Catriona McKay & Chris Stout

Feb 8

The Phoenix Hall, Osaka

Catriona McKay is a harpist and a member of Fiddler's Bid, a traditional Scottish band. The famous fiddler Chris Stout comes from the Shetland Islands, and is lead fiddle of the band. Both have received prizes in music competitions. This group came to Japan for the first time in January 2005. Their elegant and delicate music involving elements of jazz leads you to your spiritual home. Well-known numbers are ‘Smugglers', ‘Swan LK243', ‘Da Day Down/Greenland Man's Tune' and more. Their melodies inhabit you to make you happy, relaxed, and at peace with the world.

Time: 7pm
Getting there: JR line, Kitashinchi stn/Subway Tanimachi line,
Higashi-umeda stn
Admission: ¥3,500 / Students ¥1,000
06-6363-7999 (Weekdays, 10am–5pm)

Tempozan Fruits Island

Feb 9 - Mar 14

Tempozan Market Place 2F Seaside Special Site, Osaka

The Tempozan Fruits Island event is divided into five distinct stages during which three popular stores from Kobe, Ashiya, Nishinomiya. sell sweets associated with different themes. From Feb 9 to 14, ‘the Valentine Sweets Collection' will focus on chocolate. From Feb 16 to 20, various sweets will feature in ‘the Variety Sweets Collection'. From Feb 23 to 28, sweets using topgrade ingredients are brought together in ‘the Gorgeous Sweets Collection'. In ‘the Venus Sweets Collection', you will find cakes and pastries from Mar 2 to 7. During ‘White Sweets Collection', pure white sweets are exhibited and offered from Mar 9 to 14. There will be not only selling but also sales demonstrations.

Time: 11am–7pm, (Close on Feb 15, 21, 22, Mar 1, 8)
Getting there: Subway Chuo line, Osakako stn
Admission: free
06-6576-5501

Spring Big Tea Ceremony

Feb 10

Bunka Parc Jyoyo, Kyoto

Spring Big Tea Ceremony is an event about fascination with Uji tea, which was introduced to Kyoto by the zen priest Eisai in 1191. Eisai went on two write Japan's first book about the benefits of tea, Kissa Yojoki, whose very first sentence tells us, "Tea is the ultimate mental and medical remedy and has the ability to make one's life more full and complete". The first thousand people to arrive will receive a present of Uji tea and a teapot. There will be tea-making workshops and classes from 10am to 4pm. The Uji tea health forum is from 1pm to 4pm. The Uji tea symposium from 10am to 12pm. There will be special hometown products on sale from 10am to 4pm. On the day, a free shuttle bus will run from JR Uji station.

Time: 10am–4:30pm
Getting there: Kintetsu Kyoto line, Terada stn, east exit
Admission: to be decided
0774-23-7713

OSAKA-Asia Contemporary
Dance Festival 2007

Feb 16-18

Art Theater dB in Festival gate 3F, Osaka

Twenty-minute works of artists from Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and Japan will be produced in workshops held on Feb 19, and 20. Rizman Putra (Singapore) is going to perform ‘Elegy of Man and His Weapon of Choice'. The work is part of a year-long project on the exploration of pretence, superficiality and the notion of being a poseur. Jecko Siompo (Indonesia) will play ‘Unanuk' created in 2002 and inspired by traditional social dance from Papua. Kim Won (Korea) is going to play ‘Being Involved' - a staged experimental performance in search of the sensibilities of human beings. The goal is to find movements beyond formalized and predetermined choreography, searching for the essence of ‘free and pure' movements of the human body. Yumi Umiumare, Moira Finucane, and Jackie Smith (Australia) will perform ‘The Banquet Room'. Zan Yamashita (Japan) is performing ‘Sailors - flat and short versions'.

Time: 16th, 7pm • 17th & 18th, 3pm
Getting there: Subway, Midosuji, Sakaisuji line, Dobutsuen-mae stn, exit 5/ JR loop
line, Nankai line Shin Imamiya stn
Admission: ¥3,000 (¥3,500 on the door)
06-6646-1120

Kansai Event Listings Feburary