INFORMATION FILE FOR YOHKOH JAPAN VISITORS
(Piet Martens, V5;
7/25/92)
(Hugh Hudson, V7; 14-apr-97)
0. TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. ISAS Telephone
2. ISAS Mailing Address
3. Arriving at Narita
A) Immigration
B) Luggage Collection
C) Customs
D) Money Exchange
4. Transportation to ISAS
A) Luggage Transportation Service
B) NEX Express
C) NEX Narita-Yokohama (VV) Timetable
D) Yokohama Station to Fuchinobe
E) Fuchinobe to ISAS
5. ISAS Bus Schedule
6. Money exchange. Bank.
7. Return
A) Flight confirmation
B) Return to Narita
C) Train tickets
D) Luggage transportation service
1. ISAS TELEPHONE:
COMMUNAL OFFICE PHONE: int. access + 81 (country code
4531
" "
"
+
FAX:
"
"
"
+
4532
These numbers reach data-analysis persons at ISAS,
regulars
such as Khan, Hudson, Savy, and Sterling among the
speakers.
Ogawara's FAX number:
"
"
"
+
4253
ISAS general number:
3911
This reaches an operator who can relay the call or
party named.
Extensions from ISAS general number:
Prof. Yoshiaki Ogawara:
"
"
"
+
2609
e-mail ogawara@astro.isas.ac.jp
Iwata san (secretary, speaks English, same number)
e-mail iwata@astro.isas.ac.jp
West Room D-toh (where ISASS0,1 are located)
3492
East Room D-toh (where ISASS2,6 are located)
3494
Japan) + 427-69+ 427-69including
English
+ 427-59(0)427-51search for the
ext:
ext:
ext:
B-toh operations room
2077
This is where the "tohbans" toil.
ext:
2. ISAS MAILING ADDRESS:
c/o Prof. Yoshiaki Ogawara
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
Yoshinodai 3-1-1,
Sagamihara-shi
Kanagawa Prefecture 229
JAPAN
Make sure to include Ogawara's name!
3. ARRIVING AT NARITA:
A) Immigration: different lines for Japanese and foreigners,
have your immigration form filled out. No visa needed
for less than 90 days stay. See VISA section for longer
stays.
B) Luggage Collection: After immigration go down the stairs
and pick up a luggage cart immediately to the right, if needed.
Signs for collection belts are in English. You can keep your
cart all the way to the railway station. The carts are able to
travel up and down the escalators to the station, which is one
level down from the arrival hall.
C) Customs: In the next hall, show passport again. Only rarely
must one open a suitcase.
D) Money Exchange: Small counter directly after customs, in the
SAME hall. Takes cash, Travellers Checks, and major credit
cards (check). Rates are as good as anywhere else. It is
advisable to exchange a fairly large amount of money as
credit cards are not widely accepted. It is generally safe to
carry large amounts of cash in Japan.
4. TRANSPORTATION TO ISAS:
A) Luggage Transportation Service: After leaving customs hall
one enters a hall with several desks: one Information Desk
for English speakers, and others for Luggage Transportation,
one with a big sign "ABC", and something like "baggage service".
You need the ISAS address written out (like under MAIL),
English is OK, Japanese (like from an ISAS return address)
is better. Again include c/o Prof. Yoshiaki Ogawara, and his
telephone number, so the guards know whom to contact when the
luggage arrives at the gate. Cost is about $16 per bag. Delivery
takes about 24 hours, so be sure to handcarry immediate
necessities. Neverthelesss this service is recommended, because
it is really cumbersome to ride the trains and subway with a lot
of luggage.
Upon return to the airport, the same service is available and
can be requested by a Japanese speaker at ISAS. The call must
be made two days before flight departure, the pickup one day
before.
B) NARITA EXPRESS TRAIN (NEX). From the arrival hall go directly
down the stairs near the information booth. The luggage card goes
on the rolling stairs, a wonder of ingenuity. Down in the station
directly to the left is a ticket office. Get a ticket to
YOKOHAMA with the NEX, 6400 yen first ("green car") or 4100 yen
second class. Free beer, coffee, and tea in the green car have been
discontinued, so make sure you buy refreshments at the platform
Kiosk. There is a dispensing machine on board. Trains leave about
every hour, and seats are reserved.
If all seats are sold, you
may be issued a standing room ticket. There are no-smoking cars.
This train may stop once or twice on the way, in Tokyo station and
usually Shinagawa. The ride is smooth and comfortable and takes
less
than two hours, a good time to nap.
The NEX service to Shinagawa started in Jan. 1995. The Shinagawa
Prince hotel at the station has rooms with spectacular views for
13000 yen for those who want to lay over in Tokyo inbound or
outbound.
TIP: pick up a handy free booklet in English inside the NEX train,
which details the NEX schedule and route, and gives a map with
English
annotations of the Tokyo subway system, and the Tokyo/Yokohama rail
system.
C) NEX NARITA-YOKOHAMA (vv) TIMETABLE (epoch 14-Apr-1997)
Dep. Narita - Arr. Yokohama
7:00
8:00
8:13
9:13
9:43
10:13
11:13
12:13
13:13
14:43
15:43
16:43
17:43
18:43
19:13
19:46
20:43
21:42
-
8:55
10:07
9:57
10:47
11:19
11:44
12:45
13:42
14:51
16:13
17:14
18:18
19:14
20:23
20:46
21:23
22:17
23:08
Dep. Yokohama - Arr. Narita
5:40 6:25 7:26
8:26
9:30
10:30
11:30
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30
16:31
17:32
18:32
-
7:29
7:59
8:58
9:56
10:59
11:59
12:59
13:57
14:27
14:56
15:27
15:58
16:28
16:57
17:54
18:57
20:01
19:30 - 21:13
(If any user of these notes detects a timetable change, please
pick up a timetable card and deliver it to somebody who can
edit this file).
D) ALTERNATIVE METHOD TO TRAVEL TO YOKOHAMA (Rapid Express train)
An alternative to the NEX is the rapid express train. This
leaves about once an hour from the plaform opposite where the
NEX departs. It is a regular train, so it makes many stops and
the seats are not as comfortable. The journey time to Yokohama
is about 30 minutes more than the equivalent NEX trip, and the
price is much less. If you decide to travel this way, you can
buy a ticket from the machine or from the ticket counter. This
train arrives at Yokohama on the same platform as the NEX, so
all subsequent instructions will apply if decide to use this
method to travel to Yokohama.
There are other and still cheaper routes starting with the
KEISEI railway line from the station in Narita airport. These
may involve interesting visits around to crowded stations,
such as Ueno and Shinjuku. Still other routes involve the
airport limousine bus.
E) YOKOHAMA STATION TO FUCHINOBE. When you exit the NEX train,
go downstairs, then up to track 4. KEEP your NEX ticket.
Now there are three possibilities:
1) If a BLUE train arrives at track 4, take it ONE stop to
Higashi Kanagawa. Then transfer to track 3 to get on the Japan
Rail (JR) Yokohama line (SILVER train with a green strip) to
Fuchinobe. Fuchinobe is the 12th stop from Higashi Kanagawa.
Station names are indicated at least once per station in English,
about in the middle of the station. You have to bend down to read
it if you are standing in the train. If the characters in the
"destination window" (on the side of each car near the end)
are RED, you are in the EXPRESS TRAIN. (Of course you will
also notice from skipping stations that you are on the express
train), which does not stop in Fuchinobe. In that case get off
in Machida (10th station), go to the opposite track for the local
train, and continue two stops to Fuchinobe.
2) If you took the BLUE train from Yokohama, you may find that
you have to change platforms at Higashi Kanagawa to catch the
very next Yokohama line train. There is a sign, alternating in
Japanese and English, that tells you which track is next (look
just in front of the stairs up from platform 2, where the BLUE
trains (and some SILVER/GREEN Yokohama-line trains) also stop.
The alternative is the track 3 mentioned above.
3) If a SILVER train with green stripe arrives (which does
not happen often) you are on the JR Yokohama line right away.
The destination you want is usually listed as Hachioji (if in
doubt, ask for that). Fuchinobe is the 13th stop from Yokohama.
Same proviso with respect to express train as above.
F) FUCHINOBE STATION TO ISAS. On exiting, surrender your NEX
ticket at the ticket barrier and pay Y 310 supplement (for
the Yokohama - Fuchinobe part; this is a reduced rate for
NEX travellers). Now go LEFT. At the bottom of the stairs
the taxi stand is to the right. Say "u-chuu-ken" ("uu" like in
"rule") to request ISAS. Fare is 540 Y, (some cabs, and some
days, more) and the ride takes only 5 minutes. Note: if you
want to keep your train ticket as a receipt for accounting
purposes, the ticket collector will stamp it and return it
to you upon request. ("Kippu itadaite yoroshii deshou ka?"
would work just fine).
G) Get out the taxi at the gate. If you arrive at night and
you have a reservation at the lodge there will be a doorkey
waiting for you in the guards office at the gate. In daytime,
you may have to ask the guard to call Prof. Ogawara's office
for help (ext. 2609). The Yohkoh data analysis rooms are at
extensions 3494 and 3492.
H) The lodge building is the first to the left after you enter the
main gate. There is a campus map showing the location of A-toh
(administration; Ogawara's office on 6th floor) and D-toh (Yohkoh).
5. ISAS BUS SCHEDULE:
Free transportation to and from Fuchinobe railway station.
Bus stops in front of the main building at ISAS, and in front
at the central area just beyond the municipal bus stops. It
waits briefly (up to ten minutes, depending on traffic) at
the station and departs at the indicated times, while just loading
and unloading at ISAS, and departing right after. In the evening it
is the other way around. The trip takes no more than 5 minutes.
Schedule for departures:
ISAS (evening)
17:10
17:35
18:00
18:30
18:55
19:25
19:50
FUCHINOBE (morning)
8:15
8:35
8:55
9:20
9:40
9:55
6. MONEY EXCHANGE/ BANK
A branch office of the YOKOHAMA BANK is located on the north-east
side of Fuchinobe railway station (opposite side from ISAS), right
accross the plaza, a large corner building with blue blinds.
Cash and Travellers Checks can be exchanged at the counter that has
a sign MONEY EXCHANGE. A passport is needed to exchange travellers
checks. A second branch of the YOKOHAMA BANK is located in the Machida
railway station, 1 level down from the station hall, on the east
side. This bank provides cash advances on Visa cards - stop at the
first window to get a wait-list number. In Tokyo, the SUMITOMO bank
provides the same service.
7. RETURN TO THE US
A) FLIGHT CONFIRMATION: It is absolutely necessary to confirm the
return flight at least 72 hours in advance. The United confirmation
telephone # is: 03 (Tokyo City Code, only outside Tokyo) -38174411.
Your respondent will speak English. Be prepared to leave a
telephone
number for changes in flight schedule, etc. See your ticket for
other airline numbers.
B) RETURN TO NARITA:
Route is the reverse of the arrival route -- Fuchinobe to
Yokohama on the green line, change to track 10 for the NEX
express, to Narita. Your car # is indicated on the pavement and
on your ticket: your car will stop there exactly!
On the Yokohama line, there are again two types of train that stop
at Fuchinobe. One (about one per hour) go through to the Yokohama
Station. The others stop at Higashi-Kanagawa, and one must transfer
to the blue train for one more stop (same direction) to get to
Yokohama.
C) TRAIN TICKETS: A ticket all the way from Fuchinobe to Narita can
be bought up to a month in advance at Fuchinobe railway station.
Advance buying is advisable to secure a reservation on the
sometimes fully booked NEX train. It is helpful to write your
request out in English, since the attendant probably does not
speak English very well. Example: Fuchinobe - Narita, 7/3/1992,
Dep. Yokohama 12:28. Allow one hour at least for the part
Fuchinobe - Yokohama, more if you want to be safe. There is a
good Soba restaurant INSIDE the Yokohama station (at the bottom
of the stairs to track 10) for if you have some time to spare.
D) BAGGAGE DELIVERY: the same services ("ABC" is one) are available
and can be requested by a phone call from ISAS. The call must
be made two days before flight departure, the pickup one day
before. The pickup can be made at the front gate of ISAS (the
guards will hold the bags for the pickup) or from the coffee
room in the data analysis area (building D). The ABC computer
knows these locations.