Venue
The conference will be held at the Auditorium of Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), Okinawa, Japan.
Okinawa
Okinawa is Japan's southernmost prefecture, consisting of a few dozen, small islands in the southern half of the Nansei Shoto, the island chain which stretches over about one thousand kilometers from Kyushu to Taiwan. The islands making up Okinawa Prefecture, are also known as the Ryukyu Islands, named after the native culture, which is distinctly different from that of the rest of Japan in terms of language, cuisine, arts, etc.
Okinawa's climate is subtropical, with temperatures barely falling below 15 degrees in winter. The seas surrounding Okinawa's islands are considered among the world's most beautiful with coral reefs and abundant marine wildlife.
One of the local attractions is the Churaumi aquarium. The aquarium is a part of the Ocean Expo Park located in Motobu, Okinawa. The aquarium is made up of four floors, with tanks containing deep sea creatures, sharks, coral and tropical fish. The main attraction is the whale sharks and manta rays in the main tank, "Kuroshio Sea", kept alongside many other fish species, and their feeding time.
Other local attractions are the World Heritage of (ruins of) castles, called "gusuku" in Okinawa, among which the most known is Shuri Castle with the reconstructed loyal palace; geological parks such as Sefa Utaki, Okinawa World; cultural spots like Shikinaen Garden, Ryukyu Mura, and Peace Memorial Park.
We will arrange the excursion to visit the aquarium and other local attractions, and the accompanying persons program to Shuri Castle and other attractions.
