Flights:
We urge you to book your flights to Japan as soon as possible. Flights from Europe and the Americas to Japan are currently available for ~USD 1000 (return ticket).
Through checking on the internet, flights that arrive Jan 2-3 are actually several hundred USD cheaper than flights that arrive Jan 4-5. So maybe plan to come earlier and spend a few days in Tokyo before coming to Aizu. (Or spend an extra day in Aizu: we have much to see here.)
Train:
Buy a ticket in Narita airport for the sky liner train (2000 yen) or a local train (1000 yen). They run on the same branch-less track. The local train takes 15 min longer.
Take the sky liner/local train from Narita airport to Tokyo-Ueno.Walk 3 min (100m) from the arriving station to the JR Ueno railway station. Buy a ticket to AizuWakamatsu at the ticket office in the JR-Ueno-railway-station. They speak some English and accept credit cards. Buy a shinkansen bullet-train ticket for Ueno-Koriyama as part of the ticket to Aizu. (non-reserved tickets should be ok and cheaper). Take the shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo-Ueno to Koriyama. The trains starts deep underground on special tracks with special gates marked by bullet-train signs. Leave the shinkansen in Koriyama. The stations are announced in English on the train. Ueno-Koriyama takes about 80 min.
Leave the shinkansen-domain of JR-railways (part of the train station, i.e., the 2nd floor). Take the local train to AizuWakamatsu (75 min) on track 2, ground level. Ask someone, if you are not sure whether you have the right local train: "AizuWakamatsu ok?"
Bus:
If you want to go by bus (cheaper but more complicated) from Tokyo to izuWakamatsu, please, let us know.
Weather:
Usually, the winter is mild in Aizu around the beginning of January. Light snowfall has usually happened December 15, some snow is still on the ground but roads/walkways are free and easy to use. However, in one year we had blizzard conditions around the time of the conference. The university nevertheless was safe and well-heated. Only our excursion could be hampered by severe weather. Please, bring warm clothes to the conference as if you were going on a skiing vacation.
Anything Else:
Please email Lothar Schmitt, and don't hesitate to make suggestions.