University of Tokyo

University of Tokyo (UT) is located in the center of Tokyo metropolis, and is the oldest university in Japan founded by national government in 1877. The congress venue Yayoi Auditorium has a main hall (Ichijo Hall), seminar rooms and space for exhibition.

It is located near the main gate of Yayoi campus, neighboring the main campus of the University of Tokyo (Hongo campus). In this campus, there are buildings of Faculty of Agriculture and Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences and Earthquake Research Institute.

In the Hongo campus, you can take a walk along the streets of Ginkgo trees and Zelkova serrata trees, go around a quiet pond Sanshiro-ike, and see an old red gate Akamon, the national cultural monument. There is UT souvenir shop near Akamon, where you can buy some university goods including Japanese distilled sake (Shochu) fermented by a fungal strain re-activated from the oldest culture stock and a perfume made from flower of Ohga-hasu (Dr. Ohga's lotus) whose seeds were discovered from the soil of 2000 years ago.

Koishikawa Botanical Garden (25 min by walk from UT, or 10 min from subway station Hakusan)

Koishikawa Botanical Garden belongs to the Graduate School of Science UT. The place was formerly medicinal herb garden founded by SHOGUN Tsunayoshi Tokugawa in 1684, and changed to botanic garden after Meiji restoration. This botanic garden is the oldest one in Japan and has a prominent history of many scientific discoveries. Mr. Sakugoro Hirase and Dr. Seiichiro Ikeno found spermatozoids of Ginkgo biloba and that of Cycas revoluta, respectively in 1896. This discovery of spermatozoid in seed plants (gymnosperms) are the most outstanding achievements in the early history of modern plant science in Japan. You can see these plants from which microscopic specimens were taken. There are also some symbol trees of this garden such as a grapevine derived from Gregor Mendel's monastery garden and an apple tree from Isaac Newton's home garden.

Imperial Palace (10 min by subway from UT)

The Imperial Palace (the former Edo Castle) is located in the center of Tokyo Metropolitan area. The palace was used by SHOGUN (the chief of Samurai ) from 1603 to 1867. A part of the garden is open for visitors and you can view the gates and stone walls of the castle.

Ueno Park (20 minutes by walk from UT)

Ueno Park is one of the biggest parks in Tokyo neighboring Ueno station. There is a big pond (Shinobazu-no-ike) with many lotus plants on the water, cherry trees around the pond. There are art museums and a science museum and cultural museum, music halls and zoo in Ueno Park.

Meiji Shrine (20 minutes by subway from UT)

Meiji Shrine was dedicated to the Emperor Meiji, the first Emperor of modern age, who moved the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo and passed away in 1912. More than a hundred thousand trees were donated from all over the country and planted around the shrine. These planted trees now formed a mature forest which looks like a natural old-growth forest, as Prof. Seiroku Honda planned 100 years ago.

Asakusa (10 min by subway from UT)

Asakusa is a typical place of old Shitamachi (downtown) of Tokyo. Traditional shopping street gNakamiseh start from Kaminari-mon gate to a Buddist temple Senso-ji.

Akihabara Electric Town (15 min by subway and JR from UT)

Akihabara electric town is the shopping place for IT and audio goods and it is now also the center of Otaku culture by younger generations.

Tokyo Sky Tree (20 min by subway from UT)

Tokyo Sky Tree is the highest tower in the world, which will open on May 22, 2012.