Curt Fischer wrote:
<snip>
> That is very unlikely.  Did you know that international conferences
> happen all the time in Japan?  I'll probably be attending one next
> month in Tsuruoka.

Perhaps my interests are too narrow in terms of the "major" conferences. For 
example, OOPSLA has never come to Japan, but that's not an adequate data 
point, since it's never left North America. I see CHI has gone to Europe a 
few times, but probably never come to Japan. (Not certain about 1997-1999.) 
I'm pressed to consider SIGGRAPH as a major conference these days, but if it 
came to Japan recently, then I missed it, and nothing in the historical 
archives to suggest it came in past years. ECOOP obviously can't come. 
Embarrassing, but I'd have to do some research to identify other majors...

However, I was also thinking of it from the perspective of helping some of 
the researchers (acting as hosts) prepare the invitations, and putting 
together an attractive conference package to justify the long trip is not 
easy. I also did the tour guide bit for one of the presenters a couple of 
years ago, and he probably wouldn't have made the trip except that he was 
able to tie it into second workshop in another part of Japan, with only a 
day or two in between (for the Nikko trip). The last one I actually attended 
was two or three years ago, and it was a minor one on databases.

Hmm... Now that makes me wonder if any of my authors has submitted to this 
conference, and if so, was it accepted? You'd think I should pay attention 
to that sort of thing... I'd have to avoid the presentation...