DebConf 2027 bid for Japan
Contents
?Check list
We proposal ?DebConf27 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan
See detail Asahikawa City
Local team (Core Member)
Norimitsu Sugimoto (Debian JP leader) - Organiser
Shunsuke Yoshida (Debian JP, Cybertrust) - Co-organiser
- Takanori Suzuki (Cybertrust)
NobuhiroIwamatsu (DD)
Youhei SASAKI (DM)
- Masato Minda (Plat'Home)
- Hiroyoshi Sudo
YOSHINO Yoshihito (Debian JP)
- ysaito
- YOUR-NAME-HERE-PLEASE
Other contributors
- YOUR-NAME-HERE-PLEASE
local organizations
- Secure IoT Platform Consortium
- Secure IoT Platform Consortium have a business relationship with Asahikawa City for more than 10 years.
The Secure IoT Platform Consortium (SIOTP) has been a vital partner for our community. They managed the venue arrangements and fiscal administration for MiniDebConf Japan 2025. Furthermore, they have committed to extending their cooperation to support DebConf 27 in Japan.
Local Contracting & Financial Administration Fee (10%) (Note: 10% of locally administered vendor payments)
- Role of SIOTP Association: To navigate Japanese business practices, the SIOTP Association will serve as our local legal entity for contracting and payments. This fee covers administrative overhead for:
- Contracting Eligibility: Many major Japanese venues and service providers require contracts with a domestic legal entity for credit and liability reasons.
- Financial Compliance: Handling domestic bank transfers (Zengin System), managing consumption tax, and ensuring compliance with Japan's "Qualified Invoice System" (mandatory for tax deductions).
- Accountabilities: Provide bookkeeping, collect valid receipts and submit financial reports for accounting with the SIOTP Association.
Note: This fee applies only to the budget processed through SIOTP. They successfully provided this support for the recent MiniDebConf in Japan.
The division of tasks between local organizations and DebConf TO needs to be discussed.
Company that cooperates in hosting
- Cybertrust Japan Co., Ltd. (Cybertrust)
- Cybertrust have a business relationship with Asahikawa City for more than 10 years.
- Cybertrust participates in the Civil Infrastructure Platform (CIP).
- CIP has decided to collaborate with the Debian LTS Initiative to provide long-term support for Debian and Debian-based systems.
- Plat'Home Co., Ltd.
- Plat'Home has been involved in Linux servers since the 1990s and currently sells small servers that run Debian.
- Plat'Home has also been a sponsor of Debian LTS since 2015.
People interested in helping
- YOUR-NAME-HERE-PLEASE
People interested (in joining, anything)
- YOUR-NAME-HERE-PLEASE
Achievements
Date
DebCamp: 2027-08-29(Sun) - 2027-09-04(Sat)
DebConf: 2027-09-05(Sun) - 2027-09-11(Sat)
- Departure Day: 2027-09-12(Sun)
Participants
- We are considering a maximum of 300 participants.
Venue
Venue of DebCamp is Taisetsu Crystal Hall.
Venue of DebConf is Taisetsu Crystal Hall & Music Hall.
- (Additional Venue) Asahikawa Regional Industries Promotion Center (next to Taisetsu Crystal Hall)
Photos and Map
Asahikawa City Taisetsu Crystal Hall & Music Hall
The Asahikawa City Taisetsu Crystal Hall is a premier multifunctional cultural complex located within walking distance of Asahikawa Station. Integrating a world-class music hall, a sophisticated international conference center, and a regional museum, it serves as the city’s hub for intellectual and cultural exchange. Its modern architecture and spacious foyers provide an ideal environment for large-scale international conferences like DebConf, offering a seamless blend of professional facilities and local heritage.
The venue offers flexible room configurations to accommodate various session types and sizes:
- Main Presentation Hall: Theater-style seating for up to 600 participants, ideal for keynotes and major presentations.
- Secondary Presentation Hall: Accommodates 300 in theater style or 180 in classroom style.
- Medium Session Room: Accommodates 150 in theater style or 90 in classroom style.
- Small Session Room / Hack Lab: Suitable for a 45-person classroom-style presentation or Hack Labs.
- Hack Labs: Two additional rooms, each accommodating approximately 25 participants.
Additional Venue: Asahikawa Regional Industries Promotion Center (Jibasan Center)
We are also considering the utilization of the Asahikawa Regional Industries Promotion Center (Jibasan Center). It is conveniently located adjacent to the main venue, Taisetsu Crystal Hall—just a short 2-minute walk away.
Also known as Michi-no-Eki Asahikawa (Roadside Station Asahikawa), this facility serves as a vibrant hub for regional culture and local cuisine. As a vital support complex for large-scale events, it offers attendees a wonderful opportunity to experience Asahikawa’s food culture firsthand.
- Multipurpose Exhibition Hall
- Featuring a spacious floor area of up to 1,500 square meters, this hall is versatile enough to accommodate various needs, such as social events or large-scale catering for conference banquets.
Conference & Meeting Rooms
- In addition to the exhibition hall, there are four meeting rooms that offer highly flexible spaces to complement the main venue. Possible configurations include:
- One classroom-style presentation venue (Capacity: ~100)
- Three classroom-style presentation venues or Hack Labs (Capacity: ~45 each)
- Food Court
- This spacious dining area allows guests to enjoy local specialties, including authentic Asahikawa Ramen. It is the ideal location for conference attendees to enjoy lunch within walking distance of the session venues.
Souvenirs & Local Crafts
- The facility offers a wide selection of local specialties and crafts, including the renowned "Asahikawa Furniture" and high-quality woodwork products.
Capacity
Venue / Facility |
Layout Style |
Capacity |
Remarks |
Taisetsu Music Hall |
Theater |
600 |
Main Presentation Hall |
Taisetsu Crystal Hall |
Theater or Classroom |
300 or 180 |
Session Room |
Theater or Classroom |
150 or 90 |
Session Room |
|
Classroom |
45 |
Small Session Room / Hack Lab |
|
Classroom |
25 x 2 |
Hack Labs |
|
Jibasan Center |
Classroom |
100 |
Additional Session Room |
Classroom |
45 x 3 |
Additional rooms |
Others
- Sound equipment (microphones, etc.)
- Wireless microphones, wired microphones, and lapel microphones can be provided.
- We are currently checking the details of the venue's equipment. (If there are not enough equipment to meet our needs, we will rent it.)
- We are currently checking whether it is possible to use an external childcare facility or set up a childcare facility within the facility.
Town and weather
About Asahikawa City
- Asahikawa City is center of Hokkaido prefecture.
- Population: about 310,000 people (as of 2025-12-01)
- The station and airport are nearby, and transportation is convenient.
- There are many public transport links to Sapporo, Hokkaido's largest city, and buses and trains connect to other cities in Hokkaido.
Weather
If you're visiting Hokkaido, autumn is the best time.
- Temperature data (record of 2025)
- August: Average 23.3 °C, Highest 28.4 °C, Lowest 19.0 °C
- September: Average 18.2 °C, Highest 24.2 °C, Lowest 13.1 °C
- The temperature can be low at night in September, so it's a good idea to bring a long-sleeved shirt or a light outer layer.
Shopping
- local computer hardware and electronics shops
- Electronics shops: YAMADA DENKI and K's Denki are located within 2 km of the venue.
- Computer hardware stores: There is a PC workshop, PC Koubou within 5 km of the venue.
- Supermarkets: AEON is within 1 km of the venue (next to JR Asahikawa Station, close to hotels), MEGA Center TRIAL (open 24 hours). There are many convenience stores such as Seven-Eleven, Lawson and Seicomart (open 24 hours).
- online shopping services
- Amazon' s delivery takes 3 days.
Transport
- Nearest railway station
It is JR Asahikawa Station
JR is a railway company that covers the whole of Japan, and the Hokkaido area is operated by Hokkaido Railway Company.
The venue is located approximately 1.0 km from JR Asahikawa Station.
- Nearest airport
You can use Asahikawa Airport or New Chitose Airport.
Flight Schedule: https://www.hokkaido-airports.com/en/asahikawa/airport/time/
- Domestic flights
- 8~9 buses per day
- To and from Narita Airport/Asahikawa Airport: Jetstar (LCC) operates 1 flight per day
- To and from Haneda Airport/Asahikawa Airport: ANA/AIRDO (LCC codeshare) operates 3 flights, JAL 4 flights per day
- Arrival and departure at Chubu Centrair International Airport and Asahikawa Airport: ANA operates 1 flight per day (seasonal operation July to September 2025)
- International flights
- Operates depending on the day of the week, 0-2 flights per day
- Departing from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) to Asahikawa Airport: Tigerair operates 1 flight each on Tuesdays and Saturdays
- Transportation from the airport to the venue
Arriving at JR Asahikawa Station in 40 minutes by express bus from Asahikawa Airport
The venue (Taisetsu Crystal Hall) is about 1.0 km from JR Asahikawa Station.
New Chitose Airport (CTS) (we recommend this if you are coming from Asia)
- New Chitose Airport (CTS) serves 28 domestic routes and 16 international routes in 41 cities in Japan and overseas.
domestic flight 28 routes including Haneda, Narita, Itami, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka and Naha international flight South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines: 8 countries and 16 routes
- Transportation from the New Chitose Airport (CTS) airport to the venue
- From New Chitose Airport, take the train (JR line) from Sapporo Station (JR Chitose Line, approximately 40 minutes, 1,230 JPY)
- At JR Sapporo Station, transfer to the Limited Express train (JR Hakodate Main Line) bound for JR Asahikawa Station (1 hour 30 minutes, 4,910 JPY)
- Note: There are no direct trains from JR New Chitose Airport Station to JR Asahikawa Station. You will need to transfer at JR Sapporo Station.
- The venue (Taisetsu Crystal Hall) is about 1.0 km from JR Asahikawa Station.
Visitors from regions outside Asia
- Option 1) Flight to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport, HND) or Narita International Airport (NRT), then transfer to a domestic flight at Haneda Airport or a domestic flight at Narita Airport bound for Asahikawa Airport.
- Option 2) Flight to an international airport in Asia (China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, etc.) and fly to New Chitose Airport.
Financial Support: Subsidies
We are eligible to apply for the following subsidies from Asahikawa City and the Hokkaido Government, potentially totaling 2,000,000 JPY.
1. Asahikawa Tourism and Convention Association Subsidy
Amount: 1,000,000 JPY
Requirements: An international convention with a total of 100 or more room nights stayed in Asahikawa City.
Source: Asahikawa Tourism and Convention Association
2. Hokkaido Government Convention Subsidy
Amount: 1,000,000 JPY
Requirements: An international convention with 100 or more participants (excluding online and general public attendees), of which 20 or more are from overseas.
Regulation: The subsidy amount from the Hokkaido Government is capped at the amount provided by the local municipality (Asahikawa City). Therefore, matching the Asahikawa subsidy allows us to maximize this grant at 1,000,000 JPY.
Source: Hokkaido Government MICE Support
(Note: The actual grant is subject to the screening process and budget availability of the respective fiscal year.)
Accommodation
How far apart are the locations? (Seating area, Hack Lab, Restaurant, Bedrooms, Reception, Organizer Space)
- 10 min walk from the venue (to JR Asahikawa Station) + 5 min walk [to the hotels].
Primary Hotels: Asahikawa Sun Hotel and Asahikawa 9C Hotel (Total capacity: approx. 160 people).
Hotel Details
- 50 rooms (51 total including spare). Can accommodate 100 people with double occupancy.
- Charter Cost: 500,000 JPY per night for the whole building.
- 40 Singles, 9 Twins , 2 Semi-doubles , 1 Japanese-style room (2 people).
- for approx. 47 rooms ( and reservations for long-term guests ).
- Charter Cost: 700,000 - 800,000 JPY (excluding tax) per night for the whole building.
- (Approx. per room cost: 12,500 - 17,000 JPY).
- Other nearby hotels are also available (approx. 5-10 min walk from JR Asahikawa Station).
How much does it cost per person per night?
- about 16,000 JPY per person.
Is support available for foreigners who do not speak the local language? (Can the hotel staff speak English?)
- Yes, they can handle basic daily conversation in English.
Can couples (and families) stay together?
- Asahikawa Sun Hotel has rooms that accommodate multiple people:
- 9 Twin rooms
- 2 Semi-double rooms
- 1 Japanese-style room (accommodates 2 people)
- Additionally, we can request other hotel recommendations via the local tourism association if needed.
- Asahikawa Sun Hotel has rooms that accommodate multiple people:
IP Networking
- Is the area already wired with normal network infrastructure? (preferably 1 Gbps)
- NTT EAST: FLET'S Hikari Next (1 Gbps)
- KDDI: au Hikari (1 Gbps)
- How much does it cost and how difficult is it to get a big Internet connection? (100 Mbps at least).
How much effort does it take to cover the area with WiFi?
- If you hire a local network builder in advance, it's not hard work.
- What if an area is not fully covered? Do you have a spare AP?
- A spare AP can be installed temporarily (for a fee) by a local network builder.
- How flexible is routing/firewalls/IP ranges/public access/WiFiSSID/etc when using other people's infrastructure?
- Needs adjustment. It is possible to entrust it to local network builders.
Accessibility
- Is mobility easy for people with disabilities?
- JR Hokkaido
- Since it may be necessary to arrange a station staff beforehand, we ask for your cooperation in advance in the planning stage of the use.
- Taxi
There are several wheelchair accessible taxi companies like http://www.chuuo-hire.com/taxi/transport.html. Please make a reservation in advance.
- JR Hokkaido
Food
- The food will cost about 3000-4000 JPY per person per day (1000-1300 JPY per meal.) It will be served buffet style through a caterer at Jibasan Center near Taisetsu Crystal Hall.
- breakfast
- Breakfast will be served in catering at venue or the accommodation hotel.
- Lunch
- Lunch will be served in catering at venue.
- Dinner
- Dinner will be served in catering at venue.
- It will support halal, vegan and vegetarian options
- For Halal option, we can accommodate Halal food through a catering service (while it is difficult to have separate kitchens for cooking.)
- For vegan and vegetarian options are under consideration.
- We hope to create a map of restaurants serving halal, vegan and vegetarian food around the venue and hotel (in cooperation with the tourist association).
- Food information of near the venue and hotel
There are many restaurants near JR Asahikawa Station, near the venue. Ramen shops, Chinese restaurants, Western restaurants, and set meal restaurants are all available. https://www.atca.jp/lunch_map/ Lunch starts at around 1,000 JPY. Inexpensive options include beef bowl and soba restaurants.
Cheese & Wine party
- It will be held at Jibasan Center.
- Import
"Products like cheese, milk, cream, and butter may be brought into Japan as portable items (brought in as carry-on baggage, checked baggage, or as unaccompanied baggage), as they are not subject to animal quarantine." https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/ap_health/animal/240904.html#q1-14
"when an entrant imports alcoholic beverages as accompanied or unaccompanied goods for personal use and the total quantity does not exceed the tax-free allowance (three bottles (760ml per bottle)), a customs duty, consumption taxes and a liquor tax are exempted. However, there is no tax-free allowance for alcoholic beverages for those under 20 years old." https://www.customs.go.jp/english/c-answer_e/kojin/3105_e.htm
Day Trip / Fun and Free time
- What leisure activities are recommended?
Asahiyama Zoo
- You can see lots of penguins.
- It is one of the most famous zoos in Japan.
- Barrier-free access available
(in Japanese) https://wheelog.com/hp/archives/27798
Tokiwa Park
https://www.atca.jp/kankouspoy/%E5%B8%B8%E7%A3%90%E5%85%AC%E5%9C%92/#
- It's located less than 1 km from the hotel district (opposite JR Asahikawa Station).
- It's a relaxing spot with greenery, a pond, an art museum, and a library.
- Nearby is Asahibashi Bridge, the symbol of Asahikawa City.
Asahi-dake (Trekking and hot springs)
- You can take the ropeway up to the middle of the mountain and go trekking.
- It's cold, so you'll need to take precautions against the cold (snow falls in late September)
Ice Pavilion
- Asahikawa is the place where the coldest temperature (-41.0 °C) in Japan was recorded in 1902.
- Let's try -40 °C world!
Sake (Japanese Rice Wine) brewery tour
- Otokoyama sake brewery museum
- Takasago Sake Brewery Meiji Sake
Food: Jingisukan (Local food, lamb grilled on a hot plate)
- Nearby towns: Biei Town, Furano City
- How expensive would they be?
- Admission to each facility is around 1,000 JPY.
- Food costs around 1,000 to 3,000 JPY per person.
- Will transport need to be organised?
- For larger groups, you will need to charter a bus.
- Are the proposed locations ready to receive people with disabilities?
- (T.B.D)
Visa Policy
Government Support for International Attendees
- Asahikawa City welcomes developers from around the globe. We have requested the city's official assistance with visa procedures to make sure everyone can join us without barriers.
Team contact
Commitments
Norimitsu Sugimoto (dictoss) and all members of the local team in Japan
We learned about DebConf by attending DebConf18 Hsinch, DebConf24 Busan, DebConf25 Brest, and with the cooperation of the organizing committee members, We organized MiniDebConf Japan 2025.
Asahikawa is my hometown and I know it well, so we promise to contribute as much as we can to organizing DebConf in Japan.
Cost
Subsidies
Item |
Amount (JPY) |
1,000,000 |
|
1,000,000 |
|
Total |
2,000,000 |
Overall
Venue + Accommo + Food Net cost after financial support/subsidies |
JPY ¥38,462,400 |
EUR 213,680 |
based on https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1goqSvPmT5XOY5cEVpC6C-79a_yWTI1kGW2q5ETu5-nc/edit?usp=sharing |
Calculated at 1 EUR = 180 JPY
Open Questions
- xxx
Other
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