The Kyoto City International Foundation will hold a welcome party and seminar April 21 for newly arrived foreign residents.

The seminar, which will be conducted in Chinese, English and Japanese from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., will explain various issues, including visas, part-time jobs, rules for bicycles, and use of mobile phones and the Internet. The party will follow from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Participation is free, but ¥500 will be requested from people who attend the party only.

Kyoto International Community House Kokoka is a six-minute walk from Keage Station on the Tozai subway line.

For more information, go to www.kcif.or.jp/HP/jigyo/student/jp/kangeikai/kangeikai.html (in English) or call (075) 752-3511.

Big get-together in Kobe's Minatonomori Park

Picnic Picnic 2013 will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 21 in Minatonomori Park in Kobe.

Visitors can attend about 20 workshops hosted by artists and enjoy stage performances. Shops from Ashiya, Himeji and Kobe will sell popular food.

Admission is free, but fees will be charged for participating in the workshops. The park is a one-minute walk from Boeki Center Station on the Port Liner line. For more information, visit picnicpicnic.info/2013/ (in Japanese) or send email to [email protected] .

Kids can make their own 'kashiwa mochi'

Children from age 4 through elementary school can learn in Osaka how to cook "kashiwa mochi," the cake traditionally served on Children's Day on May 5.

The sessions run from 10:45 a.m. to noon and from 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on April 20, 21, 27, 28 and 29. They will also be held three times a day on May 3, 4, 5 and 6, starting at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and running an hour each.

Twenty children will be accepted for each session. Participation is ¥400. The entrance fee to Kids Plaza Osaka is also necessary, which is ¥1,200 for adults, ¥600 for junior high and elementary school students, and ¥300 for 3-year-olds and above.

The venue is close to Ogimachi Station on the Sakaisuji subway line. For more information, go to www.kidsplaza.or.jp/dayly.php?CSY=2013&CSM=04&CSD=21 or call (06) 6311-6601.

Environmental information on tap in Nagoya

Tokai Eco Festa will take place Saturday and Sunday in Nagoya, offering information on the best ways to recycle old items and how to be eco-friendly in a fashionable manner.

Handicraft workshops, stage performances and dozens of food and drink stalls will be open, along with about 130 handicrafts booths.

The festival will run 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. Admission is free. Ai Chikyuhaku Kinenkoen (Moricoro Park) is near Ai Chikyuhaku Kinenkoen Station on the Linimo Line. For more information, go to tokaiecofesta.web.co.jp/index.html#info (in Japanese).

Latin America culture featured in Nagoya fest

The 4th Latinoamerica Festival will take place in Nagoya from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on April 21.

Concerts and dance performances will be held throughout the day, and two 40-minute parades will start at 2 p.m. and 4:50 p.m.

Admission is free. The venue, the Osu shopping street, is near Osu Kannon Station on the Tsurumai subway line. For more information, go to pukio.jp/latinoamericafestival2013.html (in Japanese) or call (052) 251-5161.