Thanks very much everyone for your answers.

I'm flying into Narita because that's what I was instructed to do.
Erroneously apparently... Anyway the flight is confirmed and payed for
by now so there's not much I can do. My working days in Kyoto will be
full-time, so I'll have no time for anything else. But I'll spend some
additional days there after the meetings.

I bought a couple of guidebooks in the meantime which, along with your
comments, should get me going. I've got just another issue, and it's a
recurrent one: I have to buy a digital camera... I searched the Web
and these NGs but I wasn't able to find any recent postings/articles
about the subject. My preference (after some research) lies with the
Nikon Coolpix 5200 or something similar. Does anyone have a clue as to
whether it's cheaper in Japan or in Europe? Of course also considering
warranty, assistance, etc.

Thanks very much again,
andy