Facilities
Research rooms on the RIHN campus are designed to provide a sense of openness. The design concept is to allow implemented projects to be loosely interconnected as they occur in one large curved space 150 meters in length. The facilities help external researchers as well as RIHN research staff to meet one another, since they are designed with the maximization of shared use in mind. At the center of the main building, a library and computer room are located for the convenience of many users, and three common rooms are provided for casual discussions. On the basement floor, a cluster of fully functional laboratories has been designed with emphasis on convenience for shared use, as with the research rooms.
The separate RIHN House is a guesthouse. The assembly hall and a dining lounge located to the left of the house entrance serve as meeting spaces for the RIHN staff as well as for guests.
Appropriately for an institution researching the global environment, RIHN is housed in a tile-roofed building suited to the Kyoto landscape, where as many as possible of the trees already on the site have been retained. Lighting and air-conditioning also employ the latest designs to minimize the building's impact on the environment. The design has won acclaim, receiving awards from the Illumination Engineering Institute of Japan, the Japan Institute of Architects, the Green Building Award from MIPIM Asia, and the Architectural Institute of Japan.
| Site area | 31,401㎡ |
|---|---|
| Building area | 6,257㎡（Main building：5,610㎡、RIHN house：647㎡） |
| Total area | 12,887㎡（Main building：11,927㎡、RIHN house：960㎡） |
| Structure | Main building：RC structure part S structure、RIHN house：RC structure |
| number of floors | Main building：Basement 1st floor 2nd basement floor、RIHN house：Basement 1st floor 2nd basement floor |
Management
RIHN researchers work across the breadth of global environmental studies. If the diverse knowledge they produce is the warp, then the unifying weft is provided by field measurement, laboratory analysis, data and information management, and academic and social communication of research progress and results. In maintaining and supporting RIHN research capacity to collect and analyze data and to communicate research in numerous professional and public fora, the RIHN Center enhances our collaborative research around the world and contributes the kind of integrated knowledge that can solve global environmental problems.
Laboratories
RIHN research projects are multidisciplinary and multimethod; in common they share the need for high quality physical observation and chemical and biological analysis of the surface environments of the earth. As a national institute, RIHN houses eighteen basement laboratories designed to address this need. There are state-of-the-art laboratories dedicated to microscopic, DNA and stable isotope analysis. Additional facilities include two fieldwork preparation rooms for storage and maintenance of observational and sampling equipment, three low-temperature rooms for organism and ice core storage, three incubator rooms for storage of organisms requiring specific temperatures, and a clean room in which samples can be processed in a contamination-free environment.
Instruments
RIHN research projects conduct a variety of studies around the world and collect a diverse range of samples that contain valuable information that will help illuminate human-nature interactions. Stable isotope and DNA data in particular can give very precise descriptions of how materials and species interact, change, and move through time and space. In addition to maintaining state-of-the-art laboratories, the Laboratory and Analysis Division of the RIHN Center continues to develop new methods of data analysis and application. In conducting this research in collaboration with RIHN projects, universities and affiliated institutions throughout Japan, the division enhances the sophistication of experimental techniques and exchange of research information, and promotes the shared use of facilities.
Library
About the collection of the RIHN Library
RIHN’s library houses some 30,000 books and about 600 magazine titles, mainly related to the activities of the Institute. Taking advantage of RIHN’s characteristics, which are promoted through the collaboration of various academic fields, efforts are also being made to comprehensively collect related materials along specific themes (theme recommended books), which are arranged in a dedicated corner. These materials are also useful for mutual understanding between research projects and as an opportunity for researchers to become interested in research outside their specialized fields.
In addition, materials and activity records collected by completed research projects are arranged and stored for each project (CR materials). Some of these valuable materials are held only by the RIHN library in Japan. These materials are available for use not only as research materials, but also as materials for anyone interested in global environmental studies to gain a deeper understanding of RIHN’s activities.
Researchers outside the Institute can use these materials as long as they do not interfere with RIHN research. Advance application is required to use this service, so please refer to the "Usage Guide" if you are interested.
Usage guide (for those outside the institute)
The RIHN Library can only be used by RIHN members (including joint researchers, visiting researchers, and project researchers). If you wish to use the library for research or survey purposes, please inquire in advance through your affiliated library and come to the library with a letter of introduction and an identification card. Materials are available for browsing, photocopying, and using ILL services (cannot be borrowed). However, please note that priority will be given to in-house users for each service.
Opening days/hours
Weekdays: 9:00-17:00
(Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, December 29 to January 3, and holidays for the entire facility)
Before you visit
| Members of a university or research institute | Apply in advance through your institution's library |
|---|---|
| General public | Apply in advance through your local public library |
Application Procedures
- Please inform us of the purpose of use, the name of the material to be used, and the desired date of use in advance.
- After confirming the availability of the materials, we will send an answer and instructions through the library.
- It may take some time for us to reply and process your application, so please allow about a week for us to contact you.
Documents to bring
Please bring the following documents with you when you come to the library.
| Affiliation/status | Required documents |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate/Graduate students, etc. | Letter of introduction (submit a copy) and student ID card |
| Researcher affiliated with a university/research institution | Letter of introduction (submit a copy) and identification card issued by the institution where you are enrolled. |
| Others | A copy of the response, a letter of introduction issued by a nearby public library, and an identification card |
Main service
Available services and times are as follows.
| Service | Hours |
|---|---|
| View application materials | 9:00-12:00,13:00-16:45 |
| Photocopies of application materials | 9:00-12:00,13:00-16:45 |
About photocopies
You can make photocopies of books, magazines, etc. in the library within the limits permitted by the Copyright Act. Payment will be made in cash on the day. Please fill out and submit the photocopy application form provided at the counter. (Please make sure to finish photocopying by 12:00 in the morning and 16:45 in the afternoon due to payment processing.)
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electronic copies | 10 yen per sheet |
This fee will be charged when you come to the library.
Please note that a separate fee plus shipping costs will be charged for ILL photocopy service for those who belong to universities, research institutes, etc.
Other notices
- We do not lend books to people outside the institute.
However, it is possible to apply for the ILL (inter-library loan) service through the library of the university/research institute to which you belong, or through a public library. Please refer to the following for more information.
Interlibrary Loan with other institutions (ILL)
| Subject | Intended for research purposes |
|---|---|
| Conditions of Use | Please apply through your institution's library or public library |
| Photocopying | Electronic copy (A3 or smaller) -- 20 yen per copy inside RIHN, 35 yen per copy outside |
- Please contact us separately for reader printer copying.
- Accepted only within the scope of copyright.
- Express delivery is not accepted.
| Borrowing materials | Loan period 20 days (including shipping and return periods), three books only |
|---|
- Browsing is only possible inside the library where the book was borrowed.
- We do not accept prohibited materials.
Precautions when using the library catalog
- Some of the materials displayed in the search results are on loan.
- E-journals cannot be accessed from outside. Please note that due to contractual reasons, we may not be able to accept browsing or ILL photocopy requests.
Library catalog
Click here to search the library’s catalog
Inquiries
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN) Library
〒603-8047
457-4, Kamigamo Motoyama, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8047
Fax: (075) 707-2191
E-mail: tosho[at]chikyu.ac.jp
*Please change [at] to @.
Laboratory tour
Visitors can take a tour to see the state of the laboratories of the Earth Research Institute.
In view of the social situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we are not currently offering facility tours. Thank you for your understanding.
| Contact | Public Relations Office, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature |
|---|---|
| TEL | 075-707-2450 |
| kikaku[at]chikyu.ac.jp *Please change [at] to @. |