Nearly 80,000 plum trees are in bloom in Minabe, Wakayama Prefecture, this month and the area will be open to the public until March 2.
In addition to the plum blossoms, various events are being staged for visitors, including dance and music performances, tea ceremony and tossing rice cakes.
The area can be accessed by taking a bus from Minabe Station on the JR Kinokuni Line and getting off at the Minabe Bairin stop.
More details are available at www.aikis.or.jp/~minabe/event/kanbai/minabe/index.html (in Japanese) or by calling 0739-74-3464.
Matchmaking event for foreigners, Japanese
Kyoto City International Foundation will host a marriage matchmaking event March 9 for foreigners living in Japan and Japanese who live or work in Kyoto.
Participants, who are single in their 30s or 40s, need to apply by Feb. 14 by calling 075-752-3511 or sending an email to [email protected]. Participation is ¥3,000, which includes snacks and drinks. The event runs from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The venue is Kyoto International Community House, known as kokoka, a six-minute walk from Keage Station on the Tozai subway line.
Information is available at www.kcif.or.jp/HP/jigyo/tabunka/jp/kokokon/index.html (in English).
Manga-based fashion shows on tap in Kyoto
Two fashion shows featuring clothes from comic books will be held March 9 in Kyoto International Manga Museum.
Reservations are required to attend either show, which will run from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations can be made by sending a reply-paid postcard to the museum by Feb. 18.
Admission to the shows is free, but visitors need to pay the museum entrance fee of ¥800 for adults, ¥300 for junior high and high school students, and ¥100 for elementary school students.
The museum is two minutes on foot from Karasuma Oike Station on the Karasuma and Tozai subway lines.
For details, check www.kyotomm.jp/english/event/exh/kyotomagic2014eng.php (in English) or call 075-254-7414.
Tax consultations for non-Japanese in Nagoya
Foreign residents in the Nagoya area can attend free consultation sessions about income tax returns and other tax-related issues in February and March.
The events, co-hosted by Nagoya International Center and the Nagoya Certified Public Tax Accountants Association, will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 15 and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 22 and 23, and March 1, 2, 8 and 9. Reservations need to be made by calling 052-581-0100 or visiting the center, a seven-minute walk from Nagoya Station.
To find out more about the event, check www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/en/e/archives/8313 (in English).
Owari pottery town staging big doll festival
To celebrate its traditional doll festival on March 3, various dolls will remain on display until March 9 in shops and galleries throughout the pottery town of Seto, Aichi Prefecture.
The area is close to Owari Seto Station on the Meitetsu Seto Line.
More details can be found at www.seto-marutto.info/event/hina/index.html (in Japanese) or by calling 0561-85-2730.