Park, and other areas throughout the city.
Things to See and Do
Within walking distance:
Botanic Garden
Clock Tower
Former Hokkaido Government Office
Short Subway ride:
Historic Village of Hokkaidō
Sapporo Beer Museum
Hokkaidō Shrine
Sapporo Art Park
Train excursion:
City of Otaru
City Museum
Sakaimachi Street shops
City of Asahikawa
Towns of Furano & Biei
Hot Springs around Hokkaidō
Daisetsuzan National Park
Shikotsu-Toya National Park
