Sunday, May 18, 2008

Kyoto to stage noh, 'kyogen' by torch light

Kyoto City and the Kyoto Nohgaku Kai are organizing Takigi Noh, a noh performance on a torch-lit outdoor stage from 5:30 p.m. June 1 and 2.

The noh play "Momijinoga," which is based on the ancient novel "The Tale of Genji," will be performed on both days.

The June 1 performance also features the "kyogen" performance "Hagidaimyo" and the noh plays "Ukifune" and "Sumagenji." On June 2, the noh plays "Yugao" and "Aoinoue" will be performed with an intermission filled by a kyogen performance of "Oban no Hikarukimi."

A fire-lighting ceremony will be held after the first noh performances on each day.

The venue is Heian Jingu Shrine, which is a 10-minute walk from Higashiyama Station on the Tozai Subway Line. The show will be rescheduled for a later date in case of rain.

Advance tickets are available for ¥2,500 if purchased before May 31 at ticket agency Pia, Lawson convenience stores, hotels in Kyoto, or at the tourist information center on the second floor of the JR Kyoto Station Building. Tickets at the door will cost ¥3,300.

For more information, contact Kyoto Takigi Noh Office at (075) 761-4330, or visit Kyoto Kanze Kaikan's Web site at www.kyoto-kanze.jp/ (in Japanese). For an access map, visit www.heianjingu.or.jp/index_e.html (in English).

Free multilingual advice offered to foreigners

The Osaka International House Foundation will provide free information and advice to foreign residents in nine languages from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 1.

Specialists will give advice on many common difficulties experienced by foreign residents in the fields of human rights, immigration, labor, employment, health insurance, national pension, municipal administration, tax, medicine, education, child care and others. Volunteers will provide interpretation in English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Thai, Filipino and Vietnamese.

Participation is free and no application is required. The reception desk will close at 4:30 p.m.

The venue is International House, Osaka, which is a 10-minute walk from Tanimachi 9-chome Station on the Tanimachi and Sennichimae subway lines.

For further information, contact the organizer at (06) 6773-8989, or access its English-language Web site at www.ih-osaka.or.jp/i.house/english/

Biwako Hall to hold free classical piano concert

Biwako Hall in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, will hold a free concert in its lobby from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday.

Otsu City-based piano players Tasuku Shiomi and Akemi Ueda will play, in tandem, arrangements of "Petite Suite" by French composer Claude Debussy and a composition arranged from part of the ballet classic "The Nutcracker," by Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

No reservation or admission fee is required. The venue is a 20-minute walk from JR Otsu Station or a three-minute walk from Ishiba Station on the Keihan Railway Line.

For more information, contact the hall office at (077) 523-7150.

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