Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007

Japan-Turkey lecture to honor anniversary ties

The Japan-Turkey Culture Society will host a lecture to commemorate its 20th anniversary on Nov. 7 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Turkish Ambassador to Japan Selim Sermet Atacanli will speak on Turkish foreign policy and relations between Turkey and Japan. The lecture will be in Turkish with Japanese interpretation.

The venue is Kyodai Kaikan at 15-9 Kawaramachi, Yoshida, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, a seven-minute walk northeast of Marutamachi Station on the Keihan Railway Line.

Admission is ¥1,000 and advance reservations are required by Monday.

For reservations and more information, contact the organizer at (075) 255-7530 between 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Noh and kyogen offered with English translation

An evening of noh and kyogen performances will start at 6 p.m. Nov. 6 at Kongo Nohgakudo theater in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, with assistance for English-speaking members of the audience to better appreciate these traditional theatrical arts.

Written material introducing the plots in English will be offered at no extra charge.

The program consists of the kyogen performance "Kagyu" ("The Snail") and the noh play "Hagoromo" ("The Robe of Feathers"), both from the popular repertoire.

Admission is ¥2,000 for students and ¥3,500 for others at the door.

The venue is a five-minute walk south of exit 6 from Imadegawa Station on the Karasuma subway line.

For more information, contact the Japan Foundation Kyoto Office at (075) 211-1312 or call the venue, Kongo Nohgakudo, at (075) 441-7222.

Museums open for free on Kansai Culture Day

Kansai Culture Day will take place from Nov. 17 to 18 to promote art and culture in the Kansai region.

On both days, exhibitions of permanent collections will be open free of charge at around 320 museums in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Shiga, Wakayama, Mie, Fukui and Tokushima prefectures. Some facilities will be honoring the promotion on days other than the two specified days. For a list of participating museums, access the Web site www.kansaibunka.com/ (in Japanese).

For more information, contact Kansai Council at (06) 4803-5577 between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays or fax (06) 4803-5574.

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