Foreign artists put their own spin on Japan's art: Two foreign artists will jointly display works based on traditional Japanese art forms between Tuesday and March 30 at Gallery Tobe in Kyoto's Nakagyo Ward.

Kathy Ike, a potter from Australia, and Cindy Powers, a hanging scrolls artist from the United States, are both longtime residents of Kyoto. Ike has been a potter for more than 20 years and has been exploring ways to express her own senses in traditional Japanese ceramics. Powers is one of the few foreigners to have mastered the art of making hanging scrolls.

Entrance is free and the exhibition will be open between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. The venue is a six-minute walk from Sanjo Station on the Keihan and subway lines, or from Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu Line.

For details, call the organizer at (090) 3907-5480, fax (075) 813-3708 or e-mail: [email protected]

Film, panel to consider future of Afghanistan: A film screening starting at 5 p.m. on March 29 at the pia NPO building in Minato Ward, Osaka, will be followed by a panel discussion to consider the future of Afghanistan.

The film being shown is "Afghan Alphabet," a documentary directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf that looks at Afghan refugee children in Iran and the efforts to provide them with an education. It will be followed by a discussion by three panelists from Japanese nongovernmental organizations that have been involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

The event will be in Japanese and will finish at 7:40 p.m.

Admission is free for elementary and junior high school students, and 500 yen for high school students and older. The venue is a five-minute walk from Osaka-ko Station on the Chuo subway line.

For reservations and more information, call the organizer, Minsai Forum Organization Committee, at (06) 6773-0256, fax (06) 6773-8422 or e-mail: [email protected]

Amnesty plans Osaka letter-writing campaign: Amnesty International is inviting children and adults to take part in a letter-writing campaign to defend human rights on Saturday and March 30 on the second floor of the pia NPO building in Minato Ward, Osaka.

Participants will write letters, which can be on any subject, to political leaders in a number of countries. Previous campaigns, for example, have protested the war against Iraq and requested that measures be taken to prevent attacks on children and other civilians in Israel and Palestine. Letters can be written in English or Japanese. Sample letters will be provided, while postcards and stamps will also be available.

The event will run from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on March 30. Admission is free and reservations are not required. The venue is a five-minute walk from Osaka-ko Station on the Chuo subway line.

Several other nonprofit organizations will hold a festival to publicize their activities and cultures from around the world in the same building from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the same dates.

For more information about the letter-writing campaign, call Amnesty International at (06) 4395-1313, fax (06) 4395-1314 or e-mail: [email protected]

NPO plans hike and hot-spring trip in Kyoto: Osaka Citizen's College, a nonprofit organization, is planning a hiking and hot spring tour to Kibune and Kurama, mountainous areas in northern Kyoto Prefecture, on April 13.

Participants will visit Kibune Shrine and walk an 8-km course that offers a panoramic view of Kyoto. The group will then be able to relax at a hot spring in Kurama.

The tour is free for foreigners and 1,500 yen for Japanese. Transportation fees, lunch and entry to the hot spring are not included. Participants will meet at 8:30 a.m. at Yodoyabashi Station on the Keihan Line, in front of the Keihan Travel Bureau on the first basement floor.

For reservations and more information, call OCC at (06) 6764-1282 or e-mail: [email protected]