First circular

General information

Registration

• Full registration 15,000 (JPY)

• Early-bird full registration (before 15 January 2023) 10,000 (JPY)

• Students and accompanying persons 5,000 (JPY)

• Early-bird student registration (before 15 January 2023) 4,000 (JPY)

• Conference dinner 5,000 (JPY)

• Post-conference field trip (optional) TBC

Online registration will be available from October 2022 on the website for IOC Engaru 2023.

Deadlines

• Registration for presenters: 17:00 JST, 1 March 2023

• Registration for attendees not presenting a paper or poster: 17:00 JST, 1 June 2023

• Submission of abstracts: 17:00 JST, 1 March 2023

Contact persons

• Ono, Akira (ono(a)tmu.ac.jp)

• Suda, Yoshimitsu (geosuda(at)nagasaki-u.ac.jp)

• Matsumura, Yoshifumi (y.matsumura(at)engaru.jp)

Note: If you require a visa to visit Japan, please contact us as soon as possible.

Detailed information

Conference details

• Venue: Engaru Metro Plaza, Engaru Town (https://engaru-metroplaza.jp)

• Duration: 4 days, 3–6 July 2023 (including a one-day field trip)

• Post-conference field trip (optional): 2 days, 6–7 July 2023 (details to be announced)

Transportation

• Participants can reach Engaru Town by train from New Chitose Airport (CTS). The journey takes about five hours. For more information, see the following websites:

Engaru Town (https://engaru.jp/information/page.php?id=224)

New Chitose Airport (https://www.new-chitose-airport.jp/en/)

Accommodation

We are considering a hotel booking system for participants because there are few hotels in Engaru Town. Therefore, please wait until we provide further information before attempting to book a hotel.

Conference sessions (to be confirmed)

1. Formation of obsidian from a geological perspective

2. Obsidian sources and their characterization

3. Analytical methods and databases of obsidian data

4. Cultural aspects of obsidian during different archaeological periods

5. Lithic technology and traceological studies

6. Regional development in relation to geological heritage and archaeological obsidian

Conference format

In the second circular (October 2022), we will state the final conference format (i.e., onsite, virtual, or hybrid).

Styles of abstract and presentation

Conference participants can submit an abstract for an oral presentation and/or poster. The abstract must not exceed 300 words (including the author affiliation details). Oral presentations are limited to 15 minutes, followed by a 5-minute discussion. Presenters are asked to use a standard presentation format (i.e., PPT or PDF). Details on poster style and the format of the poster session will be announced in the second circular (October 2022). The official language of the conference is English.

Day field trip during the conference

During the conference, attendees will visit the Shirataki obsidian source and Engaru Archaeological Center as a day trip. For information, please see the following websites:

• https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1CSJs5dN25IyZQSZcpxsnXcLNRjQvfFOb&ll=43.96735560106864%2C143.307415&z=12

• https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=UbN2JmumPzw

Post-conference field trip (optional)

A two-day post-conference field trip is still under consideration, with the intention to visit obsidian sources around Shirataki in Hokkaido. There will be an extra fee for attending the field trip.

Notes for online registration

Online registration will be available from October 2022 on the website for IOC Engaru 2023 . Registration will require the following information:

• Name (family name, first name)

• Title

• Gender

• Affiliation (institution, department, position)

• Institution or home address (city, country, postal code)

• Telephone number

• Email address

• Presentation style (onsite or virtual; oral and/or poster)

• Student registration (confirmation needed; i.e., student ID card)

• Details of accompanying persons

• Special request(s)

About Engaru Town and Geopark

Shirataki Geopark is a National Geopark that includes the Shirataki obsidian source and Upper Paleolithic sites of geological and archaeological importance, mainly distributed in Engaru Town. For detailed information on the Geopark and Engaru Town, see the following files and website:

• http://geopark.engaru.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SHIRATAKI-GEOPARK-GUIDEBOOK2009.pdf

• http://geopark.engaru.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/The-Shirataki-GeoparkProject2009.pdf

• https://engaru.jp

The mean daily temperature in Engaru Town during early July is about 20°C, with a possibility of cold nights.