Guide offers illuminated tour of top Nara spots: English-speaking guide Harry Horii is offering an illuminated night tour of Nara every day from July 1 through Oct. 31.

Participants will visit popular historical spots, including Todaiji Temple, Sarusawa Pond, Kofukuji Temple and the Ukimido floating hall, which are all lit up at night.

Anyone wishing to take part in the tours can meet Horii at 6:30 p.m. at the fountain square at Nara station, on the Kintetsu Line.

The fee for the tour is 2,000 yen. Reservations are required in advance. For reservations and more information, call Horii at (0742) 46-3273 or (090) 3841-4784.

Duty, humanity themes of Kyoto film screenings: The Japan Foundation Kyoto Office is inviting non-Japanese residents to attend free weekly showings of Japanese films from 2 p.m. each Wednesday in July at its offices in the city's Nakagyo Ward.

Next month's movies feature the Japanese sense of "giri to ninjo" (duty and humanity). The programs are, "Fighting Tatsu, the Rickshaw Man," directed by Tai Kato, on July 2, "The Lovable Tramp," by Yoji Yamada, on July 9, "A Flower in Winter," directed by Yasuo Furuhata, on July 16, "Floating Weeds," directed by Yasujiro Ozu, on July 23, and "Heaven Sent," directed by Yoichi Maeda, on July 30.

The films will have English subtitles. Admission is free and reservations are not required. The showings are reserved for non-Japanese only.

The venue is on the eighth floor of the Sompo Japan Universe building, a five-minute walk from Karasuma station on the Hankyu Line or Shijo station on the Karasuma subway line.

For more information, call the organizer at (075) 211-1312 or fax (075) 255-1273.

Students and parents to get advice on careers: An education and career guidance seminar for junior high school students from multicultural backgrounds will be held between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on July 5 at the pia NPO building in Minato Ward, Osaka.

The guidance is designed to help students and their parents, as well as teachers at junior high schools and high schools, and will be an opportunity to share information on the options children have after graduation. Individual consultations will also be available to students and parents.

Interpretations will be available for speakers of Chinese, English, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Tagalog.

Reservations must be made by July 3. Participation costs 500 yen for teachers and 200 yen for students and parents.

For reservations, call the Center for Multicultural Information and Assistance at (06) 4395-1377 in Japanese or (06) 4395-2424 in other languages, only on Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Faxes can be sent to (06) 4395-1378, or e-mail: [email protected]

Reservations can also be made via the Japanese-language Web site: www.tabunka.jp/osaka/osnews.html

University to host globalization debate: Doshisha University's Graduate School of American Studies will host a two-day symposium to discuss globalization and Japanese culture on July 4 and 5 at its Imadegawa campus in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto.

The event, which is free of charge and open to the public, consists of three lectures and a round-table workshop by researchers from the United States, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore and South Korea as well as Japan. Lectures will express their opinions on how Japanese culture has been accepted in other countries -- and sometimes in an unexpected way -- taking as their examples such varied topics as Hello Kitty, sushi and Japanese players in Major League Baseball.

The lectures, which start at 3 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. on July 4 and at 11 a.m. on July 5, will be conducted in English with Japanese translations. The workshop, which will begin at 2 p.m. on July 5, will involve four panelists and focus on Japanese cuisine, video games, animated films, business culture and other topics. The discussions will be in English and Japanese.

Admission is free and reservations are not required.

A related exhibition, titled "Japan in the United States," will also be held between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. from July 1 to 5 at the Imadegawa campus, and between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. from July 8 to 10 at the Kyotanabe campus in Kyoto Prefecture.

For more information, call the organizer at (075) 251-3931 or visit the Web site: www.ameken-doshisha.info/index.htm