About ILTS

Greeting from the Director

The Institute of Low Temperature Science (ILTS) was founded in 1941 as the first research institute affiliated with Hokkaido University. Since then, the ILTS has achieved development in the areas of basic studies on snow and ice, and natural sciences in the cryosphere and cold environments. In 2010, the ILTS was designated as a Joint/Use Research Center aiming for "Fundamental and applied researches of scientific phenomena in cold regions with climatic low temperatures" by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. In April 2022, the designation as a joint/use research center was successfully extended.

We understand that role of a university-affiliated joint/use research institute is to launch unique, creative, and long-range research projects under cooperation with domestic and international partners. Considering the importance of cryosphere in the Earth climate system, we have conducted inter- and multi-disciplinary researches in the cold regions, including the Pan-Okhotsk Sea area adjoining to Hokkaido, the Antarctic and the Arctic. In addition, fundamental studies in low-temperature physics and chemistry, geochemistry, planetary science and biological environment science have produced unique and outstanding achievements. Considering the research fields that the ILTS covers, the size of the institute is not large enough. However, we aim to develop interdisciplinary researches irrespective of conventional study fields, to promote research projects with domestic and international partners, and to create new research communities. We would appreciate your further supports and encouragements.

April 2024

Director of the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Naoki Watanabe

History

The Institute of Low Temperature Science (ILTS) was founded in 1941 as the first research institute affiliated with Hokkaido University to promote interdisciplinary studies on various natural phenomena occurring in the cryosphere. The ILTS owes its establishment to the achievements of Professor Ukichiro Nakaya, the first person in the world to create artificial snow crystals. In 1995, the ILTS was reorganized as a nationwide joint-use institute to promote the fundamentals and applications of various natural phenomena occurring in the cryosphere. The ILTS was reorganized again in 2008 and is now composed of three research divisions (Water and Material Cycles Division, Frontier Ice and Snow Science Division and Environmental Biology Division), Joint Research Division and Pan-Okhotsk Research Center. In 2010, the ILTS was approved as a nationwide joint-use institute and a networking hub of academic exchanges with various research communities.

1941	Establishment of ILTS as the first research institute of Hokkaido University Opening of Physics, Meteorology, Biology, Medical, Applied Physics and Oceanography Sections
1963	Opening of Section of Snow Disaster Science
1964	Opening of Frost Heaving Section
1965	Opening of Monbetsu Sea Ice Laboratory
1966	Opening of Section of Frost Injury in Plants
1968	Relocation to the present site completed
1970	Opening of Snow Hydrology Section
1973	Opening of Biochemistry Section
1975	Expansion of a research building
1981	Opening of Section of Snowfall Mechanism
1991	Closing of Section of Snowfall Mechanism Opening of Section of Cryo-climatology
1995	Reorganization of the ILTS as a nationwide joint-use institute Opening of Marine and Atmospheric Science Section, Cryospheric Science Section, Basic Cryoscience Section, and Boreal Environmental Sciences Research Section
1997	Completion of a new laboratory building
2000	Completion of a new research building
2003	Start of renovation of old buildings
2004	Closing of Monbetsu Sea Ice Laboratory Opening of Pan-Okhotsk Research Center in Sapporo campus
2008	Completion of renovation of old buildings Organizational reformation of the ILTS Opening of Joint Research Division, three research divisions (Water and Material Cycles Division, Frontier Ice and Snow Science Division, and Environmental Biology Division)
2010	Approval as a nationwide joint-use institute and a networking hub of academic exchanges with various research communities

International Exchanges

Countries	Counterparts	Concluded
Germany	Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg	November 27, 2023
Germany	Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Berlin University of Applied Sciences	February 17, 2023
Ukraine	Sumy State University	July 13, 2020
South Korea	Korea Polar Research Institute	June 24, 2019
France	Observatoire de Paris	March 20, 2019
Portugal	Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa	February 5, 2019
Germany	Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Warnemünde	November 30, 2018
China	College of Bioscience and Biotechnology at Yangzhou University	July 19, 2018
Norway	The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo	July 13, 2017
U.S.A.	The Department of Chemistry at the University of Hawaii at Manoa	February 6, 2017
U.S.A.	The Regents of the University of California on behalf of its San Diego campus's Scripps Institution of Oceanography	March 17, 2016
Spain	Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas	January 19, 2016
Italy	University of Milano-Bicocca	December 4, 2015
Norway	Depertment of Geosciences, University of Oslo	February 16, 2015
Russia	Pacific Geographical Institute, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences	March 7, 2014
Russia	Far Eastern Regional Hydrometeorological Research Institute	March 27, 2013
Russia	North-Eastern Federal University	April 2, 2012
France	CNRM - GAME URA 1357, Météo-France - CNRS	March 26, 2012
Danmark	Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen	January 25, 2012
Germany	Max-Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology	January 19, 2012
Sweden	Faculty of Science, Stockholm University	September 20, 2010
Germany	University of Bremen	February 11, 2010
Russia	Far Eastern Branch Russian Academy of Science	July 23, 2009
South Korea	Center for Space-Time Molecular Dynamics at Seoul National University	June 30, 2009
Germany	Max-Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology	March 4, 2009
Germany	Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research	March 3, 2009
Australia	University of Tasmania	January 9, 2009
17 Universities and Institutions from 12 Countries	International Antarctic Institute	November 21, 2007
Russia	Far Eastern Federal University	November 12, 2007
Switzerland	Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH)	June 13, 2007
China	Nankai University	May 11, 2006
Finland	University of Oulu	December 11, 2001
U.S.A.	University of Alaska	December 20, 1986

Access

Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University
Kita-19, Nishi-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0819, Japan

From Chitose Airport to Sapporo JR Railway Station

JR, Bus or Taxi.
Access Guide Site: New Chitose Airport Access Guide

by JR

From Chitose Airport Station, take "Kaisoku Airport" for Sapporo. It takes about 40 minutes and costs 1,150 yen for one way. It departs every 10 minutes during daytime.

by Bus

Airport busses run almost every 30 minutes during daytime between the center of Sapporo and the Chitose Airport. It takes about 80 minutes depending much on traffic conditions. It costs 1,300 yen one way.

From the Sapporo JR Railway Station

Subway or taxi.

by Subway

Take the Namboku Line bound for Asabu from the Sapporo subway station (N06), and get off at the 2nd station, the Kita 18-jo station (N04). It costs 210 yen one way.

by Taxi

About 1,200 yen, and takes about 10 minutes.

MAP

Access/Maps
Circumference map

Contact us

Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido Univ.
Kita-19, Nishi-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan

About research activities, please inquire of each research groups.

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