2006年4月アーカイブ

The following 3 public wireless LAN services in Japan is famous. If you are looking for wireless internet access, visit their website and compare it's fee and service area.1st and 3rd services have English web site.Service Name: HOTSPOT
Company: NTT Communications
URL: http://www.hotspot.ne.jp/en/index.html
Monthly fixed fee: ¥1,680
Access speed: 2Mbps
Service Area: Airports, major hotels cafes and more places.
You can get the list of service area from their website.
No subscription with an ISP is needed.

Service Name: Flets Spot
Company: NTT West
URL: http://www.ntt-west.co.jp/flets/spot/
Access speed: 54Mbps
¥900/month
Subscription with an ISP is needed.

Company: JAPAN TELECOM CO
http://www.odn.ne.jp/english/index.html
ODN Support Center
E-mail : support@spinnet.jp
FAX : 0088-228-850
¥157.5 / 20min
Maximum charge of 2,100 yen per month *1
* This is restricted to those using "ADSL" COURSE, "FLET'S ADSL" COURSE, "B-FLET'S" COURSE, "TEPCO HIKARI" COURSE, "ACCESS commuf@" COURSE, "MARUGOTO" COURSE, "FLET'S ISDN" COURSE,"MAIL" COURSE, or "MAIL to Yahoo! BB" COURSE.Service Area: McDonalds, some JR stations and some other places.

Bunraku (Kanji: 文楽) is a form of traditional Japanese puppet play. Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance: Puppeteers, Chanters, Shamisen players. We could say that Bunraku is a Kabuki performed by Bunraku puppets
In 2003, the Japanese traditional puppet art of Bunraku was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Official Site of Bunraku
URL: http://www.bunraku.or.jp/english.html

"Bunraku Day"
Since Osaka City hold the "Bunraku Day", you can watch Bunraku at cheaper price than usual.
Bunraku Day consistes of 3 activities.
1. Explanation and Play of "Gojobashi"
2. Experience wearing Kimono costume, playing Shamisen or control a Bunraku puppet.
3. Offering participants the chance to win another Bunraku tickets.

Date: June 18, 2006 (Sun)
First Play: 10:30am (finish at 2:00pm) Open at 10:00am
Second Play: 3:00pm (finish at 6:00pm) Open at 2:30pm
Place: The National Bunraku Theatre of Japan
Address: 12-10 Nipponbashi 1-Chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-0073 Japan
Access: Subway or Kintetsu Line "Nipponbashi Station", Exit No. 7 1 minute walk
Tel: 06-6212-2531Price: ¥2,300(adults) ¥1,300(junior high school or above are required to show student ID)

Procedure to get tickets:
A. Send fax or send post card including the following info by May 31st 2006. First 700 people are accepted.
B. They will send you a letter with a payment slip.
Complete the payment indicated on the letter at a nearby post office.
C. You will get a notice by postcard.
D. Bring the postcard and change it with a real ticket at a counter on May 31, the Bunraku day.

Info to give:
1. First(午前の部) or second(午後の部) play
2. Number of your party including adult or student
(ex. 2 adults, 1 student)
3. Your address including zip code.
4. Name
5. Phone number

Fax : 06-6615-0699
Address: 〒５５９−００３４
大阪市住之江区南港北１−１４−１６ 大阪WTC ビル１７階
大阪市ゆとりとみどり振興局 文化振興課 内 「文楽デー」係
4-16 Nankokita 1-Chome, Suminoe-ku, Osaka 559-0034
Tel: 06-4860-7285

Orinasukan is a museum exhibits Nishijin-ori, Nishijin weaving and other woven clothes including Noh costumes.
Admission fee is 500 yen and to experience weaving with craftman is 5,000 yen. You can have your original woven cloth.If you plan to stay in Kyoto, you would certainly enjoy a stay at "Orinasu Shukusyo: Orinasu inn" is 5 minutes walk from this museum. Orinasu Shukusyo has a kitchen and a neat wood bath tub. Enjoy staying at a nice Machiya!

Orinasukan
open: Tue. - Sun 10:00 - 16:00
address: 京都市上京区浄福寺通上立売上ル大黒町693番地
tel: 075-431-0020
fax: 075-415-2590
admission fee: 500yen(350 yen for students)


Orinasu Shukusyo:
To join membership: 10,000 yen
3 people/night 10,000 yen
5 people/night 15,000 yen
tel: 075-431-0020
fax: 075-415-2590

NISHIJIN TEXTILE INDUSTRIUL ASSOCIATION
provides its history and processes in English.
Especially the processes of Nishijin part gives you info with photos.

Machiya de ho is a kimono studio and exhibit their kimono works. To see more about this studio, visit their website.
URL：http://www.machiyadeho.jp/

"Kyoto-jin Blog" provides very interesting info with beautiful photos. They have photos of "machiyadeho."

The information Plaza provides foreign residents with a wide range of useful information, assistance and facilitates referrals to other counseling agencies. Enquiries are free and condidential.

Mon - Fri: English, Chinese, Korean
Mon: Thai
Tue: Portuguese
Wed: Indonesian
Fri: Spanish
Office hours: 9:00 - 17:00
Tel: 06-6773-6533
Address: 8-2-6 Uehommachi, Tennoji-ku, Osaka 543-0001
URL: http://www.ih-osaka.or.jp/i.house/index-e.html
At i-house you can read foreign magazines as follows.
[English]
Asia Pacific perspectives, The Economist
Flanders, India Perspectives, INDIA TODAY
JapanZine, Kansai Scene, KANSAI TIME OUT
KOREA Policy Review, KYOTO VISITOR'S GUIDE
Maclean's, Newsweek, Passages(Passagen)
REFUGEES, TIME

[Spanish / Portuguese]
Caretas, veja, Made in Japan
[German / French]
DER SPIEGEL, L'EXPRESS

[Korean]
月刊留学生, 週刊韓国, 日本語ジャーナル(韓国語版)

[Chinese]
季刊留学生, 新華文摘, 中国観察

"Hajimemashite Japan Course" is a 12 series of Japanese conversation classes for beginners who have difficulties with Japanese language & life.
This course is provided by A' Work Sousoukan which was founded for the adults' education supported by the local government of Osaka.
The class is for a small group of people with a qualifies Japanese teacher.
If you have just arrived here and would like to start studying Japanese, this course is recommended.

Teacher: Masako Sakonju
Place: A' Work Sousoukan
Address: 2-3-8 Kizugawa, Naniwa-ku , Osala-city
Period: 17th May 2006 - 2nd August 2006(Wed)
Class: 2 hours, 12 times 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Cost: Free (3,000yen for materials and activities)
Tel: 06-6562-0410
E-mail: office@adash.or.jp(Attn: Ms.Yasuhara)
Web bhttp://www.adash.or.jp

Before you sign the contract, carefully confirm how the following items are specified, especially the shiki-kin (refundable deposit) and rei-kin (Key money), which are a Japanese practice that you may not be familiar with.
You might pay some money to real estate agency to make a temporary booking of the accommodation you like before making a formal contract.
This money is to be used for deposit in later procedures.

1.Guarantor (hosho-nin)
In most cases a guarantor must be appointed and it is best to appoint a Japanese as guarantor.

2.Initial Deposit (tetsuke-kin)
Tetsukekin is the money to be paid as the proof of completion of a contract. It will be part of Guarantee Money.

3.Key Money/Gift Money (rei-kin)
This money is paid to the landlord as a token of gratitude and is not refunded when you move out.

4.Refundable Deposit (shiki-kin)
This is money left with the landlord as security for your rental payments. As a rule, it is paid back to you when you move out. However, if you do not pay the rent or if you damage the property, this money will be appropriated to cover the amount of the repair cost owed. The remainder will be returned to you. It is common practice in the Kansai area to put the Key Money (reikin) and Refundable in the Kansai area to put the Key Money (reikin) and Refundable Deposit (shikikin) together and refer to it as Guarantee Money (hoshokin). It is also a common practice that when the tenant moves out, part of deposit is deducted as the repair fee of any damage in the house caused by the tenant, which is called "Shikibiki (or Kaiyaku-biki)."

5.Realtor's Fee (chukai-ryo)
This is the commission paid to the real estate agent. In principle, the tenant and landload pay respectively one half of the sum of money equivalent to one-month's rent.
However, at time of contract, if both parties to the agreement are of the same mind; the proportion paid by each party may be changed.

6.Period of Lease (keiyaku-kikan)
A normal lease period is two years. The rent may be raised upon renewal of the contract. In addition to the above payments, you may be required to bear expenses needed to restore the accommodation to its original state when you move out.

7.Rental Fee (yachin)
You must pay the monthly in advance by the last day of the previous month.

8.Maintenance Fees (kanri-hi)
These are included to cover the maintenance of communal facilities at condominiums. They are sometimes included in the rent.
Terminating the Contract
When you wish to terminate the lease, you must give advance notice (normally one to two months) to the landlord in accordance with the provisions of the contract. If you move out without giving notice, or if you give notice just before moving, you might be charged extra rent.

More and more huge electronics stores open in Osaka.
You would enjoy looking around the latest digital video cameras, computers and more.
Of corse, you can go each store and compare the price.

Yodobashi Camera, Multimedia Umeda
They sell around 100 billion yen in a year.
total floor space: 20,000?
URL: http://www.yodobashi.com/
Access: in front of JR Osaka Station, Subway Midosuji-line Umeda station
Address: 1-1, Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka
Tel: 06-4802-1010
Business hour: 9:30 - 21:00

Yamada Denki, Labi1 Namba
They opened Namba store on 10th May 2006 and deal more than 800,000 items.
total floor space: 20,000?
URL: http://www.yamadalabi.com/
English http://www.yamada-denki.jp/company_e/index.htmlAccess:
Nankai Line Namba Station/ 3 minutes walk
Subway Namba Station/ 6 minutes walk
Kintetu line Namba Station/ 9minutes walk
JR Namba Station/12 minues walk
Address: 2-11-35 Nambanaka, Naniwa-ku, Osaka
Tel: 06-6649-8171
Business hour: 10:00 - 22:00

Bic Camera, Namba
Total floor space: 15,000?
URL: http://www.biccamera.com/bicbic/jsp/w/shoplist/nanba.jsp
Access:
JR Namba Station
Namba Station of Subway Midosuji line, Sennichi line, Nankai line
Address: 2-10-1 Sennichimae, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tel: 06-6634-1111
Business hour 10:00 - 20:00

If you are looking for a university to study in Japan, the following universities provide OpenCourseWare program.
MIT started OCW in 2002 and more than 1,000 courses are available on the internet. More than 500,000 users access MIT OCW from all over the world.

The following Japanese universities have started OCW.
Osaka University provides Osaka University Open Courseware (http://ocw.osaka-u.ac.jp/) which has 25 courses and more than 1,500 pages are available in English on the internet.

Kyoto University provides KYOTO-U OpenCourseWare (http://ocw.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/index.htm) and 26 courses are available at this time.

Other Japan OCW Alliance Universities
Keio University
Keio Opencourseware (http://ocw.dmc.keio.ac.jp/)

Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tokyo Tech OCW (http://www.ocw.titech.ac.jp/index.php?lang=EN)

the University of Tokyo
UT CCW (http://ocw.u-tokyo.ac.jp/english/)

Waseda University
Waseda OpenCourseWare (http://www.waseda.jp/ocw/index.html)

If you look at a guidebook of Kyoto, you may find only high price hotels .
But there are many cheap "Weekly Apartment", "Guest House" and "Gaijin House" available.
Weekly apartment has grown in number in big cities including Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe.
Most of them are clean and cheap place to stay.
Especially if you stay in Kyoto with your friends, weekly apartment would be a cheapest place to stay.
Though, meals are not provided usually, there are a few services such as wireless LAN. Also different types including only the kitchen, or kitchen and bathroom.

Higashiyama IVY
2 beds, 3 nights ¥16,400 per room
(¥8,200 per person for 3 nights)
(less than ¥2,800 per person for a night)
4 beds, 3 nights ¥24,800 per room
(¥6,200 per person for 3 nights)
(less than ¥2,100 per person for a night)
If you stay longer than 1 week, you can get more discounts.
For more information:
Address: 90 Yoshino-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City
Tel: 075-551-1125 (business hour: 7:00-20:00)
Fax: 075-551-1140
E-mail:ivy@free-d.jp
URL: http://ivy.free-d.jp/

What's your plan for weekend?
This weekend might be the best time for viewing of the cherry blossoms, sakura.


There are lots of nice place to visit.

Kiyomizu dera temple
Cherry blossoms are illuminated at night between 28th March and 16th April.
You will find different beauty of sakura at night.
Open: 6:30pm - 9:30pm
admission fee: ¥400/adult, ¥200/kids


Nijo Catsle
Cherry blossoms are illuminated at night between 24th March and 16th April.
Nijo Catsle Office Tel: 075-841-0096
Mon-Thu: entrance 18:00-21:00 (close 21:30)
Fri-Sun: entrance 18:00-21:30 (close 22:00)
Admission fee: ¥400/adults ¥200/kids
Access: Nijo-jo-mae Bus-stop. (Kyoto Station Bus-stop. Take the Kyoto City bus.)
Subway Tozai Line to Nijojo-mae Station
If you visit here wearing Kimono, no admission fee is required.