Watch out on a street!

Please watch out on the street. Unfortunately the numbers of the following crime and accident are increasing in Japan, especially in Osaka.


Bag Snatching

On August 27th, Osaka Prefectural Police are distributing "Jitensha Maekago Covers", which cover the front basket of bicycles, on the street to raise awareness of snatchers. It is embarrassing but the crime rate of snatchers is highest in Osaka so when you ride a bicycle I recommend using the basket cover to prevent theft. You can purchase the covers and there are many type available in the shops.

Collisions

When you walk in Japan you'll notice that pedestrians and bicycle riders are using the same paths. Because of that, the number of accidents involving a collision between cyclists and pedestrians are increasing. In the worst case, the victim of a collision could hit their head and become unconscious. I'm sure you don't want to be in this situation so when you are on the street please pay some attention to everyone around you.
 
For cyclists:

• Do not ride a bicycle with 2 people.
• Lite the front light at night.
• Do not ride a bicycle when you drunk.
• Do not use a mobile phone while you are operating your bicycle.
• Do not use an umbrella when you are riding a bicycle.

For pedestrians:

• Don't use a mobile phone while walking
• Listen for bicycle bells
• Look around before quickly changing directions
• In areas that have them, walk on the pedestrian side of the path

Learn about the penalties of riding bicycles dangerously here:
http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/fukei/foreign/koki_k_t/jitensha/

More information:
http://www.tokyobybike.com/2009/02/of-bicycle-laws-in-japan-and-other.html
http://kanko.city.kyoto.lg.jp/bicycle/en/rule/
http://www.tofugu.com/2012/12/11/how-to-ride-a-bicycle-in-japan/

36th Japan International Birdman Rally (on TV Sep 4th, 2013)

Every summer, a human-powered aircraft competion is hold on Lake Biwa in Shiga. People leap off the stage and compete the longest flight time.

9/4 (Wed) from 19:00 (Channel 10 in Osaka, Yomiuri TV)


http://www.ytv.co.jp/birdman/

Heian jingu (shrine) in Kyoto (event on Sep 19th, 2013)

Heian Jingu's garden is opened to the public free of charge in June and September. The entrance fee is usually 600 yen.

The next event is 9/19 (Thu)  8:30-16:30


The garden is about 33,000 ㎡ and features a lot of flowers to view in every seasons.

Heian Jingu flower calender:
http://www.heianjingu.or.jp/09/0301.html

Access:
Keihan rail way Sanjyo station or Kyoto subway Higashiyama station

Heian Jingu official site:
http://www.heianjingu.or.jp/index_e.html

Asuka Hikarino Kairou 2013 in Nara (event on Sep 14th & 15th, 2013)

It's becoming cooler in Kansai so it will be nice to go hiking.

Asuka in Nara is a pleasant area in the country side to go hiking or looking around by rental bicycles. Also it is historically a very important place.

Please see the following site for more information about Asuka.
http://www.asuka-park.go.jp/asuka_en/index.html


In September there is a special light-up event in Asuka, the "Asuka Hikarino Kairou 2013".
http://hikari.asukamura.jp/#id81 


Period: 9/14(Sat)～15(Sun)　18：00-21：00

Access:
Kintetsu railway Asuka station and a free shuttle bus.  The bus is available every 10 minutes during the event (from 17:45-21:00).

Map
http://hikari.asukamura.jp/map.html



 

Weather News - Typhoon as of 2013/8/28

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Typhoon No.15 is approaching the southern islands of Japan. It may effect the Kansai area around 8/31.

For more information please check the following site.
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/


For information about weather in Osaka
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/week/331.html

"Karasu-zumo" in Kamigamo Jinjya (Shrine) in Kyoto (event on Sep 9th, 2013)

From 10:00 am, Chouyou-shinji (Chrysanthemum festival) will be held at Kamigamo Shrine.  People will offer chrysanthemum flowers at the main hall and pray. After Chouyou-shinji, children will preform Karasu-zumo (Crow sumo wrestling) and a free cup of chrysanthemum sake will be offered to visitors.   


9/9 (Mon) 10:00 am

Related the event site:
http://wadaphoto.jp/maturi/karasu1.htm

About Kamigamo Jinja:
http://www.kamigamojinja.jp/english/

Discount days at the movie theater

In the Japanese movie theaters, foreign language movies are usually shown in the original language with Japanese subtitles, but some movies, especially for family, may be dubbed into Japanese, so when you are going to see a movie, check whether it is subtitled or dubbed.

Movie theaters also have discount ticket days.

<First day/Movie's day>
The 1st of every month is Movie Day and adult tickets are discounted to 1,000 yen.




<Lady's day>
Every Wednesday is Lady's Day and the usual 1,600-1,800yen ticket cost is discounted to only 1,000 yen for women.


<TOHO Cinema's day>
On the 14th of each month the adult ticket cost is 1,000 yen at TOHO Cinemas.


<Movix day>
Each month on the 20th the adult ticket cost is only 1,000 yen at the Movix Cinemas.


<Fufu 50 discount>
In Japanese "Fufu" means a married couple. If a couple buy tickets together and one of them is over 50 years-olds, one ticket is discounted to 1,000 yen. You don't need to prove that you are married but you do need to prove your age.

Events in Osaka - Osaka Classic

From 2013/9/8（Sun）～14（Sat）

http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/search/detail/event_8548.html


The world famous conductor MR Eiji Oue produced Osaka Classic 2013. 100 concerts (around 30 minutes) will be held in 35 places/38 halls around the Midosuji and Nakanoshima areas over the week.  21 concerts will require entrance fees, but the other 79 concerts will be free of charge. You may need to line up to get a numbered ticket for some of the free concerts.
 


Please click the date on the site below, and the schedule and map will show up.
Official HP：http://www.osaka-phil.com/oc2013/




・The Symphony Hall　2,000yen
http://asahi.co.jp/symphony/access/

・Osaka Central public Hall (Osaka-shi Chuo Kokaido) 
http://osaka-chuokokaido.jp/english/index.html 

Large-size Hall  1,000yen/Finale　2,000yen, Medium-size Hall  1,000yen

・The Phoenix Hall
1,000yen
http://phoenixhall.jp/access.html

Other places are free.
 

Another Shukatsu（終活） － Prepair for the end of life

There is another Shukatsu (the sound is the same as Shukatsu for job-hunting but the Kanji character and meaning are different.) that is widespread among the elderly people in Japan now.

The word was created around 2009 and nominated as the most influential word in Japan in 2010.

Shukatsu, preparation for the end of life, involves writing down ones, personal history, messages and things which they think are important to let people know after their death, in the "Ending Note".  These include things like life events, happy and sad memories, information of family assets, how to divide inheritance, request for funeral or memory service, and so on.

It may seem unusual for foreigners, but many elderly people said that preparing for the end of their lives makes them more positive about their death.

The population of over 65-year-olds is more than 30 million which is about a quarter of the Japanese population and more than half of them are  living alone or just with their partner, not with their children and grandchildren, so they don't have much chance to share their feelings and pass the wishes to their family.

Many Ending Notes templates have been made available in Japan by publishers and non-profit organizations.

   

Shukatsu（就職活動＝就活）－Job-hunting activity

"Shukatsu" is one of the big life events for university students.

Japanese students usually start contacting companies in the second semester of their 3rd year of study; a year and a half before they graduate.

Students collect companies' brochure, attend recruiting fairs, company information sessions and finally apply for multiple jobs through the Internet. Companies check through students' CVs and applications, and select some candidates.

Students who are selected take some tests and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd job interviews. Finally successful students received an offer letter from the company.

Unfortunately Japan's economy is not so good at the moment and so some students apply to over 60 companies before he/she gets a job offer. It must be very stressful.  

Work starting date is always April 1st. If you see young people wearing black recruitment suits, they are probably university students who are visiting recruiting fairs or company information sessions.

General rule in Japan vol.2

Taking off shoes:
I think that most foreigners know the taking-off-shoes rule in Japan. There is a small space when you enter the house/apartment, or temples to take off your shoes and put on slippers before going inside. Even some Japanese restaurants have this system. Slippers are usually small for western men. When you visit a Japanese home or temple, check whether your socks have any holes and take extra socks with you for rainy days or sweaty summers. 



Restrooms:
Public restrooms in Japan are very clean. Also the toilet features advanced technology to make us comfortable but there are many buttons to press for each function so it can be hard to find which button is for flushing!

Have you heard "Washlet" and "Otohime" system?
Japanese toilet has several functions such as a seat warmer, or a bidet to clean your bottom, or the Otohime, which is the sound of splashing water so people can't hear you.  



Bath room:
In a hotel, a bath tub and shower are a single unit but in Japanese houses, bath tub is purely to just warm your body in hot water (usually about 40 degrees C). When you wash your hair and body you have to wash in the space next to the bath tub.


Futon on the balcony:
One Japanese custom is to put futons outside to dry. You may see some people hang their futon over their balcony. Many newer apartment forbid the hanging of futons over the balcony so if you want to dry your futon under the sun please hang it inside the balcony and not higher than the balcony wall. 

Some people bang their futon to get rid of mites inside the futon but actually it is not practical. Using a vacuum cleaner is a much better way to do it.

Withdrawing cash and opening a bank account in Japan

When you want to withdraw cash at the ATM with your international cash card in Japan, you need to look for an ATM machine which accepts "PLUS" or "Cirrus" (which is written beside the ATMs). You can use ATMs at post offices, Seven Bank at the convenience store "Seven Eleven" or Citi banks. Some other Japanese banks' ATMs also accept international cash card but not all.


Post office
http://www.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/en/ias/en_ias_index.html

Seven bank
http://www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/index2.html


Citi bank
http://www.citibank.co.jp/en/banking/branch_atm/


How to open a bank account:

If you want to open a bank account in Japan, you need to go to a special counter at the bank.
Banks open from 9 am to 3 pm, Mon to Fri., but they will be very crowded on the 10th, 15th, 25th and the end of the month because those days are paydays for many companies.

To open a bank account in Japan you will require the following things:

・Resident card, driver's license or a public health insurance card to confirm your address in Japan
・Passport
・Inkan, Hanko (persona name seal/stamp)
・Fill out the application forms.
・Initial deposit (Usually people put 1000 yen to start the account, but there is no minimum amount so you can deposit 1 yen.)

In Japan, there are 2 types of accounts. One called Futsu (ordinaly/savings account) and Toza (checking account usually for company use).

Some banks accept your signature instead of your seal.


When the bank completes the process, you'll receive your bank book which will keep your bank records and a cach card will usually be sent to your address within a week.



You may want to ask some help your Japanese friend or work mates to go to the bank because unfortunately the workers at the banks or post offices are not good English speaker.


Citi bank (will require the monthly maintenance fee) and Shinsei bank have service in English.

Shinsei bank
http://www.shinseibank.com/english/
Citi bank
http://www.citibank.co.jp/en/banking/branch_atm/


Public information site for how to open a bank account:
Osaka
http://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/contents/wdu020/enjoy/en/services/11.html
http://www2.ofix.or.jp/english/pdf/8-4.pdf

Kobe
http://www.kicc.jp/kicc/guide/bank/index_eng.html

Private information site for how to open a bank account:
http://www.thejapanguy.com/how-to-open-a-japan-post-bank-account/
http://www.digi-joho.com/en/living-japan/165-opening-bank-accounts.html

Octoberfest 2013 in Kansai- German Beer festival

This is very popular event in Osaka. You can enjoy German beer and food. The German song "Ein Prosit" will be sung on the stage and people sing along and dance.  It is an outside event so it will be hot but it is very enjoyable.

Official HP:
http://oktfest.jp.net/


You need to pay 1000 yen for deposit with your first order of beer,  but when you don't want to drink beer anymore you take your glass to the counter and they will return the deposit.


In Shin Umeda City (from JR, Hankyu, Hanshin and Osaka subway Umeda station)
8/21 (Wed)  -9/1 (Sun)
Weekday 16:00-22:00 (L.O. 21:30)
Sat&Sun 11:00-22:00 (L.O. 21:30)
http://www.tv-osaka.co.jp/oktoberfest/

access
http://www.skybldg.co.jp/access/walk.html



It will be in Kobe too.
9/14-9/23

General rule in Japan

I've heard about some disputes between foreign residents and Japanese neighborhoods over 2 issues. Garbage and Noise. It simply come to a cultural gap or misunderstanding.

<Garbage>

Japanese government is trying reduce the garbage quantity and recycle resources as much as possible but garbage collection is controlled by local governments. 


You have to be careful because each region has different garbage disposal rules because there are no nation-wide rules. Your apartment complexes might hire a private garbage services for their residents and have more rules you need to follow.  Don't forget to ask about how to sort your garbage.

Sorting  garbage is a headache for new comers (I can understand that feeling because when I was working in Shizuoka the separating garbage rule was much more complex than in Osaka so I had to think about how to separate it before throwing anything away every time.) and you may feel like too much trouble but when you learn the rules and get used to them, it becomes easier for you.

As an example, you need to purchase designated garbage bags to throw away garbage in Kobe, but not in Osaka.  Find out more here:


Osaka city
http://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/contents/wdu020/kankyo/english/life/life01.html

Kobe City
http://www.city.kobe.lg.jp/life/recycle/waketon/img/english.pdf


<Noise>

When I lived in Australia, I didn't mind the noise from neighbours but when I came back to Japan, I sometimes had trouble with neighbours' noise such as washing machine, vacuum cleaner, high heel sound in the corridor etc. I wonder the building materials and environment are different?
You may need to lower the volume between 10 pm to 8 am. Talking on the balcony is also not a good idea. Balconies echo your voice to your neighbours and they can hear your conversation quite clearly.

I don't say that all Japanese are quiet but I noticed that Japanese rarely have visitors and when they do, they tend to have a smaller group of visitors. (It is not always true though.) I think that complaints occur mostly because there isn't enough communication due to the language barrier. If you know each other, you or neighbour don't mind the noises which come from next door. So my suggestion is to try to greet your neighbours when you see them. 

Osaka ben - Osaka dialect

In Japan, the standard Japanese dialect is Tokyo-ben (Tokyo dialect) but there are many other regional dialects and special words across Japan.

In the Kansai area it's called Kansai-ben (Kansai dialect), but it is not just one dialect. People in Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and so on all use slightly different words and accents.

Osaka-ben is not taught in text book's so you may have difficulty understanding it in the beginning but you'll get use to it soon. Why don't you go out and learn Osaka-ben from Osaka people?


There are several sites teaching Osaka-ben.

http://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/contents/wdu020/english/osaka_dialect/index.html

http://hougen.u-biq.org/osakaben.html

http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/about/dialect.html

Udon - Gourmet in Osaka

Udon is a thick noodle made from wheat flour. It is served with fish stock, soy sauce and a sugar base soup. There are many varieties of toppings such as Tempura, egg, beef, wakame (seaweed), curry etc. In Osaka, Kitsune udon, which is served with sweetened deep-fried thin tofu, is popular. Sanuki (Kagawa pref) udon restaurants are popular in Osaka too. Sanuki udon's noodles are firmer and chewy and there is less soup than Osaka udon style.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udon

http://japanesefood.about.com/od/udon/a/aboutudon.htm

http://www.japan-guide.com/r/e105.html

Universal Studios Japan (USJ)

USJ announced that over 10,000,000 people have visited the park since they opened in March 31 2001. It has become a popular destination to visit in Osaka. 

http://www.usj.co.jp/
http://www.usj.co.jp/e/


How to get to USJ?: 2 minutes walk from JR Universal city station
http://www.usj.co.jp/e/parkguide/fm_air.html

What time does it open?: 10:00-19:30, or 9:00-21:00. It depends on a season. Please check the time in the following site.
http://www.usj.co.jp/e/parkguide/201308.html

The area between the station and USJ is called Universal Citywalk and you can enjoy shopping, live performances and events as well.

Events in USJ:
One Piece Premier Summer: 2013/Jul/5-2013/Sep/8

Universal Wonderland and Water Surprise Party :  2013/Jul/5-2013/Sep/8

Hollywood dream - The Ride Backdrop : extended until 2013/Sep/30

BIOHAZARD The Real : 2013/Jul/19 - 2013/Nov/10

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man - The Ride 4K3D:
You can experience 4K3D only in USJ as the entertainment facility in Japan.


If you live in Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Shiga, Nara, Wakayama) you can purchase a special ticket called "Kid's free ticket". One adult can travel accompanied by one child (4～11year-old) free. This special service is until Sep 8th 2013. Tickets can be purchased at the JR Midori counters, Lawson (L Code:50020), Web and ticket booths until Sep 6th 2013 11:59 pm.

Accommodation in Osaka Vol.5 - utility

When you move in, first of all you need to contact utility companies to start using their services.

Electricity - Kansai Electric Power (Kanden or Kepco)
http://www1.kepco.co.jp/english/guide/index.html 
To contact your local Kanden office, look for the envelop placed near the breaker or meter in your home. It has your customer number and office telephone number.
Business hours:　Mon-Fri　9：00-17：00


Gas - Osaka Gas: http://www.osakagas.co.jp/en/index.html
【Customer Service Center】Tel:0120-0-94817　Mon-Sat　9：00-19：00 Sunday/Holidays　 9：00-17：00


Water - Each area has a seperate service provider
Osaka city water: http://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/contents/wdu030/english/
【Customer Service Center】Tel：06-6458-1132　Mon-Fri　8：00-20：00


Higashi Osaka city water: http://www.city.higashiosaka.lg.jp/category/12-0-0-0-0.html
To contact to your local office, fill out the form "Water Service Application (postcard)" which was left in a plastic bag near the entrance and return the card via postal mail.

【Customer Service Center】Tel：06-6724-1221 Mon-Fri:　


Sakai city water: http://water.city.sakai.lg.jp/foreign/index_en.html
【Customer Service Center】Tel：072-251-1132 Mon-Fri: 8:45-19:00 Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: 9:00-17:00 (Closed Jan. 1st to 3rd)


Kobe city water: http://www.city.kobe.lg.jp/foreign/english/index.html
To contact to your local office, fill out the form "Water Service Application (postcard)" which was left in a plastic bag near the entrance and return the card via postal mail.
【Customer Service Center】Tel：078-341-5451 Mon-Fri (except holiday) 9：00-17：15
for Chuo-ku, please check the telephone number from following site for other regions.


*They may visit your home to start the service. On a certain day each month, your meter is checked and a notification of usage is left in your mail box. Then they send the bill to your address a few days later. You can pay it at the bank, post office or convenience store. Also you can arrange to pay it with your credit card or Japanese bank account when you fill out the application form.



Telephone - NTT West
http://www.ntt-west.co.jp/english/
Call the NTT West Service Center (116) or use the NTT Internet Reservation Service to apply.

* For English, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean interpretation
call NTT WEST Information (Tel. 0120-064-337 Toll free)
(Monday-Saturday) 9am to 5pm

Most houses and apartments already have a line installed so you just need to contact them to get a telephone number. If your apartment/house doesn't have telephone line, you need to make an appointment for installation.

They send a bill every month to your address. You can pay it at the bank, post office or convenience store. Also you can arrange to pay it with your credit card or Japanese bank account when you fill out the application form.

Mobile phone:
　　Softbank: http://www.softbank.jp/mobile/customer/
　　AU: http://www.au.kddi.com/
　　Docomo: http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/

You need to go to the shop to purchase a mobile phone. You need to show several forms of ID and credit card/cash card or your Japanese bank account details.

1. Japanese driver's licence
2. Passport
3. Japanese health cover card
4. Japanese resident card
5. Credit card or bank book

I recommend you to take several IDs with you because each company has a slightly different rules to confirm your ID's in Japan.

Their payment will be charged to your credit card or your Japanese bank account.
You need to aware that it may take quite long time (like 2 hours) to complete the whole process.


Home Internet:
　　NTT Flet's Hikari: http://flets-w.com/english/
　　Usen: http://www.usen.com/index.html
　　Zaq: http://zaq.ne.jp/
    and others

Please check which internet line has been installed at your apartment/house. If it's already installed, you just need to apply for the internet account. If it is not installed yet, you need to make an appointment for the installation. You might need to wait for a few days in that case.

Instead of applying broadband at home, you can apply for wireless internet at the major appliance store such as Bic Camera, Yodobashi Camere, Yamada denki.

TV:
　　J-com: http://www.jcom.co.jp/pack.html
　　Skyperfect: http://www.skyperfectv.co.jp/osusume_pack/basic/　


If you want to get a special TV package to watch English/foreign language TV programs, you can apply for J-com (CATV), eo Hikari, Skyperfect, or Wow wow etc. They usually lease the tuner (You need to return when you cancel the service) to watch their TV programs. Depending on your apartment, you may need to have a satellite dish to receive their signal.


Osaka Living Guide
http://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/contents/wdu020/enjoy/en/services/index_en.html

Kobe Living Guide
http://www.kicc.jp/kicc/guide/water/index_eng.html

Weather News - Flood in Tohoku

There was heavy rain in Akita and Iwate Prefecturs today, so some trains from Tokyo to Tohoku were not in service.

Kazuno city in Akita pref had 108.5mm of rain in 1 hour. This was an unprecedented level of rainfall.

The weather will still be unstable tomorrow and there are landslide and rain-swollen rivers warning for the areas.

For more information please check the following site.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/08/09/national/tohoku-flooding-leaves-one-dead/#.UgT1LW3b12M

To check warnings from Japan Meteorological Agency.
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/warn/index.html

Hospital info in Osaka & Kobe

I hope you don't get sick or injury while you're staying in Japan, but if you need to see a doctor you can find doctors who can speak English on the following sites. Unfortunately, there are not many doctors who can speak English fluently so you may want to ask your Japanese friend or work mates to go to the hospital with you. If you take medicine regularly it is a good idea to take the medicine with you to show the doctor. The name of medicine in your country and Japan may be different.


Osaka city: Scroll down the page and click the ward name where you live.
http://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/contents/wdu020/enjoy/en/sick/11.html

Osaka pref.
http://www.mfis.pref.osaka.jp/ap/qq/sho/pwenglshsr01_001.aspx

http://www.pref.osaka.jp/iryo/medicalinfo/index_e.htm


Osaka university: very useful site
https://iss-intl.osaka-u.ac.jp/supportoffice/eng/living/medical.php
http://www.pref.osaka.jp/iryo/medicalinfo/setumei/osaka_c.htm
 
Kobe
http://web.qq.pref.hyogo.lg.jp/hyogo/ap/qq/sho/pwmedengsr01_002.aspx?kbn=1
http://web.qq.pref.hyogo.lg.jp/hyogo/ap/qq/men/pwtpmenult01.aspx


Kyoto
http://www.mfis.pref.kyoto.lg.jp/ap/qq/sho/pwenglshsr01.aspx

Inhos for Kansai area
http://inhos.net/area/kansai.html

AMDA
http://eng.amda-imic.com/index.php

Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) - Gourmet in Osaka

One of Osaka's "soul foods" is Okonomiyaki. "Okonomi" means "as you like" and "yaki" means that cooked or grilled. It is usually served on a teppan (iron coocking plate) in front of you.

The main ingredients are flour, grated nagaimo (type of yam), water or dashi (soup of fish and seaweed), egg, cabbage, green onion and red pickled ginger. Then you have to choose pork, seafood or other things to cook with main ingredients.

After cooking, you cover it in sauce and mayonnaise, and sprinkle it with dried bonito flakes and green seaweed. 

It's called "yaki" but it is very yummy.

Takoyaki (Octopus ball) - Gourmet in Osaka

While you walk around Osaka, you'll probably see shops cooking round ball-type food. This is Takoyaki (Octopus ball), which is one of soul food in Osaka.

The main ingredients are flour, egg, water, diced octopus, green onion, red pickled ginger and water. The takoyaki is continuously turned around to make the ball shape in a half round iron plate. After cooking, it's covered in sauce and sprinkled with dried bonito flakes and green seaweed.

Antique market in Kyoto and Osaka

There are 3 famous antique markets in Kyoto and Osaka. They are very popular so they're very crowded. If you like antiques you should go and look around.


<Toji temple "Koboichi" in Kyoto>

http://www.touji-ennichi.com/ichi/kobichi.htm

 Date: 21st of every month. From 5 am to 4 pm
 Access: 10 minuets walk from JR Kyoto station
             5 minutes walk from Kintetsu Kyoto station
              http://www.toji.or.jp/access.shtml

<Kitano Tenmangu shrine in Kyoto>

http://kitanotenmangu.or.jp/english/

 Date: 25th of every month. From 6 am to 4 pm
 Access: 5 minutes walk from Keifuku railway Kitano Hakubaicho station
            Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop from JR Kyoto station city bus (50) or (101),
            from Keihan rail way Demachiyanagi station (203)
            http://kitanotenmangu.or.jp/kitano_access/


<Shitennoji temple in Osaka>

http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/search/detail/sightseeing_2177.html

 Date: 21st and 22nd of every month. From 8:30 am to 4 pm
 Access: 5 minutes walk from Subway Tanimachi line Shitennoji-Mae-Yuhigaoka station
            http://www.shitennoji.or.jp/access.html