The popular Yodogawa River fireworks display will be held Aug. 9 along the Yodogawa River in Osaka, drawing massive crowds from the surrounding areas to the city.
The event, reportedly attended by about 500,000 people last year, will start at 7:50 p.m. and end at 8:40 p.m. The venue can be approached on foot from Juso Station on the Hankyu Kobe, Kyoto, and Takarazuka lines, JR Osaka Station, and Umeda Station on the Hankyu and Hanshin lines and the Midosuji subway line. For details, check www.yodohanabi.com (in Japanese) or call 06-6307-7765.
Watch Todaiji's Great Buddha get annual cleaning
About 120 monks in white uniforms will give the Great Buddha at Todaiji Temple in Nara its annual cleaning on Aug. 7.
The ritual will take place from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and visitors will be allowed to watch from 7:30 a.m. Admission is ¥500 for junior high school students or older, and ¥300 for elementary school students. The temple can be accessed by taking the city loop-line bus from JR or Kintetsu Nara stations and getting off at Daibutsuden Kasugataisha-mae.
For more details, check www.todaiji.or.jp/contents/function/08ominugui.html (in Japanese) or call 0742-22-5511.
Dozen Japanese classes on offer in Osaka
The Osaka International House Foundation will hold 12 Japanese classes from September till November.
The Tuesday classes will be held from Sept. 2 to Nov. 25, with Wednesday classes from Sept. 3 to Nov. 19, and Thursday classes from Sept. 4 to Nov. 20. All sessions start at 7 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. The course fee is ¥5,000 fee, including the textbook.
Proficiency checks will be held between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20. Advanced reservations are required.
The foundation is a nine-minute walk from Tanimachi 9-chome Station on the Sennichimae and Tanimachi subway lines. To find out more, visit www.ih-osaka.or.jp/english/news/20140703_3007/ (in English) or call 06-6773-8989.