The Otani Memorial Art Museum in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, will display original paintings from children's picture books that won prizes in a competition in Bologna, Italy.

The annual exhibition, which will run from Aug. 18 to Sept. 23, was inaugurated in 1978. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Fridays, when its doors stay open until 7 p.m. It is closed on Wednesdays. Admission costs ¥800 for adults, ¥600 for college and high school students, and ¥400 for elementary and junior high school students.

The museum is six minutes on foot from Kohroen Station on the Hanshin Line, or a 15-minute walk from Sakura Shukugawa Station on the JR Kobe Line and 18 minutes from Shukugawa Station on the Hankyu Line. For further details, call the museum at (0798) 22-3456 or visit otanimuseum.jp/home/ (in Japanese).

Cool off in Nishinomiya's summer 'snow garden'

A "snow garden" will be displayed at the height of summer in the city of Nishinomiya's Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens in Hyogo Prefecture on Aug. 18 and 19.

Artificial snow will fall five times each hour for 5 minutes on the two days, starting at 11 a.m., and the garden will remain open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event could be postponed to Aug. 20 and 21 depending on the weather.

Admission is free. The venue is directly connected to Nishinomiya Kitaguchi Station on the Hankyu Line. For inquiries, call (06) 6231-4426, or send a fax to (06) 6231-4440 or an email to [email protected].

Aichi hosting Tokoname porcelain festival

The Tokoname porcelain festival will take place in Aichi Prefecture from Aug. 18 to 19.

Visitors will be able to purchase pots and dishes from about 50 different stalls and partake in a "tokoname" noodle competition, as well as live music sessions, at the venue in the city of Tokoname. There will also be a fireworks display from 7 p.m. on the first day.

The festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 18, and from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. the following day. There is no admission charge. The venue is a five-minute walk from Tokoname Station on the Meitetsu Line. For more information, call the organizer at (0569) 34-3200.

Miyoshi festival features 11-meter-tall lanterns

The annual big lantern summer festival will be held Aug. 25 and 26 at Miyoshi-Inarikaku Shrine in the city of Miyoshi, Aichi Prefecture.

Three 11-meter-tall lanterns will be lit and displayed during the festival from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 25 and from 10 a.m. to 9:50 p.m. Aug. 26.

Admission is free and no reservations are required. The shrine can be accessed by taking a Meitetsu bus to Miyoshi from Akaike Station on Nagoya's Tsurumai subway line. For further details, please phone (0561) 32-1023 or (0561) 34-6000.