Scrivener counseling, Nishinomiya festival

The Nishinomiya City International Association is organizing two events for non-Japanese residents on Sept. 12 and 23 in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.

On Sept. 12, "gyosei shoshi" licensed administrative scriveners will give free counseling on residential status issues from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the conference room of the association. Any personal information disclosed during this counseling session will be strictly confidential and volunteer interpreters in English and Chinese will give language assistance. Applicants who need help with languages other than English or Chinese must make a reservation by phone by Sept. 9.

The Sept. 23 event is part of Nishinomiya Matsuri festival and will provide an opportunity for foreign residents to experience the fun of carrying "o-mikoshi" portable shrines. Participants will wear festival costumes such as happi coats, which will be borrowed from Nishinomiya Shrine. The shrine is a seven-minute walk from Nishinomiya Station on the Hanshin Honsen Line.

Participation costs ¥500 per person and 20 non-Japanese men and 20 non-Japanese women will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Those wishing to participate must sign up by Sept. 9 by phone and give their name, address, phone number, nationality and native language, as well as height, shoe size and waist size (medium, large, extra large) for men, and height for women.

Go to www.nishi.or.jp/homepage/nia/pdf/maturi_e.pdf (in English) for more information on the festival and how to participate, what to wear and to bring on the day of the event.

To make reservations for both events, contact the organizer at (0798) 32-8680 between 9:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays except Tuesday.

Practice playing percussion in Osaka The Phoenix Hall in Kita Ward, Osaka, will offer a rare opportunity to practice playing percussion from 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Sept. 25.

This workshop will be held in connection with a concert by percussion player Isao Nakamura, which will be held from 6 p.m. on Sept. 25. Out of those who have tickets to the 6 p.m. concert, 40 people will be able to participate in the afternoon workshop for free.

Concert tickets are ¥3,500 for adults and ¥1,000 for students, and are available at ticket agency Pia (P-code: 108-571) and Lawson convenience stores (L-code: 57338). There is a 10% discount when purchasing an adult ticket and a student ticket together directly from the hall.

Participants to the free workshop will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis upon application by phone.

For tickets and applications to the workshop, contact the hall office at (06) 6363-7999 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Osaka Imax theater showing van Gogh biopic The Imax theater at the Suntory Museum, Tempozan, in Minato Ward, Osaka, is showing a special Imax film on the life of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh until Oct. 31.

Screenings of the 40-minute film started on Sept. 1 and will be shown every day until Oct. 31 on the 20-meter-tall by 28-meter-wide Imax theater screen. The film traces the life of the eccentric painter through looking at his works, letters and interviews with researchers.

The film, dubbed in Japanese, will be shown at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. Tickets at the door are ¥1,000 for adults. Advance tickets are available for ¥900 at ticket agency Pia (P-code: 461-887) and Lawson convenience stores (L-code: 54718).

Access www.suntory.co.jp/culture/smt/ (in Japanese and English) for an access map and further information.