Excursion and Banquet
The FLOPS 2026 excursion and banquet are held on Day 2 (Wednesday May 27).
All FLOPS 2026 attendees are welcome to participate in the excursions. The banquet is open to invited speakers, regular participants, and participants who purchased banquet tickets.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
All participants in the excursion MUST refrain from eating NATTO or yogurt from the morning of May 26, the day before the excursion. This is a strict requirement. If you have NATTO or yogurt on May 26 or 27, you will NOT be allowed to participate in Excursion 2, although you may still join Excursion 1 and Banquet.
This requirement is necessary because the SAKE brewery is highly sensitive to contamination. Japanese SAKE production uses koji mold, which can be affected by NATTO bacteria and yogurt cultures.
Timetable
| Time | Place | Web page (in Japanese) |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 | Meeting (location to be announced) | |
| 13:30-14:00 | Transportation by Bus | |
| 14:00-15:00 | Excursion 1: Yanaka-no-Mori | web |
| 15:00-15:30 | Free time (Walking, etc.) | |
| 15:30-16:00 | Transportation by Bus | |
| 16:00-17:00 | Excursion 2: Urazato Shuzo | web |
| 17:15-17:45 | Transportation by Bus | |
| 18:00- | Banquet at Tenryu-Honten | web |
Please come to the meeting point on time; there is no public transportation to the excursion sites.
The banquet venue is within walking distance of Tsukuba Center, so participants may skip the excursions and attend only the banquet if they wish.
Excursion 1: Yanaka-no-Mori
Yanaka-no-Mori (formerly the residence of Mr. Yanaka) is a traditional Japanese building constructed by Ryujiro Yanaka during the SHOWA era (around 1938-1953). It is located in the Hojo district at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba. The building has been designated a National Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government.
The Japanese web page is available here.
Excursion 2: Urazato Shuzo
Urazato Shuzo is a SAKE brewery, which is famous for the SAKE brand KIRI TSUKUBA.
Participants can tour large KURA (traditional SAKE storage), and learn about the SAKE brewing process. A small SAKE tasting will also be available.
Banquet: Tenryu-Honten
The banquet is held at Tenryu-Honten, a restaurant serving a traditional Japanese cuisine.
Contact
FLOPS 2026 local organizers flops.tsukuba@gmail.com.