(Back to 2nd TAMA workshop)

Contents
Objective
Organization
Conference Site
Transportation
Conference Office and Registration
Accommodation and Travel
Currency
Program
Proceeding
Miscellaneous
Further Information
Important Request

Objective 

While the detection of gravitational waves has long been a dream of physicists and astronomers, recent developments give us hope that it may soon become reality. In particular, we have reached the stage where large-scale interferometers are being planned and built that should be able, within a few years, to detect gravitational waves from plausibly expected sources.
We wish to establish the field of "gravitational wave astronomy" which will provide new knowledge about the Universe that cannot be obtained from other techniques such as optical or radio astronomy.

Several projects around the world have already begun to construct large-scale laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors (in particular,  LIGO, VIRGO, and GEO600. Here in Japan we started the TAMA project  in 1994 to develop a laser interferometer with a 300-m baseline (TAMA300). While this year (1999) is the final year of the initial five-year project, an extension seems probable.

The workshop will be organized similar to the first TAMA Workshop in 1996. The emphasis of this second workshop will be on discussion of the results of TAMA300, which is expected to be in its final phase of completion at the time of the workshop, as well as on the current status of the other projects. In addition, there will be discussions of both established and new advanced techniques in various related fields which are necessary to improve the sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors.
The workshop will have ten invited speakers and some contributed papers, but no poster session.

Organization 

Conference Site 

The National Olympics Memorial Youth Center (NYC) in central Tokyo has been chosen as the conference venue. This center is a national youth educational facility established with the aims of "promoting the sound development of youth and youth education in Japan" and has an international conference hall and accomodations.  The mail address is:

National Olympics Memorial Youth Center,
3-1, Yoyogi Kamizono-cho, Shibuya-ku,
Tokyo 151-0052,
Tel: 03-3467-7201,
Fax: 03-3467-7797

More information can be obtained from the Web page of the center. The workshop will take place in the international conference room in the "International Exchange Building", whereas accomodation is provided in the adjacent "Lodging building D" (See also the transportation map  and the section on accomodation below).

Transportation 

Please note that the word "Tokyo" refers to
(a) The huge area known as "Tokyo to"  (Tokyo prefecture) which  extends some 40 km to the west from downtown, but also
(b) the train station called "Tokyo eki" (Tokyo station) in central Tokyo.
Therefore, buying a train ticket to "Tokyo" will probably only get you to that train station, which is still far from the conference venue. It is necessary to specify more precisely your destination, e.g. Shinjuku or Sangubashi. Here is a simplified overview of the relevant train lines for accessing the conference venue (NYC) and the TAMA site at NAOJ:

(this map is also available as an EPS file.)

The conference venue, NYC, is located near Shinjuku in central Tokyo.
Most participants will arrive at Narita Airport which is about 60 km east of central Tokyo.

Going from Narita to NYC involves 2 steps:
(1) From Narita to Shinjuku (60 km), and
(2) from Shinjuku to NYC (2 km).

 Narita airport provides an overview of transportation between the airport and the city. The most important information is also collected below.

There are essentially two options: train or bus. Taking a taxi has no advantage and is prohibitively expensive.

By Train
Several train lines run between Narita and Tokyo. They are fast, reliable and not too expensive. However, in some cases you will need to change trains.

Narita airport -[JR Narita Express] - Shinjuku station

It takes about 80 min from Narita to Shinjuku (3110 yen). Please see the Web page of Narita Express in order to obtain more detailed information such as timetables. Some of Narita Express trains go to other destinations and do not reach Shinjuku station.
If you have a ticket with a reserved seat number, please try to board the correct wagon of the train (it may not be possible to walk all through the train after departure).

Narita airport -[Keisei Skyliner] -Nippori Station -[JR Yamanote-line]- Shinjuku station

More information on Skyliner trains can be obtained from the Keisei Web page.

on Odakyu-line  ("Odakyu sen"), which starts from Shinjuku station.

 Shinjuku station is said to be the busiest train station in the world, and may be a little bit confusing for people who come there the first time. But don't worry, there are some English signs. What you need to look out for is the Odakyu-line. Its entrance is at the western end of Shinuku station. Note that "Odakyu" is also the name of a huge department store which is located next to the train line entrance. While there are many signs for various things called "Odakyu", the train station is generally labelled as "Odakyu Line".

Before entering the platform, you have to buy a ticket (130 yen) from a vending machine. Please take care to use a "Odakyu" line ticket vending machine (not "JR" or "Keio"). Keep the ticket because you need to return it when leaving the station at the end of your journey.

Only "local" trains   ("Kaku-eki-tei-sha") stop at Sangubashi station.
Please do not use "homeway", "limited express", "express" or "semi express" trains. Local trains start from platforms 8 and 9 (which are on the lowest level underground). The stations that you pass through are
Shinjuku (departure)  -   Minami Shinjuku   -   Sangubashi (get off here).

Although taking trains in Tokyo may be a little bit confusing at first, it is generally very fast, efficient and safe. If you accidentially go too far (e.g. by taking an Odakyu express train you might end up in "Yoyogi-Uehara" or "Shimokitazawa"), don't worry, just go back with the next train without leaving the station or buying a new ticket. If you don't know the fare to your destination, or if it turns out that the ticket you bought was too cheap for the distance travelled,  there are "fare adjustment machines" at every station where you can pay the missing amount. Tokyo trains do not run during the night, the last trains usually depart around midnight. The last Odakyu local trains for Sangubashi leave Shinjuku at 0:52.

From Sangubashi station you have to walk about 300m to get to the NYC center.
NYC has a map of the surrounding area. Here is a simple map showing your way:

(This map is also available as an EPS file.)

 It is also possible to take a taxi from Shinjuku station to NYC. The fare should be around 1000 Yen.
The Japanese name of the center is:

,
which is read "Kokuritsu orinpikku kinen seishoonen soogoo sentaa".

Important Request:
Since we need to know your arrival time at NYC in order to organize the accommodation, please inform the conference secretariat beforehand (by e-mail) about your flight schedule or planned arrival time.

Also, if you do not arrive at Narita airport or if there are any problems concerning transportation, please contact the conference secretariat.

Conference Office and Registration

During the conference, our office will be in Meeting Room B near the conference room. On Monday and Saturday, we will have a desk on the first floor (=ground floor) in the accomodation building D.
Registration will take place at this office on Monday afternoon/evening and Tuesday morning. The planned opening hours are:
 

Participants must pay the registration fee and the accommodation fee at the registration. The registration fee is 20,000 yen (including the banquet, the coffee breaks and the proceedings) and the accommodation fee is 4,300 yen per night.  An additional banquet fee of 5,000 yen per person is required for accompanying persons. (It is possible to register for the workshop on that day even if you did not submit the registration form beforehand, however, we would prefer advance registration if possible.)
Payment must be in cash, in Japanese Yen. Unfortunately no credit cards, travelers' checks etc. can be accepted (see the section about money)

Student discount: There is a discounted registration fee for students, 10,000 yen instead of 20,000. Please bring your student ID with you for the registration.

Accommodation and Travel 

The accommodation rooms are in Lodging Building D. They are available from Monday (18th), 15:00 until Saturday (23rd), 10:00. Unfortunately,  they cannot be used before 15:00 on Monday, and there are no facilities to store luggage in NYC. There are, however, luggage lockers at most train stations. The room keys will be handed out at the registration desk on Monday. The check-out time is 10:00.  Please return the key  to the registration desk on your departure day.
The main gate of NYC and the entrance of Lodging Building D are always open. However, if you enter the main gate late at night (after 23:00), a guard at the main gate may inquire the name of the organization/workshop.  In this case, please show the first page of this second circular.

 Please note that NYC is not a full-service hotel. NYC has asked us to provide you with the following information:
page 1. page 2. page 3. page 4.
table of restaurants and other services.
You will get copies of these pages upon your arrival.

Unfortunately it is impossible to extend the stay in NYC before or after the workshop. Furthermore, as mentioned above, NYC is established for the education of young people, and hence accommodation for men and women is separate.
If you require other accomodation, there are many hotels in the city of Tokyo that are not far from NYC; some examples of hotels near Shinjuku are:
 

The room charge is for a single room and does not include tax.  If you wish to book a room, find other hotels, or obtain information on travel in Japan, please contact the following person:

Mr. Norihiko GOTO
Toranomon International Travel Department
Kinki Nippon Tourist
1-1-21 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001
Tel: +81-3-3502-2925
FAX:+81-3-3593-9572
e-mail: ptra-intl@or.knt.co.jp

 Some general information can also be obtained from one of the following websites:

Japan National Tourist Organization
Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau
Lonely Planet Japan Guidebook Update
Subways in Tokyo or another subway map

The Japan Times Online (English newspaper)
The Daily Yomiuri Online (English newspaper)
JSL's Japan Headline Page (News about Japan)
Tokyo Classified (weekly events)

Japan Information Network (some links)
The Japan Web Guide (some links)
Tokyo now online (some links)

Currency 

The only useful currency in Japan is the Japanese Yen. Please note that the use of credit cards, travelers' checks etc. is not very widespread in Japan, and many payments (such as for train tickets or the conference fee) must be made in cash. It is recommended that participants exchange money beforehand at Narita airport. There are several banks near Shinjuku station, where exchange of U.S. dollars and major European currencies is available. However, these banks do not offer significantly better rates than the banks at Narita, and their opening times are rather limited. Hence it is recommended that you have enough Japanese money before leaving Narita airport. Note that most Japanese ATM machines will not accept international credit cards. When you leave Japan, you can re-exchange unused Yen at the airport.
As a rough guide, an inexpensive dinner costs around 1000 Yen, while a better dinner including a drink may be around 2000-3000 Yen.
You can find the current value of the yen at http://www.oanda.com.

Miscellaneous 

• There is a large cafeteria (named "Fuji") in  NYC's Center Building, where you can take breakfast, lunch and dinner. The opening hours and prices are:

• There is a restaurant (named "Sakura") in Lodging Building D. You can also take meals there but it is more expensive. The opening hours and prices are:

• There are some restaurants in the immediate neighborhood of NYC, and many many more in Shinjuku.
• Tips are generally neither expected nor given in Japan. In Taxis, Restaurants etc. it is normal to pay the exact amount (which may include a 5% Tax on top of the displayed price).
• Computer terminals will be available at the conference site. You can use them during the workshop for e-mail.
• There is a swimming pool in NYC, which you can use (for a fee).
• A copy machine will be available (15 yen per page).

Program 

Topics that will be presented and discussed are as follows: project status, laser and optics, interferometer, isolation and thermal noise, sources, theory and data analysis, others. Ten invited talks and contributed talks are planned. The TAMA Session is planned for the second day of the workshop; the session will be held at the campus of National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) in Mitaka where the TAMA 300 detector is being developed and the TAMA Site Tour is also scheduled.

 Below is an overview of the program, while the detailed program is on a separate page.

Oct. 19 (Tue)

8:30	-	9:20	Registration
9:20	-	9:30	Opening Talk
9:30	-	10:45	Project Status (I)
11:10	-	12:00	Project Status (II)
1:35	-	2:30	Project Status (III)
2:50	-	4:50	Interferometer (I)

Oct. 20 (Wed)
TAMA Session in NAOJ Mitaka
Transportation by bus between NYC and NAOJ will be provided.

10:00	-	11:25	TAMA Session (I)
11:25	-	2:00	TAMA Tour and Lunch (in the NAO cafeteria)
2:00	-	4:00	TAMA Session (II)
4:25	-	5:35	TAMA Session (III)

Oct. 21 (Thu)

8:35	-	9:55	Thermal Noise (I)
10:20	-	11:40	Thermal Noise (II)
1:15	-	2:20	Data Analysis/Theory (I)
3:05	-	4:30	Data Analysis/Theory (II)
6:00	-	8:00	Banquet

Oct. 22 (Fri)

8:35	-	9:40	Laser and Optics
10:05	-	11:30	Suspension & Isolation
1:05	-	2:50	Interferometer (II)
2:50	-	3:00	Closing Talk

Proceedings 

Universal Academy Press (UAP) is to publish the proceedings of the workshop. Authors are encouraged to use LaTeX with the style file provided by UAP. The instruction (TeX file) and style files for the proceedings are available from the following ftp site:

Host Name: ftp.uap.co.jp
User ID: anonymous
Password: (please enter your E-mail address)
Path in our Site: pub/proceedings/tama2/
File Name: tama.tex, figure.eps, ta.sty, ma.sty, epsf.sty (5 files)

Please note that the deadline for contributions is 30 November, 1999. Instructions on how to submit the manuscript are also included in the TeX file.

Further Information 

For any questions or further information, please don't hesitate to contact the conference secretariat:

Secretariat of the 2nd TAMA Workshop
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Mitaka, Tokyo, 181-8588, JAPAN
E-mail: tamaws@gravity.mtk.nao.ac.jp
Phone: +81-422-34-3620
Fax: +81-422-34-3793
WWW: http://tamago.mtk.nao.ac.jp/tama/tamaws/tamaws2.html

 The program/organizing committee would like to thank G. Heinzel for his help with this web page.

We wish you a pleasant journey and look forward to seeing you in Tokyo soon.