Around 80 students from a cooking school in Osaka will demonstrate their final procedure to complete a shrine made of 500 "dorayaki" pancakes, 40 kg of chocolate and 400 cookies from Wednesday through Friday to pray for good luck on Valentine's Day.

The performances will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. The "cake shrine" will remain on display until 7 p.m. Feb. 14.

The venue, Kujira Park in Namba Walk, is near Namba Station on the JR, Kintetsu and Nankai lines, as well as the Midosuji, Sennichimae, and Yotsubashi subway lines.

For more information, call Osaka Cooking and Confectionery College at (0725) 45-6000.

Kyoto counselors host session for foreigners

Experts will offer a counseling session Feb. 17 in Kyoto for foreign residents on various issues, including laws, visas, pensions, labor conditions, social insurance, taxes and mental health.

The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Kyoto International Community House. A translation service will be provided in Chinese, English, Korean and Spanish. Participation is free. Reservations are required.

The venue is a six-minute walk from Keage Station on the Tozai subway line.

For information, please visit www.kcif.or.jp/HP/jigyo/sodan/en/counseling/konnendo/index.html (in English) or call (075) 752-3511.

Attend seminar on cost of raising children

Foreign residents can learn the cost of raising children in Japan at a seminar in Nagoya on Feb. 9.

A financial planner will speak at the seminar, which runs from 1 p.m. to 1:50 p.m., followed by individual consultation sessions with an educational specialist from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on various issues, such as children's development, school life, bullying and scholarships.

Participation is free, but reservations are required. A translation service will be provided in Chinese, English, Tagalog, Portuguese and Spanish.

The venue, Nagoya International Center, is a seven-minute walk from Nagoya Station.

For more information, go to www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/en/e/archives/8086 (in English) or call (052) 581-0100.