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Spider-Man 3 Movie Festival
Universal Studios Japan, Osaka
Thru July 1
This temporary attraction features, models, props, costumes from the movie production, while thrills are provided by big screens.
Time: 1–6 and weekends: 9am–9pm
Weekdays: 9am–7pm (in May)
Getting there: JR Yumesaki line,
Universal City stn
Admission: Over 12: ¥5,800/4–11:
¥3,900/Over 65: ¥5,100/Handicapped
(over 12): ¥2,900/ Handicapped
(4–11): ¥1,950
06-6465-3000
Golden Week Special Experience
Room
Maishima Sports Island, Osaka
May 1–6
Pottery experience room for one and
half an hour or two hours per class.
You can make a ceramic work with
clay by your hands, paint, use an
electric lathe, and make a clay bell.
Time: 10:30am, 2pm (ceramic work
with clay by hand or paint)/11am,
3pm (using an electric lathe)
Getting there: JR loop line, Nishikujyo
stn, 81 bus, Maishima sports island
Admission: ¥2,500~
06-6463-7282
Tea Picking Event
Expo Park, Osaka
May 3
Do you want to experience picking tea
leaves right from the bush? There will
be a testing booth and a demonstration
of producing tea.
Time: 12:30pm. In case of rain,
it will be postponed until May 4.
Time: 1pm–3:30pm
Getting there: Osaka Monorail,
Banpaku-koen stn
Admission: ¥500 (Over elementary)
06-6877-7387
Shirahama Bathing Beach Open
Shirahama, Wakayama
May 3
This is the earliest bathing beach to
open on mainland Japan. After cleaning,
there will be a Godspeed ritual,
a ribbon-cutting ceremony and first
swimming. Beach flags, football, and
hula competitions are planned.
Time: 9am
Getting there: JR Kinokuni line,
Shirahama stn, bus, Shirahama
Admission: free
0739-43-5511
The 36th Nakanoshima
Matsuri
Nakanoshima Park, Osaka
May 3–5
This is an annual event held during
Golden Week at Nakanoshima Park.
Various events are planned this year
such as stage events, bazaars, parades,
handmade big playground equipment,
and stuffed animals shows.
Time: 9am–5pm (5: Closed at 4pm)
Getting there: Subway Midosuji line/
Keihan Yodoyabashi stn
Admission: free
06-6367-6272
Monster Viva!
Intex Osaka
May 3–6
Biggest-scale event! You can get information
on traveling, housing, gourmet
restaurants, hobbies such as toys and
radio-controlled models, children's
popular characters, etc. There will
also be a flea market.
Time: 10am–5pm
Getting there: Newtram Nanko
Porttown line, Nakafuto stn
Admission: Adult ¥1,000/Child ¥500
06-6612-1761
Poppy Festival
Tondabayashi Savor Farm, Osaka
May 3–6
As usual, 24,000 Iceland poppies and
Shirley poppies are in full bloom at the
beginning of May on this farm. There
will be a craft room, stalls, gathering
fruits, poppy picking and so on.
Time: 9:30am–6pm (Entry until 5pm),
Closed on Monday
Getting there: Kintetsu Nagano line,
Tondabayashi stn, Kongo bus, Savor Farm
Admission: Adult ¥700/4–12 ¥300/
0721-35-3500
Shinoda's Fireworks
Shinoda Shrine, Ohmi-machiman,
Shiga
May 4
A mixture of ritual and fireworks dating
back to the Edo era. Designated one
of the nation's intangible folklore cultural
assets.
Time: 7pm
Getting there: JR Biwako line,
Ohmi-machiman stn, bus, Ueda
Admission: free
0748-33-6061
The 49th Osaka International
Festival-French National
Radio Orchestra
Festival Hall, Osaka
May 10
The conductor is Chung Myung Whun
who is famous for his work in opera.
The programs are Daphnis and Chloe
No.2 composed by Ravel, Stravinsky's
The Rites of Spring and others.
Time: 7pm
Getting there: Subway Yotsubashi
line, Higobashi stn, exit 4
Admission: ¥9,000-¥18,000
06-6231-2221
Sudarshan Kriya Yoga Course
Hyogo Kenminkaikan, Hyogo
May 8–13
Kekokai Kyoto, Kyoto
May 14–16, 21–23
Sudarshan Kriya is a powerful breathing
technique for maintaining health
which is defined as: "Disease free
body, Quiver-free breath, Stress-free
mind, Inhibition-free intellect, Obession
-free memory, Ego that includes all
and Soul, which is free from sorrow"
- Sri Sri RaviShankar.
Time: Weekdays: 7pm to 9:45pm
Sat/Sun: 1pm-5pm
Admission: ¥30,000/full time
students: ¥15,000/repeaters: free
Getting there: Hyogo Kenminkaikan
- JR/Hanshin Motomachi stn, 7min
walk, or Kekokai Kyoto - Kintetsu
Jujo stn, 1 min walk
090-1913-3229
www.artoflivingjapan.org
Email: neela.s@artoflivingjapan.org
Kobe Matsuri
Meriken Park and other locations
May 12
Kobe Matsuri has been held every year
since 1971 except for 1995. There is
a lively international atmosphere and
events centre on the extravagant.
Getting there: JR/Hankyu/Hanshin
line, Sannomiya stn
Admission: free
078-331-2413
Rankyo Festival
Oui River, Arashiyama, Kyoto
May 12, 13
Floating music festival. While riding a
boat, you enjoy Japanese drums, jazz,
and Noh. Stalls along the riverbank
sell traditional crafts.
Time: 2pm
Getting there: Hankyu Arashiyama
line/Keifuku Arashiyama line,
Arashiyama stn/JR Sagano line,
Saga-arashiyama stn
Admission: ¥2,500
075-861-1627
21st Century Girlfriends
Write about 19th Century
Women
Green e Books, Kyoto
May 26
Two authors, two books, one couple
- Sharon Marcus, author of Between
Women: Friendship, Desire and
Marriage in Victorian England and
Ellis Avery author of The Teahouse
Fire: A Novel are visiting Kyoto from
New York and will be discussing the
overlap between their books, their
writing processes, and what it's like
to be a two-writer lesbian couple.
Time: 7pm
Getting there: Keihan exit 4, junction
Kawaramachi Dori, Marutamachi Dori,
Kyoto
Admission: free
/Fax: 075-750-5033
Email: info@greenebooks.net
Sand Festival Competition
Shirahama Bating Beach,
Wakayama
May 27
This is the 39th formative arts compe-
tition to use sand and seawater in
Shirahama. Competitors will make a
work at sunrise on that day. It's one
of principal events of summer here.
Applications are closed.
Time: 12:30pm
Getting there: JR Kinokuni line,
Shirahama stn, bus, Shirahama
Admission: free
0739-43-5511
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The Pirates of the Dotombori - a short form improv comedy
club - have been entertaining Osaka audiences since 2005.
Scenes in the shows are created using sugge-stions from the
audience. Each show is as different as the suggestions and
always a lot of fun. Audiences consist of a mix of expatriates
and Japanese. And this time to make the fun unlimited, first
time ever in Japan, Murphy's is presenting Colm O'Regan, the
latest comedy sensation to come out of Cork, Ireland. Colm
started stand up comedy in early 2005 in the Halfpenny
Bridge Inn Battle of the Axe, which is the crucible for many
comedy greats. He soon graduated from open mike gigs and
his breakthrough came when he was picked for the Comedy
Cats at the 2006 Kilkenny Cat Laughs festival. Colm has
wowed audiences all over Ireland with his heady mix of raging polemic and free Murray Mints.
Ireland 's leading entertainment magazine - Hot Press - has described him as "so funny he
could reduce a 19th century Russian novelist to tears".
