Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010

Visit the World's CM Festival in Osaka

The World's CM Festival, also known as "The Night of the Ad Eaters 2010," returns to Osaka on Friday.

Around 500 TV commercials from some 50 countries will be shown at Umeda Arts Center in Kita Ward from 10:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. the next morning.

The audience will be given complimentary "pachi pachi" toys, which make clapping sounds, to applaud with. There will also be live performances by musical bands and during four breaks sponsor companies will offer free drinks and light snacks.

Advance tickets cost ¥4,500 for reserved seats and ¥3,800 for nonreserved seats, available from ticket agency Pia (P-code 556-783), Lawson convenience stores (L-code 54971), or from the organizers. Tickets at the door are ¥5,000 for reserved seats and ¥4,500 for nonreserved seats.

For more information and advance tickets, visit www.cmfestival.com (in Japanese) or contact the organizers at bouvier@cmfestival.com.

Join trip to a Kobe bird and flower garden

Osaka YWCA Senri Center's Bridges Program is seeking participants for an excursion to Kobe Kacho-en (bird and flower garden) in Chuo Ward, Kobe, on Oct. 25.

Participants will meet the Bridges Program staff on the Kobe Line platform in Hankyu Umeda Station at 9:30 a.m. and travel to Kobe Kacho-en, a bird and flower-theme garden where they can play with birds. Admission to the park is ¥1,500. Afterward, participants will proceed to Sannomiya, where they will have lunch together until 2 p.m.

Those who wish to participate must apply by Oct. 18 via e-mail.

Send an e-mail message to a Bridges Program coordinator at usagi9999@yahoo.co.jp for more information and applications.

Osaka museum exhibits Chilean 'arpillera' art

The Museum of Osaka University in the city of Toyonaka is organizing an exhibition to introduce Chilean "arpillera" art from Tuesday to Saturday.

An arpillera is a type of quilt that describes local history and political protests. It is considered an art form and a social movement that chronicles history. The exhibition, titled "Stitching Resistance — Narratives of Daily Life in Chilean Arpilleras," will offer a rare opportunity to view such works in Japan by showcasing around 40 arpillera pieces produced from the 1970s to 1980s.

One-hour guided tours in English and Japanese will be held from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday. Roberta Bacic, a guest curator of the exhibition, will hold a seminar in English with Japanese interpretation from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Admission is free. The museum is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. It is a 10-minute walk from Ishibashi Station on the Hankyu Takarazuka Line.

For further information and an access map, visit the museum's website at www.museum.osaka-u.ac.jp/ (in Japanese and English).

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