Giant Buddhas shown for three days only: The Guide Interpreters Volunteer Club is organizing three one-day tours for English-speaking foreigners from March 14 through March 16 to observe huge pictures of Buddha displayed at two temples in Kyoto.

The "nehan-zu" pictures, depicting Buddha on his death bed, will only be displayed at Senyuji and Tofukuji temples in Higashiyama Ward for three days. The picture at Senyuji, the largest of its kind in Japan, measures 8 meters x 16 meters. The Tofukuji one is 7 meters x 14 meters.

Participants will meet guide Paul Satoh at 9:30 a.m. each day in front of Kyoto City Tourist Information Office, located on the second floor of the Kyoto Station building.

The tour is reserved for non-Japanese only.

The cost will be around 2,600 yen, including bus fare, admission to the temples and lunch. Another 1,000 yen will be asked for to support the club's activities.

For more information, fax Satoh at (072) 831-2797.

Meeting to focus on women in Myanmar: The Burmese Relief Center -- Japan will host a meeting to report on the ongoing violence and human rights infringements against women in Myanmar. The event starts at 2 p.m. on March 16 at the Social Action Center of the Catholic Archdiocese of Osaka, which is in the grounds of Tamatsukuri Church in Chuo Ward, Osaka.

Nang Lao Liang Won, from the Shan Women's Action Network nongovernmental organization, will report on how women are abused, exploited and sexually assaulted under Myanmar's military regime. She will also discuss her group's activities to protect women, give them shelter and train them for jobs.

The speech will be in English, with Japanese interpretations.

Admission is 500 yen. Reservations are not required.

The venue is a 10-minute walk from Morinomiya Station on the JR Loop Line or Chuo subway line, and from Tamatsukuri Station on the JR Loop Line or the Nagahori Tsurumi Ryokuchi subway line.

For more information, call or fax the organizer at (0721) 29-4423 or e-mail: [email protected]

Menopause is topic at FEW gathering: Foreign Executive Women, an organization for non-Japanese career women, is holding its monthly meeting at 6 p.m. on March 27 at the Hilton Hotel in Kita Ward, Osaka.

Guest speaker Christine Henrico, a pharmaceutical company employee, will discuss menopause and osteoporosis.

The participation fee is 4,000 yen for members and 5,000 yen for nonmembers. The reservation deadline is March 22.

For more information, call or fax (0797) 25-4435 or e-mail: [email protected]

Kyoto Journal editor to discuss Japan issues: Kyoto City International Foundation is sponsoring a lecture by an editor of the Kyoto Journal, an English-language magazine. The event will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on March 30 at the foundation's facility in the city's Sakyo Ward.

The Kyoto Journal is a nonprofit quarterly magazine that offers various perspectives on Asia to readers in Japan, the U.S., Canada and elsewhere.

At the seminar, Sally McLaren, a contributing editor to the publication, will discuss topics ranging from the role of noncommercial, alternative media to the kinds of things foreigners want to know about Japan.

The lecture will be in Japanese. Admission is free, but applications are required. Thirty applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

The venue, Kyoto-shi Kokusai Koryu Kaikan, is a six-minute walk from Keage Station on the Tozai subway line.

For applications and more information, call the organizer at (075) 752-1187.