Welcome to the latest Japan Meetings & Events
e-newsletter for Associations.
We look forward to providing associations with relevant information and updates regarding hosting your future congress in Japan.
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An inspirational Japanese proverb to kick off this year's first e-newsletter:
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泣いて暮らすも一緒,
笑って暮らすも一緒
- Naite kurasu mo issho, waratte kurasu mo issho
“It is the same life, whether we spend it
crying or laughing”
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Since 11 October 2022, the visa-waiver program from 68 countries has been reinstated.
FIT travel is allowed to resume.
Daily pax arrival caps have been removed.
At this stage, travellers are still required to either:
Be triple vaccinated and provide a vaccine certificate, OR
Have a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours before departure.
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Introducing Kobe and Himeji, the two largest cities in Hyogo Prefecture, located on Japan's Pacific coast and 12 and 30 minutes, respectively, by Shinkansen bullet train from Osaka.
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Kobe Port Tower (left in background)
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Kobe is an international port city and capital of Hyogo Prefecture. Surrounded by the Rokko Mountains and the Seto Inland Sea, Kobe has a temperate climate and is a cosmopolitan city home to 1.5 million people from more than 130 countries, as well as global organisations and companies.
Himeji City, further along the coast, is a compact, walkable city and is well known for its castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site that is considered to be one of Japan's most beautiful and well-preserved castles.
Transport: Kansai International Airport is located approximately 1 hour by car from Kobe, while Kobe Airport handles domestic flights, which is closer. Shin-Kobe train station connects Kobe with other cities on the Shinkansen bullet train route including Tokyo, just over 2.5 hours away.
Key Business Sectors: With a history as a major international trading port, this drove the city's economy, turning Kobe into an industrial powerhouse. Although heavy industry and manufacturing are still key, investment in recent years in new fields such as medical care and IT have turned Kobe into a leading centre for technological advances and innovation, including in new energy and aerospace.
What to Visit: Himeji Castle, scale Kobe Port Tower (shaped like a traditional Japanese drum) or ride the Kobe Nunobiki Ropeway to enjoy Kobe's stunning night-time views. Visit the Takeda Castle Ruins, also known as the 'castle floating in the sky', due to a weather phenomenon around sunrise in October and November.
What to Eat: Specialty foods such as Botan Nabe (wild boar) found in the mountains and forests of Hyogo, Kobe beef and Akashi sea bream, a traditional dish at celebrations which has an incredible flavour and texture suited to both sashimi and grilling. Kobe is also known for its sake as the largest producer in the world and Japan's largest exporter.
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Opportunities to learn about and explore world-leading specialist facilities.
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E-Defense
Take a fascinating tour of the 3-D, full-scale Earthquake Testing Facility (nicknamed "E-Defense”). The 'ultimate testing facility' is capable of subjecting to-scale buildings to seismic shocks equivalent to the 1995 Southern Hyogo Prefecture Earthquake in three dimensions (front/back, left/right, up/down). This contributes to the research and development of improved earthquake resistance and allows detailed analysis of the shaking, damage process and collapse of structures.
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RIKEN SPring-8 Centre
Visit the large-scale synchrotron radiation facility SPring-8 and x-ray free electron laser facility SACLA which use the world’s highest performance radiation for research into the structure and properties of matter at the atomic level.
The facilities are utilised widely by researchers in Japan and abroad, and have produced outstanding results in fields as diverse as material science, geoscience, life science, environmental science, and industrial use.
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Convenient and concentrated convention centres abound in Hyogo.
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Arcrea HIMEJI Cultural and Convention Centre
Recently opened in September 2021, Arcrea HIMEJI is located 700m from Himeji station via a roofed walk-through that goes through a park toward the main entrance of the centre, providing a safe and pleasant pedestrian route. Consisting of three theatre halls of various sizes, large (2010 seats), medium (693 seats) and small (164 seats), there are also ten meeting rooms of different sizes, on the same floor, and an exhibition hall of 4000m2, able to be divided into three separate spaces.
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Kobe Convention Centre Precinct
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Kobe Convention Centre
Opened in 1981 as Japanʼs first convention precinct, this is the setting for numerous international conferences and exhibitions and is conveniently located within a 3-minute walk from Shimin Hiroba station,10 minutes from the city centre and 8 minutes from Kobe Airport.
The precinct includes the Kobe International Exhibition Hall (the largest exhibition space in Kobe at 13,600m2) which has a capacity of up to 4,000 people as well as conference rooms and other halls of various sizes to meet all requirements. Across the road, the Kobe International Conference Centre has a main hall which can hold up to 692 people, accommodating ceremonies and concerts, etc.
This well-designed convention precinct has a covered corridor connecting the conference centre, exhibition hall, and Kobe Portopia Hotel, making it suitable for all weather conditions.
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HOTEL PORTOPIA, KOBE
In conjunction with the Kobe International Conference Center and Kobe Exhibition Hall, the hotel is conveniently situated adjacent in the Convention Centre precinct and able to provide accommodation as well as a variety of meeting and banquet spaces. With an Executive Floor ideal for business travellers, Hotel Portopia is the largest hotel in Kobe offering 746 rooms with fantastic views over the city.
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HOTEL MONTEREY, HIMEJI
Closest to Arcrea HIMEJI's Cultural and Convention Centre, the JR train station and Himeji Castle, Hotel Monterey features an exotic interior that blends oriental elements with the Art Deco style of Belgium, designed to reflect the fact that Himeji is the long-standing sister city of Charleroi in Belgium.
The luxurious 274 rooms are refined and comfortable and a bathing and sauna facility is available exclusively for guests.
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Kobe is home to the famous 'Kobe beef' which is characterised by its marbling, tenderness and flavour. This internationally renowned delicacy comes from locally born and raised Tajima cattle. Though there are a number of theories as to how the area produces such great beef, for example, the cattle are massaged and given beer, this isn't actually the case. Instead, Kobe beef must meet a strict set of standards to ensure only the highest grade is given the Kobe stamp of approval.
The most common way to enjoy Kobe beef is, of course, the classic steak. You can also try shabu shabu, where thin slices of meat are quickly dipped in boiling broth, or try sukiyaki, which is a hotpot style of cooking. Kobe beef sells for the highest price per pound worldwide due to the fact that so much time, effort and care goes into the highly regulated and limited amount of meat exported out of and sold within Japan.
What is the difference between Kobe and Wagyu beef?
'Wagyu' is translated as 'Japanese cattle', so Kobe beef is a type of Wagyu beef. However, Wagyu beef can be raised and harvested anywhere in the world whereas Kobe beef must be produced within the Hyogo Prefecture, every animal bearing a 10-digit serial number to trace its lineage and life cycle. This means that all Kobe beef is Wagyu beef, but not all Wagyu beef is Kobe beef.
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Kobe Beef
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Thank you.
We look forward to assisting you with planning your next event in Japan.
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