GENERAL INFORMATION

2019 Global Conference on Teacher Education for ESD, Teaching for 2030: Multi layering ESD and GCED for innovations in teacher education towards the SDGs and ESD for 2030 (, , 22 – 25 November 2019)

The practical information about this conference is provided in this GENERAL INFORMATION.

Venue

The conference will be held at:

Okayama University, 50th Memorial Hall (22nd) Faculty of Education (23rd – 25th)

3-1-1 Tsushima-naka, Kita-ku, Okayama-city 700-8530 Japan https://edu.okayama-u.ac.jp/english/

Access and Maps: http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/eng/access_maps/Tsushima_Campus.html

1. Provisions

For all the participants staying at the reserved hotel, breakfast is included. Okayama University will provide coffee/tea during the conference, welcoming dinner on the 23rd and the school visit/excursion including lunch on the 25th in cooperation with Okayama city. You will receive a Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) of Japanese currency to pay for other meals and transportation fees (to/from the hotel to airports in Japan).

Please bring your original boarding pass (es) to the conference’s registration desk on Friday 22nd November 2019, in order to receive the DSA. You will receive DSA as per your actual stay during the conference period. You are also required to send the copy of your boarding pass back to your country immediately after the trip.

2. Accommodation

As for your stay, we ask that you confirm your reservation, payment and information at your own risk. We note that we are not responsible for any hotel other than the hotel you booked and paid on the conference web registration site, and that you are responsible for all accommodation. If you have any questions regarding hotel reservation, please contact the contact information on the web registration screen.

Please note that any other personal expenses (e.g. telephone, fax, mini-bar, laundry, other meals, lost-keys, for instance) incurred by the participant or his/her companion(s) as well as early check-

1 in/late check-out shall be charged to the participants and should be cleared directly with the hotel upon check-out.

If you wish to change your room preference, please directly contact the hotel and pay the extra costs to the hotel upon check-in. To print out and bring the confirmation of reservation/registration with you is highly recommended.

3. Substantive preparation [Oral Presentation] Participants who are accepted as oral presenter in the research presentation session are requested to prepare a slide within 20 minutes including Q&As and bring 40 copies of materials you wish to share.

[Poster Presentation] Participants who are accepted as poster presenter are requested to prepare a A0 size (vertical) poster. *https://www.papersizes.org/a-paper-sizes.htm

The poster booth will open from 23rd morning and one of the panels in a large lecture room will be allotted to your poster. It is possible to prepare and distribute related materials e.g. flyers, reports or hand-outs except the sales products.

Please note that you are eligible for printing out and carrying your materials / poster – we have no facility to print out posters on campus.

4. Transportation

Airport-Hotel-Airport transfers: Participants are responsible for transportation arrangements to/from the hotel to the airports in Japan. Travel options to hotel/airport include limousine and Shinkansen trains.

Public transport: For those who are arriving in/departing from Okayama Inte’l Airport (OKJ), please check the bus schedule to/from the nearest bus stop of the accommodation/venue.

See the link below. https://www.okayama-airport.org/en/access/bus

The nearest limousine stop to the Okayama Royal Hotel/Recent Culture Hotel is “Sports Center Mae.” The nearest limousine stop to the JR is “Okayama Station West Exit (Nishiguchi).” The nearest limousine stop to the Okayama University is “Okayama Daigakusuji.”

Travel time: About 30 min (Okayama Station West Exit – Airport)

Fare (one way) between Okayama Station to Airport ⚫ 780 yen (Okayama Station West Exit – Airport) ⚫ 720 yen (Sports Center Mae / Okayamadaigakusuji – Airport)

You need to buy the ticket in the bus terminal from the automatic ticketing machine. Please note that the currency exchange in OKJ opens from 7:00 to 21:00 daily (International arrival hall).

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Please be responsible for exchanging currency in advance or after arrival. Major credit cards can be used at major stations, but it is recommended that bringing some cash just in case you need to pay on the arrival day: e.g. the limousine bus from Okayama Airport.

For those who are arriving in/departing from Kansai Inte’l Airpot (KIX), please see the link below. https://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/access/train

You can search your train timetable and route to/from KIX via HyperDia.com http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

Public metered taxi: If you are taking a taxi from OKJ to the hotel/station or Okayama University, it will cost about 5,000 – 6,500 JPY. https://www.okayama-airport.org/en/access/taxi

If you would need to use taxi, checking the rate and time on the website(Rome2rio.com) beforehand is highly recommended. https://www.rome2rio.com/

To call a taxi, the smartphone app. Japan Taxi is also available (multi-lingual) and recommended. https://japantaxi.co.jp/services/japantaxi-app/

5. Currency Exchange Rate

The commercial exchange rate is subject to daily changes. There are banks and currency exchange kiosks located at the airport as well as in town.

The currency exchange rate as of November 2019: approximately US$ 1 = JPY 110

6. Computer and Communication

Laptop: Participants/Oral presenters are requested to bring a laptop computer for their own use during the conference.

Internet: Free Wi-Fi connection will be available in the conference room. However, in case a large number of people use it at the same time and it may slow down or malfunction, we encourage overseas educators/researchers to register in advance with Eduroam. https://www.eduroam.org/

Sim card: It is possible to purchase Japanese sim cards which include data for roaming at the Arrival Hall in the Haneda(Tokyo) / Narita (Tokyo) / Kansai Int’l Airport (Osaka) / AEON Mall Okayama or BIG CAMERA (in front of Okayama station).

See the details including price and where to buy: http://ninjasim.jp/en/

7. Electricity

The Japanese electricity supply is an usual 100V AC. Appliances with a two-pin plug made for use in North America will work without an adaptor, however, may be a bit sluggish. Tokyo and eastern Japan are on 50Hz, and western Japan, including Osaka/Okayama, is on 60Hz. Please bring the right adapter for your equipment.

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8. Medical Emergency

Should you require urgent medical attention, please contact the hotel’s information desk.

Japan National Tourism Organization provides you information of hospitals for international visitors (Multilingual): https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html

Also, Japan Travel is very useful for collecting basic information on visiting Japan: https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/

9. Personal Security Advice [What to do in an emergency] While Japan sits at the top of many general safety rankings, visitors to the country still need to be aware of potential dangers and how best to react to them. Japan is prone to natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. While most are small in scale, it's important to be prepared.

[Is Japan safe?] In short, Japan is very safe and the crime rate is quite low. Like any other destination, though, travelers should be aware of their surroundings and know what to do in case something does happen. There is always a possibility, however unlikely, that you might fall victim to a form of petty crime during your stay in Japan. If you need help, head to a local koban—the small police boxes dotted throughout Japanese neighborhoods. If you don't know where one is, just ask. If you should find yourself without your credit cards, airline tickets or passports due to theft, contact the issuers to arrange for replacements. Keep a list of relevant numbers.

If you need to have your passport reissued or receive an insurance payment due to theft, loss, traffic or other incident, a police report will be required. A local police station can create this for you. Visit your nearest koban, and if you are staying at a hotel, ask the front desk to give you a hand. Your embassy is also a useful point of contact in case of any emergencies, so make a note of the location and relevant contact details before arriving in Japan. You will need to get in touch with your embassy if you need a replacement passport. Just in case, make a couple of copies of your passport and keep one with you and leave one at home. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department website tells you everything you need to know about staying safe during your time in Japan, from reporting a crime or accident to traffic safety and natural disasters.

[Earthquakes in Japan] Although they should not deter you from visiting Japan, natural disasters such as earthquakes do occur. Compared to other countries, earthquakes are common in Japan, so it's best to be prepared.

Earthquakes can occur at any time and strike with little or no warning. Japan's location on shifting tectonic plates means that the country is almost always shaking—it's just that many of the quakes go unnoticed. If you are inside during a larger earthquake, remember to stay calm and follow any instructions staff might give. When you check into a hotel, double-check where the evacuation routes are so you know where to go in an emergency. Fire is the most dangerous secondary disaster, so extinguish any naked flames as quickly as possible during an earthquake. Make sure to keep your phone and devices fully charged. These can be indispensable in the event of any emergency. If you are by the coast when a large earthquake strikes, head for higher ground in case of a tsunami.

[Useful phone numbers]

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In addition to the emergency number of 110, the Metropolitan Police in Tokyo has an English helpline available Monday through Friday (except on national holidays) from 8:30 a.m. to 5.15 p.m.—Dial 03- 3501-0110 for this service. For mental health support, Tokyo English Life Line (TELL) has a hotline open on 03-5774-0992, every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The JNTO Tourist Information Center in Tokyo is a phone call away at 03-3201-3331, every day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tourist Information Centers (TIC) also has two locations at Narita International Airport , and one at Kansai International Airport in Osaka .

Japan Tourism Agency's "Guide for when you are feeling ill " provides medical institutions information, search methods, and guidelines. The website is available in English, Chinese, and Korean.

The AMDA International Medical Information Centtre provides Medical Questionnaire in Multilanguage and other information.

[Travel insurance] Sign up for travel insurance with adequate coverage before your departure so that you can enjoy your stay in Japan without any worries.

- sited from the JNTO website “Staying Safe in Japan

10. Climate/Weather in Japan

For most of Japan, November brings brisk air, clear skies, and radiant autumn foliage, making it one of the most pleasant months to visit. The weather does gradually become chilly, especially in the mornings and evenings, making sweaters a hot commodity.

11. Photos and videos

[Acceptance letter on the use of photographs etc.]

Images and videos etc. of the participants photographed during activities in the programme may be used at the briefing conference, paper medium, online etc.. In case of inconvenience, please consult us in advance. If here is no proposal to prohibit the use of images, videos, etc., we will assume that we can use the portrait right of participants with free of charge limited for the above purpose only, so please confirm and accept.

12. School Visit

We have registered all of you as participants, except for those who needs to leave early due to the flight schedule. We have already given the names and affiliations of the participants for the sake of safety and crisis management at the school. We will leave the hotel by the chartered buses, and after the visit, we will serve lunch at the Korakuen garden, one of the three great gardens in Japan.

*Okayama Korakuen Garden: https://okayama-korakuen.jp/section/english/

After the lunch, all of us will wrap up at the site. One of the chartered (max. 45 passengers ) bus will leave at around 2:30 pm to drop the participants off at hotels. Accordingly, the participants who want to explore the garden or do sightseeing afterwards are supposed to go back to the hotel or go to the airport by public transportation. It will take about 15 to 30 minutes to go back to the hotels by bus,

5 leaving in front of the garden every 10-15 minutes.

At the reception of the conference, we will give you the details and materials for the school visit. For convenience, the participants are assigned to three destinations in advance, so the departure schedule is different and it will be confirmed at the reception. The participants are supposed to check the documents and get on the chartered bus on time by themselves. Please confirm your participation and the schedule.

At schools and Community Learning Centres, regular classes and work are conducted at regular times, therefore it is necessary to be punctual. Please refrain from taking pictures or videos of the students or touching them excessively.

Lastly, we organizers would like to inform you that these schools we are planning to visit has been readily accepted the visit despite their busiest time of the year, has been fully prepared, and is looking forward to meeting you very much.

We would like to ask you to recognize that these young children will welcome you, though it may be their very first contact with foreigners, and recognize the participants as the representatives of each country.

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Conference Secretariat Ms. Itsuko Hagihara Secretary, Okayama University ESD Promotion Centre Email [email protected] Telephone&Fax Office +81-(0)86-251-7637

Dr. Hiroko Shibakawa Assistant Professor, Okayama University ESD Promotion Centre Email [email protected] Telephone&Fax Office +81-(0)86-251-7723

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