The 61st Annual Meeting of the Herpetological Society of Japan will be held in Okinawa on 5-6 November 2022. Both members and non-members can participate in the meeting, and we are looking forward to your participation. We are planning to hold the meeting face-to-face, but if it becomes difficult to hold it face-to-face due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we will switch to an online format. If the meeting is held online, notice of the change will be posted on the society website and the 61st meeting website by October 7, 2022, so please check those sites for updates. If the format of the meeting is changed, the program itself will not be changed. Only the presentation format will change, switching to online. A social gathering will not be held at this conference. Instead, we plan to open the venue for a certain period of time so that participants can talk with each other in small groups without eating or drinking.
◯ Program
Program in English was released (October 26th).
◯ Important Notice (5 Oct. 2022):
Dear participants,
We have decided to hold the 61st Annual Meeting of the Herpetological Society of Japan (Okinawa: November 5-6) in a face-to-face format. This decision was made based on the current status of the new coronavirus as of the beginning of October and the policies related to the new coronavirus from October onwards by public institutions related to the conference (Okinawa Prefecture, University of the Ryukyus, etc.). However, although we believe that the possibility is very small, we would like to add that there is a possibility of cancellation if the Japanese government or Okinawa Prefecture declares a state of emergency or an equivalent response to the coronavirus.
◯ T-shirts Sales (5 Oct. 2022):
Original 61st Meeting T-shirts are now on sale. Please check the URL below and consider purchasing one or more T-shirts. Choose your favorite design for the back of the shirt and the shirt material, color and size. It will take time to ship because this is a completely made-to-order production process. If you would like to purchase a T-shirt, please do so as soon as possible (we recommend that you purchase it by around October 15th). You may receive a discount on the shipping fee if you place your order as a laboratory unit or other large group.
Have you seen the original conference T-shirt for the 61st meeting? Additional designs (Gecko T-shirts in 3 types) were also released on October 12th. Please take a look at the cool designs created by gecko researchers. These T-shirts are made-to-order, so it takes time (more than a week) to ship. In order to make it in time for the meeting, the advance purchase time is approaching.(Depending on where you live, it may not be ready in time.)
For details, please check the sales site below.
Sales site URL: https://suzuri.jp/Herpetological_Society_of_Japan61
T-shirt Sales Manager
◯ The 61st meeting guide :
◯ Schedule :
November 5th (Sat) and 6th (Sun), 2022
5th (Sat) Oral presentations, Poster presentations, Group photo shoot, Special Presentation Sessions, Free talking time
6th (Sun) Oral presentations, Poster presentations, General assembly, Free time for discussions by participants
◯ Venue:
1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa University of the Ryukyus, Senbaru Campus
The building of Faculty of Global and Regional Studies
Access: https://www.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/access_en/
Campus Map: https://www.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/campus-map_en/
◯ Participation registration:
Please register using the participation registration form on the website. If it is difficult to register online, please send the requested information by e-mail or post. If you wish to apply for participation by e-mail or mail, please use the form at the bottom of the Word file in the meeting guide. Please apply from the website if possible.
Meeting website: Website registration form
E-mail: hsj2022okinawa@gmail.com
◯ Participation fee :
Advance registration for conference, including presentation if any (until September 15, 2022) 3,500 yen
Applications for participation after September 16th. 4,000 yen
November 5 Lunch box fee 600 yen (optional)
November 6 Lunch box fee 600 yen (optional)
*The participation fee will be the same even if the event is held online.
*In the event that the meeting moves to an online format, the application deadline will shift to October 31 (mail must arrive)
*There are convenience stores and restaurants near the venue. The university cafeteria is also open on Saturdays.
*A commemorative photo will be taken as usual. After the conference, it will be posted on the website, so please download it if you wish.
*In the event that the conference is moved to an online format, the registration fee and lunch box fee will not be refunded, and the surplus will be used for the operation of next year’s event. Please be aware of this before registering for participation.
◯ Remittance method:
For participants from abroad, payment on the day of the conference is acceptable.
◯ General presentation:
Poster presentation:
Please create the poster so it measures no more than 90 cm in width and 162 cm in height.
Oral presentation:
12 minutes for presentation and 3 minutes for Q&A. Only PC projectors can be used.
* If the annual meeting is held online, the poster presentation will be conducted in a format similar to an oral presentation using the breakout rooms on Zoom. Poster presenters will convert their posters into slides by the day of the meeting, share their slide presentation in the designated breakout rooms during the core time for poster presentations, and explain their research to participants. In addition, we plan to make some additional poster presentation times during the lunch breaks, to allow more time for poster presentations. Due to the characteristics of the breakout rooms in Zoom, posters cannot be viewed if the presenter is not in the room.
◯ Special Presentation Sessions:
We invite members to organize special sessions featuring presentations on a special theme or topic as part of the meeting program. Please contact Mr. Kota Okamoto k9.canislupus [A]gmail.com (please replace [A] with @), to discuss the theme, content, speakers, etc., as an individual or as a small group . The total time for the planning session is two hours. The planner should arrange the contents of the presentation, etc., within the assigned time period, and will serve as the chair for that session. In addition, the planner should apply on behalf of the presentation to be held at each meeting. In principle, it is considered to be on a first-come, first-served basis, but please understand that if multiple similar projects are proposed, the conference executive committee may consult with you.
<Notes on presentation>
Registrants are limited to one presentation per person, either orally or by poster (excluding presentations at special presentation sessions).
Presenters must be members of the HSJ and have paid the membership fee for 2022 by the time of application. If you wish to become a new member, please be sure to complete the registration procedures and payment of the conference fee before registering for the conference. Please see this website http://herpetology.jp/membership/ for membership options and annual fee.
Depending on the venue, it may be necessary to adjust the number of participants from oral presentations to poster presentations (or vice versa). In such a case, if you would like to cooperate in changing the presentation method, please indicate that in the corresponding section of the online registration page.
Presenters are required to submit abstracts. Details of the submission method will be posted on the conference website in mid-October.
As a general rule, oral presentations should be presented using PowerPoint and Acrobat Reader using the Windows devices provided at the venue (use of a speaker’s personal computer is not allowed). If you wish to present using other OSs or applications, please contact the conference secretariat in advance .
◯ Free meeting time for participants and product sales:
We will provide a place for free meeting time and product sales as much as possible, so if you are interested, please send an email to Mr. Takahide Sasai, takahidesasai [A] gmail.com (please change [A] to @) . Please consult with us to arrange a meeting or sales.
Free meeting time for participants: In principle, this will be held after the main meeting on the second day of the conference. This event will require that the actual number of participants in each designated classroom is less than 70% of the room’s capacity. Please let us know how many people you expect to attend your meeting when you apply. Even if more people than expected wish to participate on the day of the event, please refrain from entering the room when 70% of the capacity has been reached .
Products sales: It is the responsibility of the exhibitor to ensure that the area in front of the booth is not overcrowded .
◯ Accommodation:
Please make your own arrangements.
◯ Annual meeting committee:
Chair: Mamoru Toda
Committee: Atsushi Tominaga, Shan-Dar Tao, Takahide Sasai, Kota Okamoto, Takumi Yamamoto, Hitomi Asato, Hiroki Shiroma, Ryo Kamimura, Ayako Fukakusa, Akane Matsuda, Asaki Hentona, Sakura Nishijima, Masatoki Tamaki , Alan H. Savitzky
◯ Annual meeting secretariat:
Faculty of Education, University of the Ryukyus
1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa 903-0213
Email: hsj2022okinawa@gmail.com (Please email us as much as possible)
TEL: +81+98-895-8936 (Toda) or +81-98-895-8357 (Tominaga)
<Standards for holding a face-to-face conference>
As a general rule, if the government has not declared a state of emergency, Okinawa Prefecture has not issued priority measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and there are no restrictions on the holding of meetings, etc. by the venue (the University of the Ryukyus), a conventional face-to-face meeting will be held. If important measures have been implemented to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 or there are equivalent activity restrictions in other regions, face-to-face meetings will be held only if it is judged that the areas affected are very limited regions.
The decision on whether to meet face-to-face or remotely will be made at the beginning of October, and prospective participants and other members will be notified as soon as the decision is made. In addition, even if there were no signs of spreading COVID-19 infections at the beginning of October and the decision was made to hold the event face-to-face, if it later becomes difficult to hold the event face-to-face before the meeting, we may switch to a remote event for as much of the meeting as possible. However, we do not rule out the possibility of cancellation.
Even after the meeting has started, if it becomes apparent that there are many infected individuals among the participants, the meeting will be terminated.
<Points to note when participating>
Participants must submit a form stating their body temperature and physical condition as determined at the conference reception. Registrants will have the option to write also about results of a PCR test, other evidence of negative status, and vaccination status, but that information is not required in order to attend the meeting. However, if Okinawa Prefecture or the local government at a registrant’s point of the departure obliges or recommends a PCR test before travel, please follow that recommendation. (We will provide a thermometer and alcohol at the venue, and keep the venue well ventilated.)
Pay close attention to your own health condition, and if you have symptoms such as fever, refrain from participating even after traveling to Okinawa.
Determination of whether or not a mask is required and procedures for dealing with people who are coughing will be asked to follow the decision of the organizing committee.
Even after participating in the conference, please carefully monitor your physical condition, such as your body temperature, and if you are found to be infected with the new coronavirus within one week after the competition, report it to the conference secretariat. The event secretariat will then immediately inform all conference participants of this fact and will ask them to behave appropriately .
Participants from overseas must provide the conference organizers with the contact information of the person in charge of their arrangements (travel agency, etc.) at the time of entry to Japan in advance of the meeting, to prepare for emergencies .