Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006

Asia amid globalization subject of conference

An international forum to discuss the theme of globalization and Asian values will be held 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. next Saturday at Kyoto University of Art and Design in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto.

Cohosted by the Boao Forum for Asia and The Japan Foundation, the Asia Culture Forum Kyoto 2006 is aimed at considering how to maintain native cultures and nurture common Asian values as the world moves toward globalization.

The panelists will include Fidel Ramos, former president of the Philippines, Tetsuo Yamaori, a renowned religion scholar, Garin Mugroho, an Indonesian filmmaker, and Sun Ge, a Chinese sociologist.

The event will be conducted in English and Japanese with interpretation in either language.

Admission is free, but advance reservations are required.

For reservations and further details, call the organizer at (03) 5467-4721, fax (03) 5467-4722 or e-mail BFAKyoto@infoasia.co.jp

Ainu culture festival to be held in Kobe

An Ainu culture festival will be held Nov. 18 at the Kobe Club in Chuo Ward.

There will be an exhibition, a showing of an NHK documentary and a lecture introducing the culture of the ethnic group and efforts to preserve it. The program includes craft workshops on traditional Ainu wood carving and embroidery, and an Ainu-style lunch.

At the end of the festival, Ainu dance and music will be performed.

The workshops will cost 600 yen each. Twenty people will be accepted for the wood-carving class, and 30 for the embroidery class. Reservations must be made in advance.

Lunch will cost 1,000 yen. Other events are free. The festival will run 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The venue is a 15-minute walk north from Sannomiya or Motomachi stations on the JR Line, located at the top of Tor Road.

For workshop reservations and more information, call the organizer at (078) 241-2588.

Forum on human rights and education in Asia

Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center (HURIGHTS OSAKA), will hold an international conference on human rights education Nov. 18 in Takatsu Garden in Tennoji Ward, Osaka.

The main focus of the conference will be teaching and learning human rights in Asian schools. The conference will be attended by educators from Japan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, South Korea, Laos, Nepal, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The foreign speakers will also visit schools prior to the conference.

The conference, consisting of speeches, a panel discussion and sectional meetings, will be conducted in English and Japanese with interpretation in either language.

Participation is free. Reservations must be made in advance. Two hundred people will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

The conference will run 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Participation is free.

For reservations and more information, call the organizer at (06) 6577-3578, fax (06) 6577-3583 or e-mail webmail@hurights.or.jp

Details are also available at the Web site www.hurights.or.jp

Deutsche Schule Kobe holding an open house

Deutsche Schule Kobe/European School is holding an open house 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 21 at the school in Nada Ward, Kobe.

Founded in 1909, the international school provides German or English-based education for children age 2 through elementary school. At the open house, the school's education system and curricula will be introduced to parents.

There is no fee.

The school is a five-minute walk from Rokko Station on the Hankyu Line. No parking facility is available.

For more information, call (078) 851-6414, fax (078) 851-9684, e-mail mail@dskobe.org or visit the school's Web site at www.dskobe.org

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