Dear Mr. Fortinsky and Mr. Korpi,

/// Let me copy this to the reflector as the information may be /// /// of general interest. ///

MF> I have some questions relating to the upcoming Rapporteur's meeting MF> in Japan. I hope you can help me - I did not understand these points MF> from the information you sent to the ITU mailing list. MF> MF> (1) How far is Osaka from Tokyo?

Train distance is 556 km, about 3 hours by bullet train. Airline mile is 278, about 1 hour.

MF> (2) Which is the most appropriate airport to arrive at (you listed 2 MF> airports - Kansai and Narita)

Please take a flight to Kansai International Airport as far as possible.

MF> (3) How far is the hotel from the Narita airport? (you only mention MF> the Kansai airport) - from what I understand, you list some train MF> stations -are these all on the same line, or would I need to change MF> lines each time?

Though Narita is mentioned as a possibility, it is rather hard to go from Narita to Rihga Royal Hoel in Osaka. Narita International Airport is quite far from the central Tokyo.

If you can take one of the two domestic flights from Narita to Osaka Itami Airport (not Kansai), leaving Narita at 17:55 (JAL 153) or 19:00 (ANA 79), you need to take a limousine bus to JR (Japan Railway) Osaka Station (riding time is 30 minutes, 620 Yen) and change to a hotel courtesy bus (riding time is 10 minutes) or a taxi (about 1000 Yen). There are many flights from Haneda Airport to Osaka Itami or Kansai International Airport, but you have to go from Narita to Haneda by limousine bus (80 minutes, 3000 Yen).

Otherwise, you should first take a Narita Express (NEX) train to Tokyo (riding time is 1 hour), change to Shinkansen (bullet train) at JR Tokyo station to Shin-Osaka (about 3 hours) and change trains there to Osaka (riding time is 5 mintues), then finally take a hotel courtesy bus.

Please note that Shinkan-sen is rapid and convenient, but you may have difficulty to handle big luggages inside the car. It is fine if your luggages are small and light for overhead placement.

MF> (4) If I need to make my way back to Tokyo on Friday (the last day MF> of the meeting), how much time do I need to reach Tokyo from Osaka

I hope you can estimate from the above. As Tokyo is a big city, the answer may well depend on your final destination in Tokyo. The final Shinkansen train leaves Shi-Osaka at around 21 o'clock and arrives at Tokyo around 23:45. The final flight leaves Osaka at around 21:30 and arrives at Haneda around 23:00. We intend to finish the meeting by 18:00 on Friday.

MK> I have found out that Delta has a flight from Portland to Nagoya. I MK> wonder whether it is easy to get from the Nagoya airport to Osaka by MK> train?

You need to take a limousine bus to JR Nagoya station (30 minutes, 870 Yen), then take a Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka (1 hour, about 6,300 Yen), change trains there to Osaka, and finally a hotel courtesy bus or a taxi.

Best regards,

Sakae OKUBO *********************************************************** Waseda Research Center Telecommunications Advancement Organization of Japan (TAO) 5th Floor, Nishi-Waseda Bldg. 1-21-1 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0051 Japan Tel: +81 3 5286 3830 (to be transferred) +81 3 3204 8194 (direct) Fax: +81 3 5287 7287 e-mail: okubo@giti.or.jp ***********************************************************

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