Technical Tour

Important Notice: Technical Tour Registration

The technical tour has reached full capacity and registration is now closed. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and would like to express our gratitude for the overwhelming response.

An Alternative Technical Tour (Co-sponsored by the CyFA Research Subcommittee of ISCIE) is also available with limited tickets. Please see the section below for details and registration.

ISFA-organized Technical Tour

A technical tour is scheduled for July 23. The tour will include visits to JFE Steel Corporation, West Japan Works and Kurashiki City. Lunch at Washuzan Rest House is included in the tour. Participants are kindly requested to register for the tour via the registration site. Due to bus capacity constraints, the number of participants is limited to approximately 40 people and will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Tour schedule (Tentative)

8:30-9:00 Departure from Okayama Convention Center
Morning JFE Steel West Japan Works
13:00- Lunch at Washuzan Rest House
Afternoon Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
16:00-17:00 Dismissal at JR Kurashiki Station 

CAUTION:

The tour bus will not return to the Okayama Convention Center. Participants are requested to travel back to Okayama from Kurashiki by local train. The journey from Kurashiki Station to Okayama Station takes approximately 20 minutes by local train, and the fare is approximately JPY 330 per person.

JFE Steel West Japan Works
JFE Steel West Japan Works

JFE Steel West Japan Works (Mizushima, Kurashiki)

JFE Steel West Japan Works is one of the world’s largest integrated steel plants, operated by JFE Steel Corporation. The plant features highly efficient and synchronized steel production systems covering ironmaking, steelmaking, and rolling processes. It produces a wide range of high-quality steel products for global industries, including automotive, shipbuilding, energy, and infrastructure sectors.

Lunch at Washuzan Rest House

Lunch at Washuzan Rest House (Shimotsui, Kurashiki)

Located within the Setonaikai National Park, the Washuzan Rest House, offering stunning views of the Seto Ohashi Bridge and the islands of the Seto Inland Sea. The facility includes restaurants and souvenir shops. A lunch featuring sea bream is planned for participants.

Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter

Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter (Kurashiki)

The Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter is a well-preserved historic district. Developed as a commercial and distribution center during the Edo period, the area is characterized by traditional white-walled storehouses, stone-paved streets, and willow-lined canals along the Kurashiki River. Today, the district combines historical architecture with cultural and artistic facilities, including museums, galleries, and renovated merchant houses.

Alternative Technical Tour (Co-sponsored by the CyFA Research Subcommittee of ISCIE) – Limited Tickets Available

An alternative technical tour is scheduled for July 23, featuring a visit to YASDA PRECISION TOOLS K.K., a leading manufacturer of ultra-high-precision machining centers capable of achieving micron-level accuracy. This tour offers a unique opportunity to observe the manufacturing processes behind these advanced machine tools, including production facilities, rigorously temperature-controlled assembly environments, and manufacturing practices that integrate cutting-edge technologies with highly skilled craftsmanship. A special lecture is also planned, highlighting efforts to further enhance machine-tool precision as well as recent technological trends in advanced manufacturing.

YASDA PRECISION TOOLS K.K.

CAUTION:

  • All explanations during the tour will be provided in Japanese. The names and affiliations of participants will be provided in advance to the host organization for security and administrative purposes.
  • Participants may register for only one of the two technical tours. Registration for both the ISFA-organized technical tour (for JFE steel) and the CyFA co-sponsored technical tour (for YASDA) is not permitted. If a participant registers for both technical tours, the ISFA-organized technical tour will be given priority.
  • Lunch will not be provided. Participants are requested to make their own arrangements for lunch in advance.
  • Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until July 1, 2026, and registration will close earlier if all available tickets have been allocated.

Tour Schedule on July 23, 2026

11:45 Meet at JR Okayama Station
12:00 Departure from JR Okayama Station by bus
13:00 Arrival at YASDA PRECISION TOOLS K.K.
1160 Hamanaka,Satosho-cho,Asakuchi-gun,Okayama,719-0303 Japan
13:10-14:40 Facility Tour
14:50-15:30 Special Lecture
15:30 Departure from YASDA PRECISION TOOLS K.K.
16:20 Arrival at Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
Participants who wish to do so may get off here.
17:00 Arrival at JR Okayama Station

Please register via the Google Form below. Note that the form and instructions are available in Japanese only.


https://forms.gle/ekX82bp5tmzzNjVp6