BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//173.254.28.39//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.8// VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0900 END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4197GF9ON1a@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n UPDATE: The tour and BBQ have been canceled for September 3r d due to the typhoon. I apologize but the website is being buggy and not l etting me changing the date. The tour AND BBQ will be moved to Sunday the 11th the following weeked. We apologize about this will keep everyone upda ted as the week progresses. Everyone please stay safe!\n\n Its time for th e traditional tour of Hikone Castle this year! I apologize for the late po st\, we had to wait until to make sure English speaking tour guides were a vailable during tourist season before putting it online. As always the tou r will be in conjuction with the Welcome BBQ\, and any ALTs from Shiga are more than welcome to come.\n\n AJET has set up an English tour of Hikone Castle by the Hikone Sightseeing Association for any JETs (veteran or rook ie) who wish to participate. The tour will start promptly at 11 am and las t for around two and a half hours. Please meet at Hikone Station by no lat er than 10:50 am if you wish to participate in the tour. The tour is free but it costs 600 yen to enter the castle grounds\, so bring a \;little cash on hand.\n\n An AJET member will be present at the tour and will bri ng anyone who wants to go to the BBQ after the tour. Sign up by post below so we can get a head count before the tour. Look forward to seeing you th ere!\n\n  \; DTSTART:20110911T105000 DTEND:20110911T170000 LOCATION:Hikone Station SUMMARY:Welcome BBQ / Hikone Tour END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4220ve9U29b@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The first ever Kibogaoka Flea Market is going to be held thi s September. Not much information is available yet\, but according to a br ief blurb I heard they will have many miscellaneous goods\, clothes\, and hand crafted items for available for purchase.\n\n For information on gett ing to the park\, please visit the park'\;s website.\n\n \n http://www .shiga-bunshin.or.jp/en/kibougaoka.html\n DTSTART:20110917T093000 DTEND:20110917T150000 LOCATION:Kibogaoka Park (Ryuo) SUMMARY:Kibogaoka Flea Market END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4226PKcBrvc@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The first ever Kibogaoka Flea Market is going to be held thi s September. Not much information is available yet\, but according to a br ief blurb I heard they will have many miscellaneous goods\, clothes\, and hand crafted items for available for purchase.\n\n For information on gett ing to the park\, please visit the park'\;s website.\n\n \n http://www .shiga-bunshin.or.jp/en/kibougaoka.html\n DTSTART:20110918T210000 DTEND:20110918T150000 LOCATION:Kibogaoka Park (Ryuo) SUMMARY:Kibogaoka Flea Market END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4246mxs3CVd@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n 2011 Lake Biwa Bike Trip \n\n "\;I was talking away\, hi t a rock\, flipped over my handlebars\, and did a face plant in the mud! I t was AWESOME!!!"\; - Past participant\n\n Quick and Dirty Details\n W HAT: 2 day bike trip around Lake Biwa\n WHEN: 9/24 (Sat) - 9/25 (Sun)\n DE PARTURE: Meet at 8:00am *sharp* outside Nagahama station West exit on Satu rday\, September 24th\n RETURN: 4-5pm to Nagahama on Sunday\, September 25 th\n COST: Plan on somewhere between 7000 yen and 13000 yen depending on b ike rental\, pension\, &\; meal options (see below)\n RSVP by FRIDAY\, September 10th. Sign-up for this event below &\; leave a comment with t he requested info (see below).\n QUESTIONS: Leave a comment below if you h ave any questions. Also remember to check back every so often\, as conditi ons may change depending on the number of people signed up.\n RSVP: If you '\;d like to go: please do the following 2 things before September 10th :\n\n \n Sign in\, enter the # of guests coming with you (i.e. friends / significant others who don'\;t have shigajet.org accounts and can'\; t sign up for themselves)\, and click the "\;Sign up"\; button abo ve.\n \n Leave a comment with the following info for you and each of your guests:\n Your full name\n Whether you'\;d like to stay at the pensi on\n What meals you'\;d like at the pension (no meals / breakfast only / breakfast &\; dinner)\n Whether you'\;ll bring your own bike or rent one from Nagahama station\n How many helmets you have (e.g.: \; 0 / 1 for you / 1 for you and 1 someone can borrow)\n  \;\n\n\n Intro Shiga and Lake Biwa are gorgeous\, and biking around the lake is a great way to get a sense of just how beautiful this area is. It'\;s also a gr eat way to get to meet and know some of your fellow JETs from around the p refecture. And finally\, it'\;s fantastic exercise and might just turn you on to bicycling\, one of the coolest ways to go to-and-fro in the univ erse.\n\n The Pension\n We have about 25 spots reserved at Kihachi Pension in OmiMaiko (recently renamed Ｂ・B Dylan - as in B&\;B Bob Dylan\; the owner'\;s a big fan). It'\;s about halfway around the lake from Naga hama. It'\;s a great\, comfortable pension with a gorgeous onsen (outdo or hotspring) just 15 minutes away by bike where we can soak our tired bod ies Saturday night.\n \n **If more than 25 people sign up\, we will post t he contact info for another pension a little past B&\;B Bob Dylan. Thos e past the 25 limit will be responsible for making their own reservations. The price is roughly the same\, minus the onsen and breakfast option. We will let everyone know what the costs are if/when we have overflow.\n \n P ENSION COST:\n To be announced! (roughly 4\,000 for the pension and 500 fo r the breakfast option)\n \n NOTE: Pension meals are *not* vegetarian. But not to worry. If you do not want to eat at the pension\, there are 2 smal l restaurants and 2 konbinis within 5-10 minutes of the pension. Usually\, we arrive around 4pm at the pension\, go soak for an hour or two\, and th en have dinner at one of the restaurants on the way back from the onsen.\n ONSEN COST (outdoor hotspring)\n  \; \; \; \; 600 yen - E ntrance fee for Onsen\n  \; \; \; \; 120 yen - tiny modest y towel (you can keep it)\n  \; \; \; \; 500 yen - large b ath towel (you can keep it)\n \n NOTE: 2 things: I usually just bring my o wn towel to avoid buying one. Also\, the pension has a bath which is avail able for use and included in the cost of the pension\, so if you want to s kip out on the onsen trip\, the pension bath is another option.\n\n Trip C ost\n Trip cost depends on your pension meal option\, whether you go to th e onsen or not\, and how much you spend on meals and snacks over the cours e of the two days...With everything factored in (konbini stops and dinner back in Nagahama Sunday night\, et cetera)\, I usually end up spending aro und 12\,000 yen during the trip\n\n Bicycle\n Mountain\, hybrid\, mama-cha ri... any work w/o a problem as long as they are in good shape... Where po ssible\, we stick to the lake shore where the roads are flat. There are on ly a few hills on the trip: at the north end of the lake\, the big arching bridge we cross at the south\, and a short\, nasty\, roller-coaster like ride near Omihachiman. Other than that\, the ride is flat\, so there won&# 39\;t really be a need for the 21 gears on a mountain or racing bike... th e 3 gears on your typical mama-chari will be more than enough... A mama-ch ari also offers the very important benefits of upright posture (more comfo rtable) and a softer seat (after 8 hours in the saddle\, your seat - depen ding on its softness - will either be an annoying but tolerable friend or your sworn enemy for life)...If you want to bring your own bicycle\, pleas e do so (see guidelines below for taking your bicycle on the train). If yo u would rather rent a bicycle\, that'\;s not a problem either\; let us know.\n\n Bicycle Rental\n If you do not want to bring a bicycle\, let us know and we'\;ll rent one for you from the rental shop under Nagahama s tation. The mama-chari'\;s they have are sweet\, 1-speed demons. They w on'\;t tear up the road\, but they'\;ll get you comfortably around t he lake and will be waiting for you conveniently at Nagahama station when you arrive Saturday morning for the start of the trip.\n \n RENTAL COST:\n About 1500 yen \;per day for 3000 yen total\n\n Bringing your own Bic ycle\n It is possible to bring your bicycle on the train. HOWEVER\, there are some "\;guidelines"\; you have to pay attention to or you'\ ;ll risk a train station employee yelling at you\, or worse\, forbidding y ou to take your bicycle on the train. It is sometimes hit-and-miss...\n\n MAKE IT SMALL: make your bike as small as possible. At the very least\, remove the front tire\, attach it to the frame or rear tire and turn the h andlebars so that the bike takes up as little space as possilbe. If your b icycle has a basket\, remove it.\n \n BAG IT COMPLETELY: place your bike COMPLETELY in a bag or use two bags if one isnt enough. Your bike must be COMPLETLEY covered. Don'\;t let anything stick out... The bag must be o paque. Bike bags can be purchased in big sporting goods stores in Kyoto an d other large cities. They can probably be purchased in Shiga as well (tho ugh i don'\;t know where). They run from 5000 yen to 15000 yen.\n \n B icycle Bag Substitutes: If 5000 yen for a bag sounds like a lot\; there is an alternative that often works. Other JETs have in the past simply purch ased a couple of 100 yen motorcycle covers from the 100yen plaza and duckt aped those around our bikes. The above guidelines still apply. The bike mu st be small (take that front tire off). and it must be completely covered. Only get opaque bags. don'\;t get the transparent/translucent kind... if that means double bagging. spend the extra 100 yen. This often works... It has on a couple of occasions not worked. It seems to depend on whoever is manning the station gates and their mood.\n \n Special ticket for cer tain bikes: You may have to pay an additional charge for taking certain ty pes of bikes on the train.\n\n\n In short:\n\n \n Make it Small\,\n \n C over it COMPLETELY in opaque bags\n \n walk through the station gate conf idently\n  \;\n\n\n Helmets\n A helmet is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for this trip. You can get one at your local bicycle store if you do not already h ave one. It'\;s a very good investment if you'\;re gonna be riding y our bicycle regularly (esp. to and from your school and/or around town).Wh y a helmet? Because drivers here in Shiga (and those passing through) are psycho kung-fu road ninjas and will swerve to the shoulder for a chance at smacking you in the back of your head with their side-view mirror or knoc king you into the ditch.Seriously\, a number of people I'\;ve known ove r the years in Shiga have been hit by cars\, and other friends have fallen off their bicycles and bloodied up their heads b/c they weren'\;t wear ing a helmet. Most of the route is on bike trails or roads with wide shoul ders\, but there are a couple of places where we have to travel on narrow roads with no shoulders while big trucks zoom by... the helmet is your ins urance. .AJET has a few helmets that can be borrowed for this trip if you do not have a helmet and would rather not purchase one. Please let us know if you'\;d like to borrow one. Please bear in mind that there is no gu arantees the helmet will fit well (which\, isn'\;t so hot in terms of s afety but still better than nothing).\n\n Clothing\n Pack light as you' \;ll be carrying your own gear. Mornings and evenings will be cool\, so yo u might want a sweatshirt\, but mostly it should be warm\, so t-shirts and shorts or sport pants or something similar are good. Also\, should the fo recast predict rain\, you'\;ll want a good rain jacket. It rained last year&hellip\;and some of us got soaked\, cuz we werent prepared. Don&rsquo \;t be like us&hellip\;if it might rain&hellip\;bring a rain jacket\, the bike trip will go on!!\n \n Bicycle shorts:\n Bicycle shorts are soft and well padded allowing you to bike longer before your butt starts to ache. N ot necessary\, but nice to have.\n\n Fitness\n Total biking distance is ab out 165km (110 miles). Our pace is not fast\, we stop a lot\, and the trip is not all that demanding. However\, biking 83km in a day and then gettin g up and doing it again the next day is not a cakewalk either.If you bike every day to school 15-20 minutes each way\, you'\;re probably already in shape. If\, however\, this message is your first introduction to a bicy cle and its function\, then several after school bikerides are definitely in order before the trip (go for 3 or more 2 hour bicycle rides before the trip). Training is important not just for your legs... it'\;s for your butt as well. sitting for 8 hours on a rock hard mountain bike seat will take its toll.\n\n AGAIN\, INFORMATION WE NEED FROM YOU:\n If you want to come\, enter the # of guests coming with you and click "\;Sign up" \; at the top and then leave a comment below with the following informatio n for you and each of your guests:\n\n \n Your full name\n \n Whether yo u'\;d like to stay at the pension\n \n What meals you'\;d like at t he pension (no meals / breakfast only / breakfast &\; dinner)\n \n Whe ther you'\;ll bring your own bike or rent one from Nagahama station\n How many helmets you have (e.g.: \; 0 / 1 for you / 1 for you and 1 someone can borrow) \;\n  \;\n\n\n **CANCELLATION FEE**\n If you wish to cancel your sign up\, you must do so by FIRDAY\, SEPT. 10th. If yo u wish to cancel after the 10th\, you must either get someone else to take your spot\, or you will owe the cost of the trip. (Pension + bike rental) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20110924 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20110925 LOCATION:Nagahama Station SUMMARY:2011 Lake Biwa Bike Trip END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4256rFrwBce@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n 2011 Lake Biwa Bike Trip \n\n "\;I was talking away\, hi t a rock\, flipped over my handlebars\, and did a face plant in the mud! I t was AWESOME!!!"\; - Past participant\n\n Quick and Dirty Details\n W HAT: 2 day bike trip around Lake Biwa\n WHEN: 9/24 (Sat) - 9/25 (Sun)\n DE PARTURE: Meet at 8:00am *sharp* outside Nagahama station West exit on Satu rday\, September 24th\n RETURN: 4-5pm to Nagahama on Sunday\, September 25 th\n COST: Plan on somewhere between 7000 yen and 13000 yen depending on b ike rental\, pension\, &\; meal options (see below)\n RSVP by FRIDAY\, September 10th. Sign-up for this event below &\; leave a comment with t he requested info (see below).\n QUESTIONS: Leave a comment below if you h ave any questions. Also remember to check back every so often\, as conditi ons may change depending on the number of people signed up.\n RSVP: If you '\;d like to go: please do the following 2 things before September 10th :\n\n \n Sign in\, enter the # of guests coming with you (i.e. friends / significant others who don'\;t have shigajet.org accounts and can'\; t sign up for themselves)\, and click the "\;Sign up"\; button abo ve.\n \n Leave a comment with the following info for you and each of your guests:\n Your full name\n Whether you'\;d like to stay at the pensi on\n What meals you'\;d like at the pension (no meals / breakfast only / breakfast &\; dinner)\n Whether you'\;ll bring your own bike or rent one from Nagahama station\n How many helmets you have (e.g.: \; 0 / 1 for you / 1 for you and 1 someone can borrow)\n  \;\n\n\n Intro Shiga and Lake Biwa are gorgeous\, and biking around the lake is a great way to get a sense of just how beautiful this area is. It'\;s also a gr eat way to get to meet and know some of your fellow JETs from around the p refecture. And finally\, it'\;s fantastic exercise and might just turn you on to bicycling\, one of the coolest ways to go to-and-fro in the univ erse.\n\n The Pension\n We have about 25 spots reserved at Kihachi Pension in OmiMaiko (recently renamed Ｂ・B Dylan - as in B&\;B Bob Dylan\; the owner'\;s a big fan). It'\;s about halfway around the lake from Naga hama. It'\;s a great\, comfortable pension with a gorgeous onsen (outdo or hotspring) just 15 minutes away by bike where we can soak our tired bod ies Saturday night.\n \n **If more than 25 people sign up\, we will post t he contact info for another pension a little past B&\;B Bob Dylan. Thos e past the 25 limit will be responsible for making their own reservations. The price is roughly the same\, minus the onsen and breakfast option. We will let everyone know what the costs are if/when we have overflow.\n \n P ENSION COST:\n To be announced! (roughly 4\,000 for the pension and 500 fo r the breakfast option)\n \n NOTE: Pension meals are *not* vegetarian. But not to worry. If you do not want to eat at the pension\, there are 2 smal l restaurants and 2 konbinis within 5-10 minutes of the pension. Usually\, we arrive around 4pm at the pension\, go soak for an hour or two\, and th en have dinner at one of the restaurants on the way back from the onsen.\n ONSEN COST (outdoor hotspring)\n  \; \; \; \; 600 yen - E ntrance fee for Onsen\n  \; \; \; \; 120 yen - tiny modest y towel (you can keep it)\n  \; \; \; \; 500 yen - large b ath towel (you can keep it)\n \n NOTE: 2 things: I usually just bring my o wn towel to avoid buying one. Also\, the pension has a bath which is avail able for use and included in the cost of the pension\, so if you want to s kip out on the onsen trip\, the pension bath is another option.\n\n Trip C ost\n Trip cost depends on your pension meal option\, whether you go to th e onsen or not\, and how much you spend on meals and snacks over the cours e of the two days...With everything factored in (konbini stops and dinner back in Nagahama Sunday night\, et cetera)\, I usually end up spending aro und 12\,000 yen during the trip\n\n Bicycle\n Mountain\, hybrid\, mama-cha ri... any work w/o a problem as long as they are in good shape... Where po ssible\, we stick to the lake shore where the roads are flat. There are on ly a few hills on the trip: at the north end of the lake\, the big arching bridge we cross at the south\, and a short\, nasty\, roller-coaster like ride near Omihachiman. Other than that\, the ride is flat\, so there won&# 39\;t really be a need for the 21 gears on a mountain or racing bike... th e 3 gears on your typical mama-chari will be more than enough... A mama-ch ari also offers the very important benefits of upright posture (more comfo rtable) and a softer seat (after 8 hours in the saddle\, your seat - depen ding on its softness - will either be an annoying but tolerable friend or your sworn enemy for life)...If you want to bring your own bicycle\, pleas e do so (see guidelines below for taking your bicycle on the train). If yo u would rather rent a bicycle\, that'\;s not a problem either\; let us know.\n\n Bicycle Rental\n If you do not want to bring a bicycle\, let us know and we'\;ll rent one for you from the rental shop under Nagahama s tation. The mama-chari'\;s they have are sweet\, 1-speed demons. They w on'\;t tear up the road\, but they'\;ll get you comfortably around t he lake and will be waiting for you conveniently at Nagahama station when you arrive Saturday morning for the start of the trip.\n \n RENTAL COST:\n About 1500 yen \;per day for 3000 yen total\n\n Bringing your own Bic ycle\n It is possible to bring your bicycle on the train. HOWEVER\, there are some "\;guidelines"\; you have to pay attention to or you'\ ;ll risk a train station employee yelling at you\, or worse\, forbidding y ou to take your bicycle on the train. It is sometimes hit-and-miss...\n\n MAKE IT SMALL: make your bike as small as possible. At the very least\, remove the front tire\, attach it to the frame or rear tire and turn the h andlebars so that the bike takes up as little space as possilbe. If your b icycle has a basket\, remove it.\n \n BAG IT COMPLETELY: place your bike COMPLETELY in a bag or use two bags if one isnt enough. Your bike must be COMPLETLEY covered. Don'\;t let anything stick out... The bag must be o paque. Bike bags can be purchased in big sporting goods stores in Kyoto an d other large cities. They can probably be purchased in Shiga as well (tho ugh i don'\;t know where). They run from 5000 yen to 15000 yen.\n \n B icycle Bag Substitutes: If 5000 yen for a bag sounds like a lot\; there is an alternative that often works. Other JETs have in the past simply purch ased a couple of 100 yen motorcycle covers from the 100yen plaza and duckt aped those around our bikes. The above guidelines still apply. The bike mu st be small (take that front tire off). and it must be completely covered. Only get opaque bags. don'\;t get the transparent/translucent kind... if that means double bagging. spend the extra 100 yen. This often works... It has on a couple of occasions not worked. It seems to depend on whoever is manning the station gates and their mood.\n \n Special ticket for cer tain bikes: You may have to pay an additional charge for taking certain ty pes of bikes on the train.\n\n\n In short:\n\n \n Make it Small\,\n \n C over it COMPLETELY in opaque bags\n \n walk through the station gate conf idently\n  \;\n\n\n Helmets\n A helmet is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for this trip. You can get one at your local bicycle store if you do not already h ave one. It'\;s a very good investment if you'\;re gonna be riding y our bicycle regularly (esp. to and from your school and/or around town).Wh y a helmet? Because drivers here in Shiga (and those passing through) are psycho kung-fu road ninjas and will swerve to the shoulder for a chance at smacking you in the back of your head with their side-view mirror or knoc king you into the ditch.Seriously\, a number of people I'\;ve known ove r the years in Shiga have been hit by cars\, and other friends have fallen off their bicycles and bloodied up their heads b/c they weren'\;t wear ing a helmet. Most of the route is on bike trails or roads with wide shoul ders\, but there are a couple of places where we have to travel on narrow roads with no shoulders while big trucks zoom by... the helmet is your ins urance. .AJET has a few helmets that can be borrowed for this trip if you do not have a helmet and would rather not purchase one. Please let us know if you'\;d like to borrow one. Please bear in mind that there is no gu arantees the helmet will fit well (which\, isn'\;t so hot in terms of s afety but still better than nothing).\n\n Clothing\n Pack light as you' \;ll be carrying your own gear. Mornings and evenings will be cool\, so yo u might want a sweatshirt\, but mostly it should be warm\, so t-shirts and shorts or sport pants or something similar are good. Also\, should the fo recast predict rain\, you'\;ll want a good rain jacket. It rained last year&hellip\;and some of us got soaked\, cuz we werent prepared. Don&rsquo \;t be like us&hellip\;if it might rain&hellip\;bring a rain jacket\, the bike trip will go on!!\n \n Bicycle shorts:\n Bicycle shorts are soft and well padded allowing you to bike longer before your butt starts to ache. N ot necessary\, but nice to have.\n\n Fitness\n Total biking distance is ab out 165km (110 miles). Our pace is not fast\, we stop a lot\, and the trip is not all that demanding. However\, biking 83km in a day and then gettin g up and doing it again the next day is not a cakewalk either.If you bike every day to school 15-20 minutes each way\, you'\;re probably already in shape. If\, however\, this message is your first introduction to a bicy cle and its function\, then several after school bikerides are definitely in order before the trip (go for 3 or more 2 hour bicycle rides before the trip). Training is important not just for your legs... it'\;s for your butt as well. sitting for 8 hours on a rock hard mountain bike seat will take its toll.\n\n AGAIN\, INFORMATION WE NEED FROM YOU:\n If you want to come\, enter the # of guests coming with you and click "\;Sign up" \; at the top and then leave a comment below with the following informatio n for you and each of your guests:\n\n \n Your full name\n \n Whether yo u'\;d like to stay at the pension\n \n What meals you'\;d like at t he pension (no meals / breakfast only / breakfast &\; dinner)\n \n Whe ther you'\;ll bring your own bike or rent one from Nagahama station\n How many helmets you have (e.g.: \; 0 / 1 for you / 1 for you and 1 someone can borrow) \;\n  \;\n\n\n **CANCELLATION FEE**\n If you wish to cancel your sign up\, you must do so by FIRDAY\, SEPT. 10th. If yo u wish to cancel after the 10th\, you must either get someone else to take your spot\, or you will owe the cost of the trip. (Pension + bike rental) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20110925 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20110926 LOCATION:Nagahama Station SUMMARY:2011 Lake Biwa Bike Trip END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4270vMXPt9f@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Art in Nagahama!\n\n Tons of artists set up stalls all throu ghout Kurokabe Square to sell their creations - jewelery\, paintings\, blo ck carvings of cats saying funny things. If it'\;s handmade and you wan t it\, it'\;s probably here. \;\n\n I am not sure of the official s tart time\, but last year folks just started setting up and then each day they began wrapping up between 4pm and 5pm. \;\n\n There are also food stalls! Including\, but not limited to\, a wonderful Taco Truck. \;\n Here'\;s a website with photos from last year: \;http://blog.goo.n e.jp/ain2005 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111001 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111003 LOCATION:Kurokabe Square SUMMARY:Art in Nagahama END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4280DFefiog@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Are you an Udon fan? Never tried? Want to? Then this event i s for you!\n\n On Sunday\, October 2nd\, the city of Higashiomi will be ho sting the 1st Annual Nationwide Udon Summit! \;\n\n 13 exhibitors from around the country will be there serving their most famous dishes for onl y ¥\;300-¥\;400 a bowl. Eat '\;till you pop!\n\n The Udon Summit will be held near Yokaichi Station on the Omi Tetsudo. (For most people\, the Omi Tetsudo'\;s all-you-can-ride weekend ticket\, the \;SS furī kippu\, is the best way to get to Yokaichi station. Purchase it from the teller at the Omi station you board from. It costs ¥\;550.)\n\n Event h omepage:\n\n \n\n \n http://udon-summit.jp\n\n\n Menu:\n\n \n http://ud on-summit.jp/entrants/index.html\n DTSTART:20111002T103000 DTEND:20111002T150000 LOCATION:Yokaichi Station (Omi Tetsudo) SUMMARY:Nationwide Udon Summit 2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4290OALbjmh@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The Biwako Visitors Bureau is holding the 5th meeting of the Biwako Visitor'\;s Club on Monda\, October 3rd.\n\n The BVB is current ly putting together an online travel guide to Shiga\, and they are looking for people to participate in all-expenses paid (minus any personal purcha ses) trips/events that will be featured on their website.\n\n October'\ ;s meeting will take place at Biwako Onsen Koyo\, near Otsukyo station on the JR Kosei Line (one stop from Yamashina). If you come to Otsukyo statio n by 16:30\, you can walk with the group to the onsen.\n\n (For those on y ou living on the Keihan Line\, Ojiyama station is less than a 5 minute wal k from Otsukyo station.)\n\n Some of their past events have included trips to Koka&rsquo\;s ninja village\, local museums and festivals\, watersport s\, and overnight stays in Japanese inns. If you&rsquo\;d like to learn mo re about what they do and sign up for some fun (and free!) local outings\, I encourage you to attend! Attendees are also free to use the onsen facil ities after the meeting.\n\n Visit the link below to see reports from prev ious outings.\n\n \n http://en.biwako-visitors.jp\n DTSTART:20111003T170000 DTEND:20111003T190000 LOCATION:Biwako Onsen Koyo SUMMARY:The 5th Meeting of the Biwako Visitors Club END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-430495HSlgi@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n If anyone would like to join a volunteering trip to the Toho ku area there is one going during the 3 day weekend in October.\n\n http:/ /www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=285335898159990 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111007 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111011 LOCATION:Tohoku Area SUMMARY:Volunteer Tour to Tohoku END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4313VT3Vjaj@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Before the Otsu Matsuri festivities begin on Saturday evenin g\, there will be a series of swing jazz performances at the Otsu Municipa l Auditorium by a Swiss youth jazz ensemble.\n\n The performance is sponso red by the Swiss Embassy and the group\, Swing Kids\, seems to be pretty g ood.\n\n \n http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM9fmnBDzfw&\;feature=relat ed\n\n\n They have two shows scheduled for the 8th:\n\n \n The 1st show s tarts at 13:00 (doors open at 12:30)\n \n The 2nd show starts at 15:00&nb sp\;(doors open at 14:30)\n\n\n Tickets are \;¥\;1\,000. DTSTART:20111008T000000 DTEND:20111008T160000 LOCATION:Otsu Municipal Auditorium SUMMARY:Swiss Swing Kids in Otsu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4325PUpFkAk@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The closest you'\;ll probably come to a rodeo in Japan.&n bsp\; Nara is famous for it'\;s deer\, as it'\;s pretty much impossi ble to go anywhere in the city without stepping on one or worse\, it'\; s droppings. \; And\, while you can carefully feed them deer biscuits\ , their lack of antlers makes this a safer operation. \; Once a year\, the antler'\;s a sawed off\, to great ceremony.\n\n  \;\n\n From t he Nara website [translated to English]:\n\n Making the fall season of Jap an'\;s ancient capital\, Nara\, all the more lively\, the thrilling &ld quo\;Shika no tsunokiri&rdquo\; is a traditional event passed down and car ried on for more than 330 years\, since its inception in the year 1671\, i n the early Edo Period (Kanbun Era). In the mating season\, bucks (male de er) are known to run wild\, and inflict potentially lethal harm upon the t ownspeople and each other. It has been said that in order to prevent such occurrences\, Kōfuku-ji temple\, under the orders of the Nara magistrate&# 39\;s office\, first initiated the antler-cutting ceremony."\;\n\n &nb sp\;\n\n On a single day\, about fifteen deer have their antlers cut.  \; The target are deer over four years of age with antlers forming three & quot\;horns."\; \; Running deer are caught with bamboo and rope an d held down by brave male volunteers. \; The deer are then fed purifie d water by a shinto priest to calm them before their antlers are sawed off .\n\n  \;\n\n - - - - -\n\n WHERE: The Deer Park\, in Nara City. near Kasuga Taisha Shrine.\n\n From the Nara Prefecture website: "\;8 minut es by the bus for Kasugataisha Honden from JR/Kintetsu Nara Station and ge t off at the last terminal and walk for 5 minutes 8 minutes by the city lo op bus from JR/Kintetsu Nara Station and get off at Kasugataisha Omotesand o and walk for 7 minutes."\;\n\n  \;\n\n DATE: \; Many website s are quite vague\, but it seems to be October 8-10th. \; Called off i n the event of rain.\n\n  \;\n\n TIME: Noon to 3pm.\n\n  \;\n\n CO ST: Most websites say 500 yen for adults\, but one says 1000 yen. \; I t provides you with a nice chair to watch the action below.\n\n  \;\n MORE INFORMATION: Nara Deer'\;s website [in Japanese]: http://www.nara deer.com/ DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111008 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111011 LOCATION:The Deer Park\, Nara City SUMMARY:Deer Wrangling and Antler Cutting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4339j7Psf6l@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Every year in Shigaraki\, an area famous for its ceramics\, holds its Pottery Festival for its resident artists to show off their new work. If you are in to ceramics you don'\;t want to miss this! DTSTART:20111008T090000 DTEND:20111008T170000 LOCATION:Shigaraki (Koka) SUMMARY:Shigaraki Pottery Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-43452RdaUcm@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Every year in Shigaraki\, an area famous for its ceramics\, holds its Pottery Festival for its resident artists to show off their new work. If you are in to ceramics you don'\;t want to miss this! DTSTART:20111010T180000 DTEND:20111010T170000 LOCATION:Shigaraki (Koka) SUMMARY:Shigaraki Pottery Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4350HVicvon@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Every year in Shigaraki\, an area famous for its ceramics\, holds its Pottery Festival for its resident artists to show off their new work. If you are in to ceramics you don'\;t want to miss this! DTSTART:20111009T180000 DTEND:20111009T170000 LOCATION:Shigaraki (Koka) SUMMARY:Shigaraki Pottery Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-43636KMMDVo@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The Koka Ninja Villiage (甲賀の里忍術村) has a number of events lin ed up this summer/autumn.\n\n Their lineup includes:\n\n \n The 28th Annu al All-Japan Ninja Competition on October 9.\n \n Ninja Camp (only during the summer holidays)\n \n Free Ninja Training\n\n\n The info I have is s parse\, but you can call 0748-88-5000 for more details. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111009 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111010 LOCATION:Koka Ninja Villiage SUMMARY:Koka Ninja Camp / 28th Annual All-Japan Ninja Competition END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4373KfDMZrp@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Otsu Matsuri 2011 is here and we need volunteers!!! Otsu Mat suri is an event held in Otsu City where 13 ornate floats or "\;yamas& quot\; are brought around the city by groups of volunteers throughout Shig a. The floats (often) stop at certain points in the city and the volunteer s inside the float put on a small performance for everyone who has gathere d to come see the festival. People often line up for a chance to catch the sticks of mochi thrown from the float\, which is supposed to bring good l uck and health if posted outside of your door at home! The yamas all have a unique design based on a story or history in Japan.\n\n Last year we pul led a tanuki float. I am not sure what the story behind that was...\n\n Wh en I called about volunteers for this year\, they said they needed about 1 0~15 people. So\, I will try to make sure we can get all 15 if we have 15 volunteers. It'\;s definitely a long day\, pulling a float around for a bout 8 hours\, but its also a lot of fun! On top of that\, people keep fee ding you and giving you beer throughout the day\, so it gets pretty silly towards the end of the day (or beginning..depending...).\n\n Unfortunately \, this festival has a history of only allowing males to participate. Last year\, however\, we had about 2 female volunteers - so if there are any f emales interested\, I will do my best in trying to get you guys in as well since that is honestly a bunch of malarkey.\n\n Here is the official webs ite (in Japanese) for some info/pics of the matsuri:\n\n \n http://www.ot su-matsuri.jp/home/\n\n\n If you are interested in this bad mamajama of a festival\, please sign up here on this page or send me an email at .(JavaS cript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i]. substring(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_TuGBu Rmtcn').innerHTML = output\;/*]]>*/. The sign ups will be first come\, fir st served so time is a wastin'\;!\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n ::edit:: \n So\, the sign up has been closed and everyone'\;s names are going to be sent in. You guys will be pulling the tanooki float again this year an d meeting the coordinators at Tenson Jinga \;at 8:50. Please make sure you are not late since the tanooki float is the first in line and a delay will delay every float in the line.\n\n  \;\n\n  \; DTSTART:20111009T085000 DTEND:20111009T173000 LOCATION:Otsu\, Shiga SUMMARY:Otsu Hikiyama Matsuri 2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4383Xk3alSq@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Hi everyone\,\n\n Do you like local festivities? Do you like stage performances? Do you like markets?\n\n Well\, in Taga\, on October 16th\, is the Autumn Festival (maybe they don&rsquo\;t call it this way on ads).\n it is from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.\n\n Many different artists will p erform on a stage in fron of the station. Many people handmake food and ar tifacts that you can buy. There is a market selling local vegetables and f ruits. Some people have a garage sale on the main street of Taga.\n\n Also \, our mascot\, Yui-chan\, will be there.\n\n  \;\n\n You are very wel come to stop by :D DTSTART:20111016T100000 DTEND:20111016T150000 LOCATION:多賀町　(Taga) SUMMARY:Autumn Festival in Taga END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4402EhCDKWr@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n It'\;s that time of year again. Hikone City presents the 2011 Yuruchara Matsuri!\n\n Come see over 100 mascots from all over Japan\ , Saturday and Sunday\, October 22-23.\n\n From the lovable Musubi-maru to the kimochiwarui Sento-kun\, and hometown hero Hikonyan\, there will be m ascots for everyone\, in addition to food booths\, games\, and stamp ralli es.\n\n Various cities and prefectures will also have booths set up displa ying their local specialties and attractions.\n\n Located mostly around Ca stle Road\, about a 10-15 min walk from Hikone station.\n\n Price: Free!\n http://yuru-chara.jp/fes2011/ DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111022 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111023 LOCATION:Hikone Castle Road SUMMARY:2011 Hikone Mascot Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4412cUS0ZHs@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n It'\;s that time of year again. Hikone City presents the 2011 Yuruchara Matsuri!\n\n Come see over 100 mascots from all over Japan\ , Saturday and Sunday\, October 22-23.\n\n From the lovable Musubi-maru to the kimochiwarui Sento-kun\, and hometown hero Hikonyan\, there will be m ascots for everyone\, in addition to food booths\, games\, and stamp ralli es.\n\n Various cities and prefectures will also have booths set up displa ying their local specialties and attractions.\n\n Located mostly around Ca stle Road\, about a 10-15 min walk from Hikone station.\n\n Price: Free!\n http://yuru-chara.jp/fes2011/ DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111023 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111024 LOCATION:Hikone Castle Road SUMMARY:2011 Hikone Mascot Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4423gaKTuDt@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n An elegant costume procession of Kyoto'\;s 1\,200 years o f history\n\n  \;\n\n From the Kyoto Guide Website:\n\n \n "\;The Jidai Matsuri Festival\, one of Kyoto'\;s three biggest festivals\, st arted in 1895. October 22nd (794) is the day when Emperor Kammu decided to move the imperial capital from Nara to Kyoto. On this day\, a grand costu me parade consisting of 2\,000 people\, about 2 km in length\, will move a cross the city.\n \n Each group in the procession represents a different period of Kyoto history: starting from the Meiji Restoration period (late 19th century) and ending with the Heian period (794-1185). This event offe rs visitors a special chance to experience the splendor Kyoto'\;s amazi ng history."\;\n\n\n The Jidai Matsuri is one of Kyoto'\;s three gr eat festivals. \; You can read more about it on wikipedia\, here: http ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jidai_Matsuri (in English.)\n\n - - - - - -\n\n W HERE: The procession will depart from the Imperial Palace and travel to He ian Shrine. \; I assume you could watch from anywhere along the 4.6 ki lometer route. \; I'\;ve never been\, but I hear it'\;s also rea lly crowded\, so you might consider getting there early to claim a spot.\n  \;\n\n WHEN: The procession will leave the Imperial Palace at noon.& nbsp\; The parade ends at Heian Shrine at about 2:30pm. \; It takes ov er an hour for the entire parade to pass one spot.\n\n  \;\n\n Note: I n the event of rain\, this event will be postponed. DTSTART:20111022T120000 DTEND:20111022T143000 LOCATION:From the Imperial Palace to Heian Shrine\, Kyoto SUMMARY:Festival of the Ages (Jidai Matsuri) END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4433Rj8Nczu@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n This fiery festival is one of Kyoto'\;s three biggest and sure to be a dramatic display.\n\n  \;\n\n From The Kyoto Guide:\n\n "\;The Kurama Fire Festival is an ancient rite in which the spirits of hell are guided by the light of pine torches through the human realms. Th e festival is also closely connected with the emperor\, who started to sen d torch bearers from the palace to the village in 794. The festival begins at sunset [around 6pm] with the lighting of fire lanterns in front of eac h house\, many of which have family treasures (screens or suits of armor\, etc.) on open display in their front room.\n\n The highlight of the festi val is the men in traditional clothing as they walk up through the village straining under the weight of huge fire torches (5-6 meters long\, weighi ng over 100 kg) . As the sky fills with smoke and the temperature drops\, the excitement builds. Suddenly around 20:00\, a group of cheering men rac e up the stairs to Yuki Shrine carrying a large mikoshi (portable shrine) to make the annual offering to the gods."\;\n\n  \;\n\n I'\;ve never been to this festival\, but I'\;ve heard that if you have to deci de between this fire festival and the Festival of Ages (also on the same d ay)\, this is the one to go to. \; It can be 5 degrees colder up in th e mountains\, so bring an extra layer.\n\n  \;\n\n - - - - -\n\n   \;\n\n WHERE: Karuma\, north of Kyoto\, at Yuki Shrine\n\n From Kyoto Guid e: "\;Direct trains to Kurama depart three times an hour from Eizan Ra ilways Demachiyanagi Station. If you take the train after 17:00 or so\, ex pect to wait in line and be packed in like grains of sand. It&rsquo\;s bes t to go early and leave early. Alternatively\, taking a taxi to Kibune-guc hi (1 kilometer below the south end of Kurama Village) and walking in is a good idea."\;\n\n  \;\n\n WHEN The town is lit up by children car rying torches at 6pm. \; The action starts outside Yuki shrine at abou t 8pm.\n\n  \;\n\n COST: Free! DTSTART:20111022T180000 DTEND:20111022T210000 LOCATION:Yuki Shrine in Kurama\, Japan SUMMARY:Kurama no Hi-Matsuri (Fire Festival) END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4442NA2pOev@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The One Korea 2011 Festival will be held on October 23rd at Osaka Castle Park.\n\n The festival website (http://hana.wwonekorea.com/ok f2011/index.htm) has more information\, but some of the attractions will i nclude:\n\n \n Food stalls with kimchi and BBQ from shops in Osaka'\;s Korea Town (Tsuruhashi)\n \n Imported Korean goods for sale\n \n Flea m arket\n \n Korean history corner\n \n Traditional Korean games\n \n Kor ean language and kimchi-making workshops\n \n Children'\;s play area\n DTSTART:20111023T110000 DTEND:20111023T170000 LOCATION:Osaka Castle Park SUMMARY:One Korea Festival 2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4456dRSJ9uw@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n As if us foreigners weren'\;t scary looking enough... It& #39\;s that time of year again\, folks!\n  \;\n\n \n JET HALLOWEEN PA RTY 2011\n\n\n \n \n\n\n  \;\n\n When: Saturday October 29th 2011\, 6 .30pm-10pm\n Where: Free Ball Sports bar in Sanjo Keihan\, Kyoto (website:  \;Free Ball )\n Map Link: \;Directions from Sanjo Keihan station to Free Ball Sports Bar \;\n What: All you can drink ("\;nomihouda i"\;) from 7.00pm to 9.30pm (2hours30mins total!)\, costume competitio n\, arm wrestling competition\, pool tables and MORE~\n How much: 3500yen when you buy tickets beforehand\, 4000yen on the day\n \n Details\n\n This year'\;s Halloween party will be in Sanjo Keihan\, Kyoto. We have got a really nice venue lined up for you all\, as I'\;m sure you will all a gree after checking out the website!\n\n Doors will open at 6.30pm\, with the event starting at 7pm\, which is also when the bar will be open for no mihoudai (included within the ticket price!). Drink as much as you want un til 9.30pm.\n\n We will have our usual dance competition and costume compe tition. Check out the "\;Important Details"\; below for details ab out your dance group. We are also allowed to use the arm wrestling table\, so we may throw in an arm wrestling competition for the strong people out there. There are about 2-3 pool tables we can also take advantage of.\n\n So what do you do next? It'\;s simple Please look below.\n\n  \; \n RSVP TO THE EVENT\n\n It will help us out a lot if you RSVP TO THIS EVE NT ON THIS PAGE!!!  \;Please do not use the comments section below to say you'\;re coming. Click on the RSVP button instead. This is so that we know how many people are coming to the event\, which makes it much easi er to manage. We will be able to have a list of people who are coming whic h we can check off at the door on the night. People who RSVP will get prio rity over people who do not. If you are bringing guests\, it is also possi ble to RSVP on behalf of them.\n\n  \;\n\n BUYING TICKETS\n\n We will be selling tickets in advance. It is highly advised that you do this\, as we have a limit on the amount of people that can come. It is also more exp ensive to buy tickets on the day of the event\, and  \;will also be mu ch easier for on the night if you already have a ticket in hand. Here are the current dates you can buy the tickets on and from whom:\n\n Who: Danie l Rau\n When:Friday October 14th: \;\n Where: Nagahama Block Meeting\n Who: Ramzi Ramzi\n When: Thursday  \;October 13th\, 6pm-7pm\n Where: Minami Hikone Station\, by the gates\n \n FINAL CHANCE: Shiga ALT Skill De velopment Conference 2011\n Who: Ramzi\, Patrick or Daniel\n When: Thursda y October 27th \;\n Where: \;Collabo Shiga Building\n\n I understa nd that it is very difficult for certain JETs to come and get tickets at t hese times. If you have any problems with these dates\, please RSVP and co ntact us directly (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address )/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape (l[i].substring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.getEle mentById('eeEncEmail_uIVFViBzDd').innerHTML = output\;/*]]>*/). However\, everyone should be able to make it to the "\;Shiga ALT Skill Developme nt Conference 2011"\;\, so everyone should have at least one chance to pick up tickets. \;\n \n If you have any questions\, here are our con tact details:\n\n Contact details: \;\n Ramzi Ramzi  \;  \; &n bsp\;  \;  \; on  \; 080-4242-6415  \;  \;or  \; . (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+ '\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.getElementById('eeEncEmail _pzyBdfJayt').innerHTML = output\;/*]]>*/\n Patrick Reymann  \;  \ ;on  \; 090-3966-9095  \;  \;or  \; .(JavaScript must be e nabled to view this email address)/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0\, 1 ) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_BMijhQzvYo').innerHT ML = output\;/*]]>*/\n Daniel Rau  \;  \;  \;  \;  \;  \;  \; on  \;080-4242-0793  \;  \;or  \; .(JavaSc ript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i].s ubstring(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_aTvomp zYVA').innerHTML = output\;/*]]>*/\n\n Let'\;s make this a fun night gu ys! This venue is amazing\, so please let us respect it and the staff. We may be looking scary and mean\, but please keep it classy so that we may u se the venue again in the future if all goes well.\n\n\n\n Important detai ls\n\n  \;\n\n \n  \;You are allowed to bring you own food\, but you must NOT dispose of it in the bar. So if you are to bring any food\, p lease dispose of it elsewhere. It'\;s pretty nice of them to allow us t o bring any food in at all\, so please respect this rule\n \n Get there o n time if you wanna get your drink on nice and early. The nomihoudai start s as soon as the doors open (7pm) and will last for 2hours30mins.\n\n\n &n bsp\;\n\n \n DANCING GROUPS- We have sent everyone an email a week ago ab out giving us details about your dance group. This includes how many peopl e is in your group\, who your group is representing\, a group and/or dance name (optional)\, and how long your dance will be. You must send us detai ls BEFORE October 15th. If you do not\, we cannot guarantee you a time slo t on stage. It requires a lot of planning and work to ensure the event run s smoothly\, and all we ask is that you send us these details above if you wish to take part in the dance competition. \;Please send me details of your dance. Mainly by sending me (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0\, 1) == ' ') outpu t += '&#'+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i]) \;}document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_mHGWqItgeP').innerHTML = output\;/* ]]>*/) what song you will be using\, how many people in your group (you ca n also make up a dance group name if you like) and what area you will be r epresenting (although\, one person dancers are very welcome!).\n\n\n \n If you have any problems at all\, make sure to contact myself\, Patrick or D aniel (details given above)\n \n HAVE FUN! (b^_^)b d(^.0)d\n\n  \;\n\n Shiga AJET Team 2011-2012\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n \n \n\n\n  \; \n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n  \; DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111029 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111030 LOCATION:Free Ball Sports Bar\, Sanjo Keihan\, Kyoto SUMMARY:JET Halloween Party 2011! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4470fUE3A3x@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n When Emperor Shomu died\, his aging Empress donated the trea sures the couple had collected during their lifetime together to a temple as a commemoration to her husband. \; In 756 the treasures were donate d to Todaiji Temple in Nara\, where he had comissioned a Giant Buddah duri ng his lifetime. \; That collection was added to and exists to this da y.\n\n  \;\n\n To house the precious artifacts\, a shoso was built on the temple grounds. \; A Shoso is a warehouse. \; The Shoso-in was originally a storage facility for Todai-ji temple built sometime before 7 59\, but is now under the control of the Imperial Househould Agency. \ ; Over the years\, the Shoso-in has aquired a vast collection of of over 9 000 East-Asian treasures of incomparable value. \; While the treasures mostly focus on the Nara Period\, items imported from abroad\, as well as items of national importance\, such as personal affects of Emperor Shomu (701-756) are also in the collection. \;\n\n  \;\n\n As these item s have been handed down by generations past\, rather than having been dug up in archaeology digs\, and kept in Imperially controlled and sealed ware houses\, they have been preserved in almost prestine condition. \; Hav ing been kept locked under the emperor'\;s seal\, the atifacts were car efully protected -- The Emperor is not generaous with his seal. \; Hen se the histories of the items have been carefully tracked and the items th emselves are sophisticated and beautiful.\n\n  \;\n\n Each autumn\, th e Imperially Sealed Repository is opened for inspection and investigation and a selection of the treasures are put on display. \; This year\, th ere are 62 treasures on display at the Nara National Museum\, including 17 that have never before been viewable by the public. \; With 15\,000 v isitors a day\, this is by far the most popular exhibition in Japan and\, arguably\, the entire world.\n\n  \;\n\n From The Japan Times:\n\n &qu ot\;One of this year'\;s highlights is the kingindenso no karatachi\, w hich translates as a "\;Chinese-style sword with gilded silver fitting s and inlay."\; The 99-cm ceremonial weapon\, the sheath of which is i n lacquerware decorated with colored glass and crystal\, was kept in the N orth Room of the storeroom\, meaning that it was one of the original piece s dedicated by Empress Komyo."\;\n\n  \;\n\n - - - - - -\n\n WHAT: The 63rd Annual Exhibition of Shōsō-in Treasures\n\n DATE: Saturday\, Oct ober 29 to Monday\, November 14\n\n TIME: 9am - 6pm. \; (Until 7pm on Fridays\, Saturdays\, Sundays\, and holidays) \; Admission ends 30 min utes before close.\n\n WHERE: Nara National Museum\n\n COST: 1\,000 yen fo r adults. \; You can alternatively purchace an "\;Autumn Late" \; ticket for 700 yen that is good for 90 minutes before closing. \; T he ticket price also includes entrance to the rest of the permanant collec tion.\n\n MORE INFORMATION: You can find more information\, including a li st of the treasures on display here:\n\n Nara National Museum Website http ://www.narahaku.go.jp/english/exhibition/2011toku/shosoin/shosoin.html (En glish).\n Imperial Househould Agency Website http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-a bout/shisetsu/shosoin01.html (English)\n\n The Japan Times http://www.japa ntimes.co.jp/text/fa20111028r1.html DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111029 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111115 LOCATION:Nara National Museum SUMMARY:Nara National Museum’s Shoso-in Treasures END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4483UIu4Uwy@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The Kibogaoka Fureai Hiroba\, like the Kibogaoka Flea Market \, will be another great time to purchase many miscellaneous goods\, cloth es\, and hand crafted items.\n\n For information on getting to the park\, please visit the park'\;s website.\n\n \n http://www.shiga-bunshin.or. jp/en/kibougaoka.html\n DTSTART:20111029T093000 DTEND:20111029T150000 LOCATION:Kibogaoka Park (Ryuo) SUMMARY:Kibogaoka Fureai Hiroba END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4489It7FuSzz@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The Kibogaoka Fureai Hiroba\, like the Kibogaoka Flea Market \, will be another great time to purchase many miscellaneous goods\, cloth es\, and hand crafted items.\n\n For information on getting to the park\, please visit the park'\;s website.\n\n \n http://www.shiga-bunshin.or. jp/en/kibougaoka.html\n DTSTART:20111030T210000 DTEND:20111030T150000 LOCATION:Kibogaoka Park (Ryuo) SUMMARY:Kibogaoka Fureai Hiroba END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4504vd5bnFaa@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Kyoto was the capital of Japan for about 1000 years. \; Although the official residence is in Tokyo\, Imperial buildings still exi st in Kyoto. \; From the Imperial Household website:\n\n "\;Since 794 when Emperor Kanmu moved the capital to Kyoto\, Kyoto Imperial Palace had been the residence of the Imperial Family for more than 1\,000 years u ntil 1868 when it was moved to Tokyo.\n\n Surrounded by an earthen wall ca lled Tsuiji\, Kyoto Imperial Palace is rectangular in shape\, with the len gth of 450m from north to south and 250m from east to west\, covering an a rea of approximately 110\,000 square meters. It has six gates\, including the main gate Kenreimon.\n\n The Palace burned down several times. Each ti me it was reconstructed faithfully in the ancient style. The last rebuildi ng of the Palace was completed in 1855.\n\n The Shishinden\, which was use d for ceremonies such as enthronement ceremonies\, the Seiryoden\, the Kog osho\, and several other structures are also located here."\;\n\n &nbs p\;\n\n While tours of the Imperial Palce at Kyoto are usually only availa ble with advanced registration\, every spring and fall\, the Imperial Offi ce opens the palace to the public without prior reservations. \; Usual ly the palace is open for five days\, but this year it will be extended to seven to promote understanding of the Imperial Household. \; This eve nt is FREE\, so be prepared for crowds\, as it'\;s very popular. \; Other imperial buildings besides the palace aren'\;t included\, howeve r\, so you'\;ll have to make reservations some other time if you'\;d like to tour them as well.\n\n  \;\n\n Last year\, it was very crowde d\, but the palace garden is spectacular and the leaves are just beginning to turn\, so it'\;s a lovely time to visit. \; Brochures are avail able in English and you'\;re free to walk through at your own pace.\n\n  \;\n\n - - - - - -\n\n WHERE: The Imperial Palace in Kyoto. \; V isitors are requested to go in by the Gishumon Gate and go out by the Seis homon Gate. \; Just follow the crowds and look for the tour buses.\n\n  \;\n\n DATE: Monday October 31st through until Sunday November 6th.& nbsp\; (Seven days) \; Note that November 3rd is National Culture Day and a National Holiday\, so you (and everyone else) have no school.\n\n &n bsp\;\n\n TIME: From 9:00 A.M. through until 3:30 P.M. (Visitors are reque sted to leave by 4:15 P.M.)\n\n \n COST: FREE!\n\n  \;\n\n MORE INFORM ATION: The Imperial Household Website\, http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-event/ kyotogosho.html (in English.) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111031 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111107 LOCATION:Kyoto\, Japan SUMMARY:Imperial Palace Autumn Open Days END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4519SfvI0ubb@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n One of the most unique things Kyoto has to offer is its stro ng history and connection with Geisha. \; Kyoto'\;s geisha are know n as "\;geiko."\; \; Every year\, the various maiko (apprentic e geisha) perform dances. \; Most dances are in the spring\, but the G ion Odori\, by the Gion Higashi school is in the fall. \; You can lear n more about them here: http://gion-east.jp/en/index.html (in English).&nb sp\; This is a unique and inexpensive way to see real maiko and geiko up c lose and a worthwhile and memorable experience.\n\n  \;\n\n There is a n optional tea ceremony. \; It'\;s not a tea ceremony in the tradit ional style\, but does get you matcha and a sweet to eat in the presence o f (and if you'\;re lucky served by!) a Maiko. \; You can also keep your plate as a souvenir. \; The tea ceremony starts one hour before t he show and costs an additional 500 yen.\n\n  \;\n\n This year'\;s performance is likened to The Nutcracker. \; According to the website: \n "\;While Geiko &\; Maiko are out for lessons\, clay dolls displa yed at a Okiya(Agent house)\, such as Plumpface-Nanny-Chick-Sea bream-Cake eater-Ebisu (the God of Shipping\, Fishing and Commerce) -Sparrow\, becom e alive and move around the house. \; Fushimi clay doll is one of the oldest toy varieties that has been made in Kyoto for several hundred years ."\;\n\n  \;\n\n The performances last about one hour. \; When I went last year\, pictures were ALLOWED at this one. \; I got some f antastic pictures of Maiko. \; The official flier for the event can be viewed here: http://gion-east.jp/en/img/Odori11fT.pdf (in English).\n\n - - - - - -\n\n WHAT: The 54th Annual Gion Odori\n\n  \;\n\n DATE: Nove mber 1 (Tuesday) through November 10 (Thursday)\n\n Note that Wednesday\, November 2 is a National Culture Day and a national holiday. \; What b etter way to celebrate than to see this cultural art?\n\n  \;\n\n TIME : 1:30pm and 4:00pm\n\n  \;\n\n WHERE: Gion Kaikan Theatre\, near Yasa ka Shrine in Kyoto.\n\n  \;\n\n PRICE: 3500 yen (for the show)\, 4000 yen with the tea ceremony option\n\n  \;\n\n RESERVING TICKETS: \; The official flier about the show with information on how to reserve tick ets can be found here: http://gion-east.jp/en/img/Odori11bT.pdf (in Englis h.) \; Last year\, I e-mailed the address on that flier (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substr ing(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_RbjajyNVzQ' ).innerHTML = output\;/*]]>*/) in a smattering of English and Japanese and got an English response. \; The lady reserved my ticket for me (to be picked up before the show) and was genuinely excited that I was coming.&n bsp\; There were scarcely any foreigners in the crowd\, so she picked me o ut easily\, and came to talk to me before the show and was quite happy tha t I enjoyed it.\n\n  \;\n\n - - - - -\n\n **********NEW!!!**********\n JET Group Show\n\n  \;\n\n A bunch of us JETs all want to go\, so we& #39\;ll be organizing a group trip for anyone who doesn'\;t want to go alone. \; The details are below\, and friends are welcome! \; If y ou know someone who might be interested who doesn'\;t check ShigaJET\, please invite them along!\n\n  \;\n\n DATE: Saturday\, November 5\, 20 11\n\n TIME: 4:00pm show\, 3pm tea ceremony\n\n Price: 3500 yen for the sh ow\, 4000 with the tea ceremony option.\n\n RSVP: Please! Please!! Please! !! e-mail me or PM me by Friday\, October 22 if you are interested in comi ng. \; Please include: your name\, how many tickets you want\, and whe ther you want the tea ceremony option. \; I believe we'\;ll be able to pay when we pick up our tickets\, but I'\;ll give more details once I have them.\n\n  \;\n\n There have also been discussions of going ou t to dinner or other such things on this day. \; Feel free to offer su ggestions below!\n\n  \; DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111101 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111111 LOCATION:Gion Kaikan Theatre in Gion\, Kyoto SUMMARY:Gion Odori Maiko Dances **UPDATED!!** END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4529zzPhT3cc@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n From the Nara Prefecture website:\n\n "\;Fujiwara no Kam atari and Prince Nakano-oeno-oji were principals in the Taika Reforms of 6 45\, and they met during a game of kemari (a type of football played by Ja panese courtiers) and formed a fast friendship. This festival celebrates t hat event."\;\n\n  \;\n\n At this festival\, derived from an event during the Taika Reforms\, players now play in brightly colored tradition al clothing. \; This festival has a long history and is now performed twice a year on &ldquo\;Showa Day&rdquo\; (April 29) and Culture Day (Nove mber 3).\n\n  \;\n\n You can read more about the rules here: [in Japan ese\, and I don'\;t recommend Google Translator)] http://www.tanzan.or. jp/kemari.html\n\n  \;\n\n - - - - - -\n\n WHERE: Tanzen Shrine\n\n Fr om the Nara Prefecture Website: "\;Take the bus for Tanzan shrine from JR/Kintetsu Sakurai Station and get off at the last terminal and walk for 3 minutes."\;\n\n  \;\n\n DATE: November 3 (National Culture Day and a national holiday.)\n\n  \;\n\n TIME: 11:00am - 12:00pm\n\n   \;\n\n COST: 500 yen for adults DTSTART:20111103T110000 DTEND:20111103T120000 LOCATION:Tanzen Shrine\, in Sakurai\, Nara Prefecture SUMMARY:Kemari (ball kicking) Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4538pUHRiIdd@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n On November 3\, National Culture Day\, the yabusame (traditi onal Japanese mounted archery) is performed at Omi-jingu Shrine in Otsu as a religious offering. \;\n\n  \;\n\n The event starts with a smal l ceremonly\, then the archers\, in traditional garb start flying down the track\, shoot targets or breaking targets. \; You can pay for seats u p front\, or you can stand behind the crowds for free. \; It can get c rowded\, so visibility isn'\;t always ideal\, but the crowd shifts cons tantly\, so you shouldn'\;t have your view blocked for long. \; The re are three targets down the approach to the shrine\, so you can watch ne ar any one of them or move freely as you desire. \; Bring your camera\ , and you could get some great pictures.\n\n  \;\n\n Right now\, I' \;m not finding anything online that lists the times. \; If someone fi nds it\, please comment and I'\;ll update the event information! \; According to my planner from last year\, I had written down both 12:00-3p m and 12:30-2pm. \; I'\;m not sure which one was correct\, but hope fully that'\;ll give you a decent time range. \; You can arrive and go at any time\, but the event itself is just a few hours\, so it'\;s worth watching through the entire thing. \; Afterward\, you can actual ly get up close and talk to the participants. DTSTART:20111103T120000 DTEND:20111103T150000 LOCATION:Omi-jingu\, Otsu SUMMARY:Yabusame (Horseback Archery) in Otsu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4550UIvhrvee@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Are you a current or former JET program participant who woul d like to learn more about Doshinsha'\;s Global MBA? Are you already co nsidering an application for 2012 entry?\n\n If so\, Doshinsha University would like to invite you to an open day event designed especially with you in mind. The event\, scheduled for Saturday\, November 5th here at the bu siness school in Kyoto\, includes a detailed introduction to the MBA\, an interactive panel session featuring faculty\, students and business school alumni\, details of how to apply for funding (including a number of fee w aivers and other generous scholarships) and a chance to consult individual ly with admissions staff. With former JETs on the faculty and among the st udents we are well placed to answer any questions that you might have.\n\n Please note that places are limited for this event and prior registration is necessary. Please click here for further details and the response form . If you would like to contact someone beforehand\, please feel free to se nd an email to Dr. A. Staples at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}d ocument.getElementById('eeEncEmail_sQwFPGBhTg').innerHTML = output\;/*]]>* /.\n\n We hope that you will be able to join this event with other JETs fr om around Japan and look forward to meeting you.\n\n **Though this event i s designed for JET program participants\, it is open to anyone interested in \;applying to the Global MBA program.** DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111105 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111106 LOCATION:JET Open Day at Doshisha University SUMMARY:JET Open Day at Doshisha University END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4559uioahtff@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n In 1987\, 250\,000 people joined hands and &ldquo\;hugged&rd quo\; Lake Biwa in the first Dakishimete Biwako.\n\n It was a way for resi dents to both express their appreciation to Lake Biwa and for the prefectu re to collect funds to relocate a facility caring for severely disabled ch ildren.\n\n Dakishimete Biwako \;will be back this year on November 6t h! Like before\, participants will surround Lake Biwa'\;s 235 km perimi ter\, join hands\, and "\;hug"\; the lake. \; It only costs &y en\;500 to participate.\n\n Proceeds will go towards revamping the Umi no ko \;educational cruise program in addition to helping out various cha ritable organizations.\n\n It would be great to get JETs in on the action! If enough people are interested perhaps we could make a group reservation . There still seem to be plenty of spots open.\n\n Website:\n http://dakib iwa.com/\n\n Reservations (made online through a nifty flash app):\n http: //dakibiwa.com/reserve/ DTSTART:20111106T100000 DTEND:20111106T123000 LOCATION:All around Lake Biwa SUMMARY:Dakishimete Biwako END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4573sNinuzgg@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Hey everyone!\n\n It is November!\n That means fall colors! \n Eigenji\, the place where I teach\, all up in the mountains is famous f or fall colors.\n Every year thousands of people come throughout the month of November to visit the temple and enjoy the local goodness.\n\n So let& #39\;s have our own trip to the mountains and enjoy the fall colors!\n\n W hen: Sunday\, November 20th 2011\n\n Where: Start from Yokaichi Station at 11AM (it is about an hour bike ride up into Eigenji from the station at a steady\, but not brisk\, pace)\n\n What you need: A bicycle \;*(for t hose of you with cars if you would like to join by car\, you can meet us a t certain areas but are not guaranteed parking as parking sucks with the m ass loads of people).*\n\n Bicycles can be taken on the Omitetsudo trains on weekends between Maibara and Yokaichi and Yokaichi and Kibukawa.  \ ;They cannot be taken on the line between Omihachiman and Yokaichi.  \ ;Bicycles are also not allowed on or off at Hikone Station.  \;Bike to your nearest Omitetsudo stop on the appropriate lines and come down to Yo kaichi!\n\n *The Omi also allows you to use the S.S. Free Kippu so that yo u can ride the Omi all day long as much as you want for 550 yen.*\n\n Agen da:\n - Arrive at Yokaichi Station at 11AM and depart as everyone has arri ved.\n\n - Stop by Hitomi Winery along the way for wine sampling as well a s coffee and various breads from their bakery.\n\n - Stop at Eigenji Soba (if seats are available we will eat lunch here\, if there are too many of us and no available seats\, this may be skipped as it was last year).\n -- ->\; Soba is 800 yen\n\n - Stop at Ikeda Bokujo for fresh gelato!\n ---& gt\; Gelato is 315 yen for a single cone/cup and 365 yen for a double!\n\n - Make our way to Eigenji Temple to see the loads of maple trees all chan ging colors.\n --->\; Entrance fee is 500 yen\n\n - Last stop\, Eigenji& #39\;s Happu no Yu Onsen with an outdoor open bath allowing viewing of the surrounding mountains and river (quite the sight!)\n --->\; It costs 15 00 yen to get in\, they provide you with yukata and towels as well. \; There are places to lounge about to have a relaxing afternoon/evening.\n Here are some pictures from last year'\;s adventure!\n\n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n  \;\n\n Please RSVP by Friday\, November 18th to let me know if you are coming!\n\n  \;\n\n Mahalo!\n\n -Tyler DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111120 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111121 LOCATION:Eigenji Temple in Higashiomi City SUMMARY:We ♥ Eigenji! 2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4583EDKtdfhh@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n It&rsquo\;s a kimono exhibition held on November 20th\, from 1:30 pm - ? (perhaps 5 pm?)\, on the 6th floor of the Museum of Kyoto.\n The really brief description states:\n &ldquo\;During this event visitors can learn how to wear a kimono and see displays of gorgeous kimono &\; juni-hitoe (Heian-period court costumes for women).&rdquo\;\n\n I&rsquo\;m not sure how extensive the wearing-kimono instruction will be.\n\n Access : Karasuma subway line\, Karasuma Oike Stn.\; Tel: 075-254-8883\n\n Howeve r\, looking at the museum&rsquo\;s webpage\, it seems like they&rsquo\;re having a special kimono exhibition on the 4th floor\, until December 11th. Their hours are from 10 am- 6pm. On Fridays\, they&rsquo\;re open until 7 :30 pm.\n Admission is 1\,200 yen for adults.\n The website is mostly in J apanese\, but it does have information in English as well.\n I will includ e it here for your reading pleasure.\n\n http://www.bunpaku.or.jp/ DTSTART:20111120T133000 DTEND:20111120T235900 LOCATION:Sanjo-Takakura\, Nakagyo-ku\, Kyoto\, 604-8183 SUMMARY:Kimono Exhibition END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4598juLvVwii@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Come and experience Japanese culture at Nagahama Christ Chur ch! This second event will have kimono (both male and female!) to try on a nd have your picure taken in. You should probably bring your own camera to o. There will also be tea ceremony and a koto concert! Everyone is welcome ! Pick up service from Nagahama Station available at 1:40 and 2:00. DTSTART:20111120T140000 DTEND:20111120T160000 LOCATION:長浜キリスト教会 Nagahama Christ Church SUMMARY:Japanese Culture Experience Day No. 2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4606KDZRZDjj@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Come and experience Japanese culture at Nagahama Christ Chur ch! This second event will have kimono (both male and female!) to try on a nd have your picure taken in. You should probably bring your own camera to o. There will also be tea ceremony and a koto concert! Everyone is welcome ! Pick up service from Nagahama Station available at 1:40 and 2:00. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111120 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111121 LOCATION:長浜キリスト教会 Nagahama Christ Church SUMMARY:Japanese Culture Experience Day No. 2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4622Hv5ksBkk@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n On Tuesday\, January 17\, 1995\, the Great Hanshin Earthquak e struck Kobe\, Japan and 6\,434 people lost their lives. \; This was the strongest earthquake to hit Japan since 1923\, collapsing 200\,000 bui ldings\, 1km of the Hanshin Expressway\, destroying 120 of the 150 quays i n the Port of Kobe and starting huge fires that ravaged the city of Kobe.& nbsp\; In the aftermath\, residents were afraid to return to their homes d ue to 74 aftershocks.\n\n  \;\n\n The Kobe Luminarie is a festival of lights held as a memorial every December since 1995. \; The lights the mselves are hand-painted and were donated by the Italian Government. \ ; They form gorgeous arches leading to a city of light. \; Three to fi ve million people come see the lights every year.\n\n  \;\n\n \n\n &nb sp\;\n\n TIMES:\n\n Monday~Thursday: Around 6pm-9pm\n\n Friday: Around 6pm -10pm\n\n Saturday: Around 5pm-10pm\n\n Sunday: Around 5-9:30pm\n\n  \ ;\n\n In the event of stormy weather\, the lighting may be delayed. \; As the illumination is the most crowded time\, it is suggested that you a rrive later in the evening. \; Saturday and Sunday\, in particular\, w ill be very crowded (I speak from experience\, wow!) so it'\;s recommen ded visiting during the week\, if you can manage it. \; If not\, be pr epared to wait in well-organized lines for an hour or more. \; Don' \;t plan to just show up at 6pm and walk right up to the lights. \; On ce you get to the lights\, though\, you'\;re free to go at your own pac e and wander at will. \; I remember there being festival food near the m if you'\;re hungry.\n\n  \;\n\n ACCESS: Your closest station is S annomiya Station\, NOT Kobe station. \; Get off and follow the crowds. \n  \;\n\n \n\n  \;\n\n FREE!\n\n  \;\n\n For more information \, check out the Kobe Luminarie website: http://www.kobe-luminarie.jp/ (in Japanese) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111201 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111213 LOCATION:Kobe\, Japan SUMMARY:Kobe Luminarie END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-46318cOWd6ll@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n And just after you thought you got all the information you n eeded from SDC - there'\;s MORE!\n\n  \;\n\n Yes - many ALTs have a rich background in other skills that most of us can totally benefit from \n - \; why not share that too?!\n\n  \;\n\n So\, to kick things o ff down this path\, the very lovely MYRIAM has kindly offered her certifie d skills as an accountant to kick start some FINANCIAL PLANNING advice to those who want it THIS SATURDAY.\n\n I know I need and want any money advi ce and motivation I can get. Maybe you do too.\n\n Get a picture of where you stand financially and what options you have to get you set towards goo d future (and more immediate) money management!\n\n  \;\n\n THE DETAIL S:\n\n WHEN: \; Saturday 10th December\n\n TIME: 1:30 - 3:30pm\n\n WHE RE: Omi Hachiman Community Center \n\n COST: 300 yen per person to cover r oom booking fees and tea/coffee at intermission.\n\n  \;\n\n If you 9\;re interested please sign up or post your name etc.\n\n  \;\n\n GET TING TO OMI HACHIMAN COMMUNITY CENTER:\n\n The Community Center is on the HEIWADO side of Omi Hachiman JR station.\n\n On foot\, it is about 20 minu tes from the station straight down the main street away from the station ( you'\;ll see it on your right\, across from a school). It'\;s a trad itional Japanese style \;wooden building but \;has been \;rece ntly built (I have a photo but can'\;t seem to attach it anywhere).\n\n There are buses that run from Omi Hachiman station. The bus will have the sign reading 長命寺　('\;Chomeji'\;) 行き ('\;yuki'\; - bound for). There is a bus leaving at 1:00 or 1:25pm. It takes 3 minutes (supposedly) to get there. The stop to get off at is 八商前 (Hashomae)... I think it is t he 5th mentioned one from the station.\n\n Here is the bus schedule:http:/ /time.khobho.co.jp/ohmi_bus/tim_Rosen.asp?kaiKbn=NOW&\;rosenCd=52115084 \n Taxi there is about 780 yen. The name written in Japanese is: 八幡 (Hachi man) コミュニティセンター (Community Center)\n\n Map below: (couldn'\;t plot a pi n in the map above - could be this lame computer giving me trouble again!) \n\n http://www.mapion.co.jp/m/35.1319944_136.0937278_8/v=m2:近江八幡市公民館・集会場 八幡コミュニティセンター/\n  \;\n\n Hope to see you there! \; \n\n Thanks - be linda \; (any questions - let me know!)\n DTSTART:20111210T133000 DTEND:20111210T153000 LOCATION:Omi Hachiman Community Center SUMMARY:GETTING $$$ SAVVY SEMINAR!!! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4641u63eC5mm@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The end of the year is upon us and with it brings festive ho lidays. This is the time of the year for families\; some of us are heading home for the holidays\, others are jetting off to exotic locales\; while others are sticking around Shiga to spend New Year's with their Japan-fams . A small group of us are setting off for Thailand to spend Christmas with a big family of smiling children and are looking to you for some cheer to bring to the orphanages. This is the last time the ShigaJET family will b e able to get together before 2012 and we are proud to introduce the Go MA D Charity Christmas Party!\n\n \n Go MAD (Go Make a Difference)\, a JET ru n non-profit organization\, is hosting a Christmas party event in Shiga! 4 000 yen gets you in the door\, 2 hours all you can drink and delicious foo d such as American style pizza as well as non-stop music. There will also be a date auction where you can bid for a date with some ridiculously hand some and beautiful Shiga JETs who will show you an amazing time learning t o snowboard\, sailing on Biwa-ko or some other magnificent surprise that w ill be free for you if you win!\n\n \n But wait\, that's not all! You will also be helping some amazing orphans in Thailand. This is a great way to spread some holiday cheer. This is a chance for you to Go Make a Differenc e and have fun while doing it.\n\n \n When: December 10th\, 5:30pm - 8:30p m\n Where: B-1\, 30 seconds from Seta Station\n What: 2 hours of dancing\, eating and drinking. 1 hour date auction.\n Cost: ￥4000 with all proceeds (less bar's cost) going to charity.\n Date Auction participants: Dusty Wi ttman\, Chelsea Dunlap\, Kaitlin Hubenthal\, Katherine Uhlrich\, Dane Nigh tingale and Daniel Settelen.\n\n  \n\n ★You can purchase your tickets ahea d of time to reserve your spot as space is limited or pay at the door on D ecember 10th. Sign up here if interested\, and let us know if you want an advanced ticket. Volunteers will be willing to meet at a few selected trai n stations to complete the transaction.\n   DTSTART:20111210T173000 DTEND:20111210T203000 LOCATION:B-1 SUMMARY:Go MAD Charity Christmas Party END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4650lzdzUJnn@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Nagahama Block will be having a Christmas Party (Chistma-Han u-Kwanza?) on Friday\, December 16th.\n\n There are two parts to this even t! The first if sort of unofficial\, and will be based on whether or not p eople want to attend\, and the second part is the &ldquo\;official&rdquo\; xmas party.\n\n The first part is bowling at Nagahama Spring Lanes. We&rs quo\;ll arrive about 6:30. If you wish to go to bowling\, please let any o f the block leaders know by replying to our group email address&mdash\;Nag ahama.Entourage@gmail.com&mdash\;because we will do this only if there is interest\, perhaps for people who do not want to go to the bar later\, but still want to join the festivities! (or folks who want to do both!)\n\n T he party will then keep on rolling at One Coin in Nagahama. We&rsquo\;ll s tart arriving about 8:15. One Coin is a little far from the station for th ose of you coming from outside of Nagahama proper (North area folks\, non- Nagahama folks)\, but there will be plenty of us\, so sharing taxis is def initely a possibility.\n\n We will also be doing a Secret Santa exchange! The cost limit is 500 yen and if you want to participate\, please bring a little gift to exchange. You can only participate if you bring a gift!\n\n So again\, the details:\n Friday\, December 16th\n 6:30 - 8:15 Bowling at Nagahama Spring Lanes\n 8:30 - 10:30 OneCoin Bar (and 500 Yen gift exchan ge)\n\n For anyone who needs directions\, etc\, we will be sending an emai l to Nagahama Block with maps later\, and those of you that are outside Na gahama\, just let us know\, and we can send it to you\, too. Again please let us know by Friday\, December 9th if you would like to go bowling with us so we have an idea of how many people will attend.\n\n Happy Holidays!  \; DTSTART:20111216T183000 DTEND:20111216T223000 LOCATION:Nagahama Spring Lanes / One Coin Bar (長浜市神照町４８９) SUMMARY:Nagahama’s Xmas Extravaganza! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4660f8dC50oo@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Hey everyone\,\n\n Our Block 6 Rep Miriam will be hosting a Christmas cocktail party and silent auction on Sunday\, December 18th. So if you are free and in the area\, put your best dress on\, and get ready f or eggnog and other delicious cocktails\, cookies\, Christmas food and min gling with others!\n\n This event will also be hosting a silent auction fo r last-minute Christmas gifts and goods. Over the winter break\, a number of us are also planning on doing a tour with PEPY ride\, which is an NPO t hat supports education in Cambodia. In order to participate\, we have to r aise around $3\,000 to donate to the organization! You can find out more a bout PEPY at http://pepyride.org/ . All proceeds from the silent auction w ill go towards this cause.\n\n Silent Auction List (more to be added):\n - A number of pottery pieces made by Miriam\n -A one-hour massage from Sam L ing\, registered physiotherapist.\n -Baked Christmas goods.\n -"\;Date s."\; You get two hours of time or work out of each of them DTSTART:20111218T183000 DTEND:20111218T213000 LOCATION:兵庫県豊岡市寿町9-28〒668−0024 SUMMARY:Tajima Christmas Cocktail Party and Silent Auction Fundraiser for P EPY END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4674Nlp2PJpp@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n It&rsquo\;s about that time of the year when you start askin g yourself\, "\;What am I going to do this winter"\;? If you can&# 39\;t answer that question then this email is for you. \; How about sp ending your winter vacation doing something AMAZING\; volunteering at an o rphanage in rural Thailand.\n\n This year Go M.A.D. (Go Make A Difference\ , an AJET sanctioned NGO)\, is offering you a wonderful opportunity to mak e a real difference in the lives of many children. We have been working wi th two orphanages near the Thai/Burma border and they have asked for our h elp over the Christmas holiday. \;\n\n Two teams of volunteers will tr avel together from Bangkok to the rural border town of Sangkhlaburi. \ ; Upon arrival\, the teams will separate to their respective destinations\ , joining up again after a week to return to Bangkok. \;\n\n Baan Unra k Children&rsquo\;s Home is located in Sangklaburi. It is home to about 13 0 children from Burma\, Thailand and the neighboring Mon and Karen States.  \; It also operates a primary school. The home is located on a hill o verlooking the village and volunteers will be staying on their property in share houses. \; Dusty Wittman from Shiga prefecture will lead this t eam.\n\n Baan Dada Children&rsquo\;s Home is a smaller and more remote orp hanage and community economic development center in the village of Huay Ma Lai\, about 13 km northwest of Baan Unrak. It is home to over 60 Karen an d Mon children. Volunteers will also stay on their property in share house s. \; Dave Revere from Hiroshima prefecture will head up this team.\n Both orphanages are projects of the Neo Humanist Foundation. Neo Humanist philosophy\, simply stated\, is &ldquo\;love for all created beings in th is world.&rdquo\; Part of this belief is living as vegetarians and all mea ls will be 100% vegetarian and truly some of the best food you will ever e at!\n\n Activities at each of the orphanages will be slightly different\, but both will include:\n -Teaching (English as well as other skills)\n -Pa inting\n -Building/decoration/maintenance projects\n -Christmas party (non -religious themed)\n -LOTS of playing time with the children\n\n At Baan U nrak\, other activities include:\n -Environment Day and/or town clean-up\n -Yoga and meditation sessions with the kids\n -Sports Day\n\n At Baan Dad a\, other activities include:\n -Local market visit and craft selling with the kids\n -An outing visiting local attractions\n -Technical projects (v ideo editing\, song recording\, engine/bicycle repair)\n\n Dates and Costs -Tentative dates are December 19 - 26\, 2011.\n -You will need to arrange your own flight to Bangkok.\n -Trip fee will range from approximately 35\ ,000 - 40\,000 yen for the entire week (including round-trip van/bus trans port to/from Bangkok\, 7 days lodging\, 3 meals per day\, and a volunteer contribution to the homes).\n -Enrollment is open for 30-40 people.\n\n Al l trip-goers are expected to pay a trip deposit of 15\,000 yen (will be in cluded in trip fee) as well as raise an additional 15\,000 yen as a donati on to the children&rsquo\;s homes by whatever means you wish\, be creative ! \; The donation\, plus the final trip fee\, will be due on the morni ng we depart from Bangkok.\n\n Interested?\n Send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i].subst ring(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_dOMBKYzaPB ').innerHTML = output\;/*]]>*/ with the following\, by October 22nd:\n\n 1 ) Your name and current location\n 2) Why are you interested in this trip? 3) Have you ever volunteered before? Where? For how long?\n 4) How seriou s are you about being able to join this trip?\n 5) Will you be participati ng with a friend/partner?\n 6) Do you have vocational\, technical or any o ther skills to share? (this is not necessary to volunteer\, but we encoura ge you to think creatively about how you can uniquely contribute.) \;& nbsp\;\n 7) Do you have a volunteer team preference or may we place you?&n bsp\; \;\n\n --Your dedicated leaders--\n Dusty Wittman and Dave Rever e\n .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0\; i=i-1) { if (l[i].substring(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape(l[i].substring (1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.getElementById('eeEnc Email_tdBijNtHEz').innerHTML = output\;/*]]>*/\n\n If you can'\;t atten d the trip\, but would still like to help fundraise\, please contact the t rip coordinator or visit the following websites:\n Baan Unrak: http://baan unrak.org/\n Baan Dada: http://baandada.org/ DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111219 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111227 LOCATION:Sanklaburi\, Thailand SUMMARY:VOLUNTEER IN THAILAND with Go M.A.D. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4689eoiDIGqq@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n We \;are looking for a person who could be Santa　Claus f or \;Children \;during Christmas party. \;Children are looking forward to meeting Santa.\n\n Date: December 23rd　National holiday (Fri). Time: 3 parties between 10AM to 6PM\n Duty: Take pictures with children a s Santa Claus\n Benefit: Lunch and 10000yen in gift card\n\n Train fee wil l be taken care of. (Also we can pick you up from Hikone station)\n\n Sant a costume will be prepared.\n\n If you are interested\, please call or e-m ail:  \;.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0\ ; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape(l[i].s ubstring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.getElementByI d('eeEncEmail_hlZTYwjnCf').innerHTML = output\;/*]]>*/ \; Ph: 090-4274 -8769\n\n Hiroyuki Sakamoto (He can speak English)\n  \; \; DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20111223 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20111224 LOCATION:Ohyabu-cho Hikone city SUMMARY:Santa Claus for children. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4698DktmDBrr@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n \n\n  \;\n\n Every January\, archers compete at Sanjusan gen-do Temple\, the world'\;s longest wooden building in a tradition th at dates back to the mid-12th century. \; As this is also the celebrat ion of the first shooting of arrows in the New Year\, it'\;s also somet imes called "\;The New Year Archery."\; \; The target is a mer e meter across 60 meters away\, making it a difficult shot for even an exp erienced archer. \; On the pillars\, you can find nicks from mis-shot arrows of samuri of ages past.\n\n  \;\n\n Advanced archers from aroun d the country\, as well as 20 year olds celebrating their induction into J apanese adulthood compete. \; The young women'\;s contest\, with ro ws and rows of furisode-kimono clad girls with prom-worthy hair shooting i s a spectacular and popular sight\, generating big crowds. \; Numbers vary\, but 1\,000 to 2\,000 are said to compete. \; In the past\, it s eems that the men began at about 9am and the women at about 11:30. \; The final round begins around 3pm with a smaller target with only the best archers of the previous round competing. \; With so many archers\, yo u can show up pretty much whenever you want and there will be people shoot ing.\n\n  \;\n\n Admission to the temple is free on the day of the con test\, making it a great day to wander around this interesting temple.&nbs p\; DTSTART:20120115T090000 DTEND:20120115T040000 LOCATION:Sanjusangen-do Temple\, Kyoto SUMMARY:Toh-Shiya Archery Competition END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4710wLHoJMss@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The Nagahama Bonbai (plum bonsai) Exhibition is a regular ev ent held in early spring at the Keiun-kan near Nagahama station. The trees on display include many rare specimens\, some as many as 400 years old. T he exhibition is open every day until 17:00\, with night exhibitions until 20:30 starting February 10th. DTSTART:20120120T090000 DTEND:20120120T170000 LOCATION:Nagahama Keiunkan RRULE:FREQ=DAILY;UNTIL=20120312 SUMMARY:Nagahama Bonbai Exhibition END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4720avUA0vtt@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The next Wakakusa Yamayaki is scheduled for January 28\, 201 2\n (or February 4 if the weather is bad on January 28)\n\n The Wakakusa Y amayaki is an annual festival during which the grass on the hillside of Na ra'\;s Mount Wakakusayama is set on fire. The mountain is located at th e eastern end of Nara Park\, and when it is set alight it can be seen thro ughout the city. The burning of the mountain itself is preceded by a firew orks display. The festival takes places every year on the fourth Saturday in January\, but may be delayed to the following Saturday in case of bad w eather.\n\n  \;\n\n For more info:\n\n http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4 118.html DTSTART:20120128T130000 DTEND:20120128T210000 LOCATION:Wakakusa Yama\, Nara SUMMARY:Wakakusa Yamayaki END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4732evL1DUuu@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The Sapporo Snow Festival has grown from humble beginnings w ith high school students building snow structures in the park in 1950 to o ne of the biggest snow festivals in the world\, attracting 2 million visit ors from Japan and abroad for seven days every winter. \; The festival is particularly known for its massive snow and ice structures.\n\n  \ ;\n\n You can see the official website here: http://www.snowfes.com/englis h/\n\n DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20120206 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20120213 LOCATION:Sapporo\, Hokkaido Prefecture SUMMARY:Sapporo Snow Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4742UbziSpvv@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!?\n\n I hope so\, because we will be celebrating this high holy holiday of football here in Nagahama. \n When? 7pm on Feb 10th (Fri)\n Where? One Coin ('\;cause Sumi us supe r accommodating to us\, be sure to thank him!)\n Why? '\;cause either y ou like sports\, you like funny commercials\, or you like hanging out with other awesome people on a Friday night\n\n I know\, I know\, it'\;s AF TER the super bowl. BUT as hard as it can be\, if you want to\, you can sp orts-media blackout yourself to make sure you don'\;t find out who wins . Those of us who don'\;t care who wins/plan on learning ahead of time\ , don'\;t spoil it for the others. \n\n Anyone is free to come!\n\n And if it'\;s snowing\, come anyway. There'\;s no crying in super bowl parties!\n\n See ya there! (and RSVP if you can\, please! either here on o n facebook - https://www.facebook.com/events/316827485025999/ )\n\n (End t ime was just stuck in there '\;cause I had to put one. Stay as long as you like.) DTSTART:20120210T190000 DTEND:20120210T220000 LOCATION:Counter's One Coin 長浜市神照町４８９ SUMMARY:Nagahama Super Bowl Party! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4752Ah0AO2ww@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n What do you get when the four young lovers from William Shak espeare'\;s "\;A Midsummer Night'\;s Dream"\; become strande d on Prospero'\;s island from the Bard'\;s "\;The Tempest"\; ? A lot of fun\, mayhem and magic in The Metropolitan Opera'\;s origina l creation "\;The Enchanted Island\,"\; which had its world premie re Dec. 31 in New York.\n\n From Feb. 11-17\, "\;The Enchanted Island\ ,"\; \; can be seen in select movie theaters in Japan (with Japane se subtitles) through the Met Live Viewing series. "\;The Enchanted Is land"\; will be shown at 15 movie theaters in 13 cities across Japan f rom Feb. 11-17\, shown once each day (¥\;3\,500\, times vary by venue). For more information\, visit http://www.shochiku.co.jp/met/en. \;\n\n The opera is sung in English\, and I assume there are Japanese subtitles. \n There are theaters showing this in Kyoto and Osaka.\n\n The showing is 3 hours and 44 minutes long\, so plan your day accordingly! There is one i ntermission\, but I don'\;t know how long it is.\n\n Kyoto:\n\n MOVIX K yoto\, 1 showing every day starting at 10 am.\n\n http://www.movix.co.jp/a pp/SMTT000000032_CALENDAR.html\n\n Osaka:\n\n Namba Parks Cinema\, 1 showi ng every day starting at 6:30 pm.\n\n http://www.parkscinema.com/news/inde x.htm#0000293 DTSTART:20120211T100000 DTEND:20120217T183000 LOCATION:大阪市浪速区難波中2-10-70　なんばパークス　8F SUMMARY:A Night at the Opera! Showings from the Metropolitan Opera! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4761BN2ovGxx@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Klexon (Kyoto Language EXchange salON) is a nonprofit organi zation for international communication and language exchange. Our main act ivity is a meeting to learn language and culture almost every week on Tues day. Many overseas people attend the meetings as volunteer speakers. In th e meetings\, we talk about ourselves and other various topics.\n\n We also hold events like BBQ\, watching fireflies\, parties\, hiking\, camping\, fishing\, waching changing leaves\, making nudles\, pottery making\, skiin g\, watching cherry blossoms\, and more! These events help us to make many friends.\n\n Please see our homepage for details.\n\n http://eng.klexon.n et DTSTART:20120214T190000 DTEND:20120214T210000 LOCATION:WINGS KYOTO SUMMARY:Kyoto Language Exchange Salon Klexon is recruiting new members! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4771jTUOBmyy@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Tamura Shrine Festival\n\n February 17-19\n\n 7am-8pm\n\n &q uot\;Large winter festival includes traditional food and dress."\; (-c opied from another website\, as I'\;ve never been\, but I am definitely going because it'\;s next door to my school. \; I read that many p eople come here from all over Shiga for this festival.)\n\n ACCESS:\n\n Bu s from JR Mikumo Station\, Kusatsu Line. <\;--this is copied from anothe r website and might not be correct.\n\n This is how I know how to get ther e:\n\n From Kibukawa station\, take the Aikuru (green) bus. It'\;s 250 yen one way and \;30-40min \;ride. Get off at the \;Tamura Jin ja stop.\n\n Website: http://tamura-jinja.com\n\n Aikuru bus time table. T ry to match your train time with bus time because it doesn'\;t come oft en: \;http://www.city.koka.lg.jp/secure/5385/ty_honsen_nobori.pdf\n\n  \; DTSTART:20120217T070000 DTEND:20120219T200000 LOCATION:Tamura Jinja\, Tsuchiyama\, Shiga SUMMARY:Tamura Shrine Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4781JdwPWlzzz@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The Ritto International Friendship Association (RIFA) is hol ding a workshop on February 18th on disaster preparedness. If you would li ke to learn more about what it'\;s like to be in a disaster\, or learn how to protect yourself in one\, you are encouraged to participate!\n\n At the workshop\, participants will:\n\n \n Learn the best course of action in the event of an earthquake from a Ritto municipal employee\n \n Learn about disaster preparedness through live skits\n \n Receive basic first aid instruction from Saiseikai Hospital staff\n \n Sample emergency ratio ns\n\n\n Please download and fax or email the following PDF file to the RI FA to apply. Participation is free.\n\n http://www.pref.shiga.jp/b/kokusai /tabunka/kouza/bousaiseminar.pdf\n\n  \; DTSTART:20120218T123000 DTEND:20120218T153000 LOCATION:栗東芸術文化会館さきら (Near Ritto Station) SUMMARY:Disaster Preparedness Workshop END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-47903EpSCAaaa@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Just thought I'\;d let everyone know about this. \; N ot sure the best way to get there or anything\, but here'\;s the info! \n  \;\n\n Saidaiji Eyo (Naked Men&rsquo\;s Festival)\n\n This festiva l\, having a tradition of approximately 500 years\, is one of the three ra rest festivals in Japan. Thousands of men wearing nothing but loincloths s truggle for two holy sticks. Significant intangible folk cultural asset de signated by Okayama Prefecture.\n\n ■Schedule：3rd Saturday in February\n ■ Place of the festival：Kinryozan Saidaiji\n ■Address：Saidaiji\, naka-ku\, O kayama\n\n ■Access：10 min. walk from JR Saidaiji Station.\n\n  \;\n\n http://okayama-japan.jp/en/eventinfo.html\n\n  \; DTSTART:20120218T190100 DTEND:20120218T220100 LOCATION:Kinryozan Saidaiji SUMMARY:Naked Man Festival - Okayama END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4802bg501Jbbb@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n \n\n  \;\n\n Welcome again to this years AJET Ski trip\, located at the Hakuba 47 resort in Nagano! This event has always been a g reat deal of fun\, and this year will be even better! We will be using a p rivate coach\, just for us\, with ample room. We will also have access to an amazing outdoor onsen (linked under the description below) which will e ase away the pain of the constant falling over all day long (if you haven& #39\;t gone skiing before\, like me!)\n\n \n This is quite a wordy post\, so let&rsquo\;s get started.\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n Quick details:\n  \;\n\n When: March 3rd and 4th (first weekend of March)\n Where: Nag ano&rsquo\;s Hakuba 47 Ski resort \;\n How much: 23\,500yen (rentals c ome free) Furikomi details in description\n How many people: First 25 (not including me or Mason).\n Map: \;Hakuba Ski Resort \;\, \;Pic ture of the slopes\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n Description:\n\n  \;\n Luckily\, rentals are free and included in the price you pay. People are more than welcome to bring their own equipment too. Upgrades are also avai lable on the day (e.g. a better snowboard\, snow pants etc) and are all ge nerally quite cheap. We will be staying in the Hakuba Goryu Hotel with an amazing outdoor onsen. Check them both out here:  \;Hakuba Goryu and O nsen of Amazingness.\n\n \n We will have our private coach come to numerou s locations around Shiga. The stops that we will pick people up from will be listed very soon\, but it will most likely be close to you and accessib le.\n \n It is advised to bring nice warm cloths\, and a bit of cash on ha nd just in case anything happens (and by "\;anything happening"\; I mean the most probably purchase of alcohol...)\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n Signing up:\n\n  \;\n\n First\, signup on this page by leaving a comm ent at the bottom of this post in the following format:\n\n Name\n Snowboa rd or Skis\n Guest\n Shoe Size (in centimeters) \;\n \n For example:\n  \;\n\n Ramzi Ramzi\n Snowboard\n No guests\n 28cm\n\n Please remembe r- you HAVE TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO SIGNUP. This is because we can prioritiz e people who signup early and ensure they are in the first 25. Clicking th e &ldquo\;attending&rdquo\; button will not be good enough. We are limitin g guests to 2 per JET.\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n Payment:\n\n  \;\n The price covers the hotel\, 2 onsen tickets for Saturday and Sunday (the hotel we are staying at is called the Hakuba Goryu\, check out the link f or the website in the first paragraph of the description)\, ski pass\, ski rentals\, private coach\, dinner on Saturday night and breakfast on Monda y morning. \;The price will be 23\,500yen. \; \;Please furikom i the money to the AJET bank account from your local bank. There will also be chances to pay a member of AJET directly who will be waiting at a JR s tation\, but the details for that are yet to be finialised .The deadline t o pay is MONDAY 20th February \;! The details on how to furikomi the m oney to us are as follow\, provided by our amazing Daniel Rau:\n\n \n Bank : ゆうちょ銀行 (Yuucho ginkou) -- this was under the 普通銀行 (futsuu ginkou) sectio n on my ATM\n Branch name: 468 (四六八) (yon roku hachi) -- this will be writ ten in kanji\, not letters\n Account number: 0783966\n\n Then it will have you enter the amount you are sending (***EDIT*** 23\,500yen)\, followed b y your name in katakana. \; If you are buying more than one ticket\, p lease only write your own name\, we will just enter the extras as +1\, +2\ , etc. \;\n\n If you happen to meet myself (Ramzi) in person\, you can also pay then. Please remember that the deadline for payment \;is MON DAY 20th February. This is also the last date you have to cancel if you ne ed to. If you are signed up as attending on this page and have given us no notice that you cannot make it\, you are obliged to pay or find someone w ho is able to replace you.\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n Rough schedule:\n\n  \;\n\n Friday evening- leaving between 10pm-Midnight from various sp ots around Shiga\n\n Arrive in Hakuba Saturday morning\n Drop off luggage\ , ski until around 6pm\n Onsen in the evening\n Back to hotel\n Ski on Sun day until around 6pm\n Another activity in the evening (potentially dinner or onsen)\n Sunday evening\, leave around 11pm-Midnight\, back to Shiga e arly morning.\n \n (A more detailed description of the schedule will be di stributed to all people coming closer to the date)\n\n  \;\n\n Sign up \, have fun guys! Don'\;t miss out on this amazing weekend! I hope to s ee you all there \n  \;\n\n Shiga AJET Team 2011-2012\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n \n\n  \; DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20120302 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20120306 LOCATION:Hakuba 47 Resort SUMMARY:2012 AJET Nagano Ski Trip! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4825MXmUhMccc@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Found this from the Osaka JETs:\n\n \n http://teafarms.org/1 324/world-tea-farms-festival\n\n  \;\n\n 2-Day Festival of a Thousand Tea Farmers and Tea Lovers\n\n All-You-Can-Drink from around the world\n\n India\, Indonesia\, Taiwan\, Korea\, Japan (Wazuka\, Shizuoka\, Yame\, Ky oto\, Nara&hellip\;)\n\n \n Date and Time:\n\n Saturday 3/10/2012 &ndash\; Sunday 3/11/2012 10AM-4PM\n\n \n Location:\n\n Green Tea Wazuka Town\, So raku District\, Kyoto Prefecture\n\n Shuttle bus to event location will be available from JR Kamo Station\n\n \n Admission Fee:\n\n 1-Day Admission &ndash\; 1\,500 yen\n\n 2-Day Admission &ndash\; 2\,000 yen\n\n \n Event I tinerary\n Tasting and Sale of Teas\n\n Proud to be tasting and selling te a from 30 tea farms from India\, Indonesia\, Taiwan\, Korea\, and all over Japan.\n\n View an exhibition of photos of tea producing areas including an exhibit of local costume.\n\n Various events held in glasshouse\n Tea C ulture Seminars\n\n Calligraphy\, Zen meditation\, yoga\, chess\, tea cere mony\, tea storytelling\, photography\n Food Court\n\n Unique tea inspired meals:\n\n Matcha Curry\, Green Tea Sweets\, Sushi\, Ochazuke (rice with tea)\, and much more\n Wazuka is surprisingly near to Kansai\n\n  \;\n By Train:\n\n We will be operating a shuttle bus from JR Kamo station to Wazuka。（Taxi fare is about 2\,000 yen）\n\n  \; \; \; From JR K yoto station: Take the Miyakoji Kaisoku Naraiki line from JR Kyoto to Kizu Station. Transfer to JR Yamatoji Kaisoku line to Kamo Station (approximat e journey time: 45 minutes)\n  \; \; \; From JR Osaka station: Take the JR Yamatoji Kaisoku Line to Kamo station (approximate journey ti me: 65 minutes)\n  \; \; \; From JR Nara station: Take JR Yama toji Kaisoku line to Kamo Station (approximate journey time: 14 minutes)\n  \;\n\n  \; DTSTART:20120310T100000 DTEND:20120311T160000 LOCATION:Green Tea Wazuka Town\, Soraku District\, Kyoto Prefecture SUMMARY:World Tea Farms Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4834ZGusMIddd@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Found this from the Osaka JETs:\n\n \n http://teafarms.org/1 324/world-tea-farms-festival\n\n  \;\n\n 2-Day Festival of a Thousand Tea Farmers and Tea Lovers\n\n All-You-Can-Drink from around the world\n\n India\, Indonesia\, Taiwan\, Korea\, Japan (Wazuka\, Shizuoka\, Yame\, Ky oto\, Nara&hellip\;)\n\n \n Date and Time:\n\n Saturday 3/10/2012 &ndash\; Sunday 3/11/2012 10AM-4PM\n\n \n Location:\n\n Green Tea Wazuka Town\, So raku District\, Kyoto Prefecture\n\n Shuttle bus to event location will be available from JR Kamo Station\n\n \n Admission Fee:\n\n 1-Day Admission &ndash\; 1\,500 yen\n\n 2-Day Admission &ndash\; 2\,000 yen\n\n \n Event I tinerary\n Tasting and Sale of Teas\n\n Proud to be tasting and selling te a from 30 tea farms from India\, Indonesia\, Taiwan\, Korea\, and all over Japan.\n\n View an exhibition of photos of tea producing areas including an exhibit of local costume.\n\n Various events held in glasshouse\n Tea C ulture Seminars\n\n Calligraphy\, Zen meditation\, yoga\, chess\, tea cere mony\, tea storytelling\, photography\n Food Court\n\n Unique tea inspired meals:\n\n Matcha Curry\, Green Tea Sweets\, Sushi\, Ochazuke (rice with tea)\, and much more\n Wazuka is surprisingly near to Kansai\n\n  \;\n By Train:\n\n We will be operating a shuttle bus from JR Kamo station to Wazuka。（Taxi fare is about 2\,000 yen）\n\n  \; \; \; From JR K yoto station: Take the Miyakoji Kaisoku Naraiki line from JR Kyoto to Kizu Station. Transfer to JR Yamatoji Kaisoku line to Kamo Station (approximat e journey time: 45 minutes)\n  \; \; \; From JR Osaka station: Take the JR Yamatoji Kaisoku Line to Kamo station (approximate journey ti me: 65 minutes)\n  \; \; \; From JR Nara station: Take JR Yama toji Kaisoku line to Kamo Station (approximate journey time: 14 minutes)\n  \;\n\n  \; DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20120310 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20120311 LOCATION:Green Tea Wazuka Town\, Soraku District\, Kyoto Prefecture SUMMARY:World Tea Farms Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4845suSUtPeee@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n On Sunday\, March 11th\, a memorial/candle service will be h elp for victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake at Gokoku shrine in Hik one (located in front of Hikone Castle).\n\n The service will begin at 4:0 0\, and continue until sometime after dark. All persons are welcome to att end. DTSTART:20120311T160000 DTEND:20120311T190000 LOCATION:Hikone Gokoku Shrine SUMMARY:Great East Japan Earthquake Memorial Service (Hikone) END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-48591FEAR6fff@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Sagicho Matsuri is one of Shiga'\;s Must-See festivals.&n bsp\; It'\;s a two-day crash-and-burn festival held in Omihachiman near the Hachiman-bori (castle moat.) \; Like many festivals\, the area is covered in food stalls and other activities. \; Local shops do great business\, so there'\;s plenty to eat. \; You could even take some time out and go hike nearby Mount Hachiman\, which provides a gorgeous vie w of mountain-ringed Lake Biwa.\n\n  \;\n\n \n\n  \;\n\n The Sagic ho Festival apparently started in the 1500s when newcomers to the region d iscovered that the town has an awesome fire festival in April. \; Not wanting to be outdone\, they decided to host a "\;more awesomer"\; festival in March.\n\n  \;\n\n The first day is a parade of 13 or 14 floats (sagicho) near the shrine\, where they are judged on design. \; The design is based on the zodiac year. \; Last year\, every float ha d a creepy-looking rabbit on it. \; As 2012 is the year of the dragon\ , this year\, all floats should have some wicked looking dragon motifs.&nb sp\; The floats are all made of edible materials\, red streamers\, and str aw\, so a new float is made every year. \; At least one float is tradi tionally carried by men in make-up and drag\, a throw-back to Warring Stat es Warlord Oda Obunaga (1534-1582) who wore make-up and danced when he hos ted the Sagicho festival. \; At that time\, all float-carriers might h ave been in drag.\n\n  \;\n\n On the second day\, the floats are crash ed into each other in a wild-drunken float-carrying smash-up. \; At th e end of the night\, the floats are all set afire while men drunkenlty dan ce around them. \; As it can be quite cold at night\, wear warm clothe s if you plan to stay for the burning part.\n\n  \;\n\n \n\n  \;\n Rough Schedule of Events:\n\n Saturday (March 17)\n\n 1:00 -- Floats asse mble at Himure Hachimangu Shrine\n\n 2:00-5:30 -- Floats parade through ne arby streets\n\n  \;\n\n Sunday (March 18)\n\n 10:30 -- Floats parade around local streets\n\n 2:00-5:00pm -- Floats gather by the shrine to cra sh\n\n 6:00 -- Children'\;s float is set afire.\n\n 8:00-10:40 -- The r est of the floats are lit one by one in front of the shrine.\n\n  \;\n The Sagicho Matsuri is designated as an Intangible Folk-Cultural Property by the National Government. \; You can see the official site here: ht tp://www.omi8.com/maturi/sagicho.htm (Japanese)\n\n  \;\n\n \n\n (And yes\, you can see the bunny. \; Burn bunny\, burn!!) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20120317 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20120319 LOCATION:Himure Hachimangu Shrine\, Omihachiman\, Shiga Prefecture SUMMARY:Sagicho Matsuri 2012 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-48682sRPIjggg@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Come look at fake planets with me..\n\n When: Saturday\, Mar ch 24th\n Where: Otsu City Science Museum\, Zeze Honmachi station (Keihan Line)\n Time: 2 pm start time (Meet at Zeze Honmachi at around 115-130 and we can walk over?)\n Cost: 400円 for adults\, 200円for children\n\n ..or do n&rsquo\;t.\n\n \n That&rsquo\;s all the info I have on accounta&rsquo\; I can&rsquo\;t read everything on this flyer.\n\n Oh wait\, here&rsquo\;s a website! If anyone would like to decipher these squiggles and add any oth er info that I&rsquo\;ve left out\, please do.\n\n http://www.otsu.ed.jp/k agaku/\n\n  \;\n\n -Suzie B. DTSTART:20120324T133000 DTEND:20120324T160000 LOCATION:大津市学科間 SUMMARY:Otsu Planetarium\, March 24th END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-488176OwaMhhh@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Hi everyone!\n\n  \;\n\n  \; \; We are Nagahama& #39\;s Brazilian CIR and we are making a campaign for books donation to he Nagahama Library and Nagahama International Association. So\, if you have books in any language (except Japanese books) that you don'\;t use any more\, please\, donate them to us.\n\n  \; \; You can bring the bo oks to the Nagahama City Office. If you have any question\, send us an e-m ail:\n\n  \; \; .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email ad dress)/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+une scape(l[i].substring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.g etElementById('eeEncEmail_YEcQrqjVfS').innerHTML = output\;/*]]>*/\n\n &nb sp\; \; Thank you very much!!!\n\n  \;\n\n Everton and Solange&nbs p\; \; \;\n\n m(_._)m \; \; \; m(_._)m\n\n  \;\n\n PS:Sorry \;about our "\;Ingurisshu"\;... DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20120327 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20120501 LOCATION:Nagahama City Office SUMMARY:Campaign for Books Donation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4892E6D5o4iii@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n This waterboat tour will take visitors on one of two small b oats up a canal lined with cherry blossoms. \; These boats depart from Nanzen-ji boat park in Kyoto\, near the Biwako Canal Memorial Museum (fre e\, and worth a peak at the old photographs if you'\;re in the area.)&n bsp\; The tour takes approximately 25 minutes and travels 3 kilometers.\n  \;\n\n I have never done this\, but I happened past this canal and s aw the boats going down the canal. \; This canal is gorgeous -- it has old stone bridges and huge cherry trees draping off the banks on both sid es of the river.\n\n  \;\n\n When: March 29 - May 6\n\n  \;\n\n Ti me: There are 29 boat rides a day\, from 9:30am - 4:30 pm\, with boats dep arting every 15 minutes. \; Boat rides may run later\, until 8:30pm fr om March 30. \; Please board 10 minutes before departure. \;\n\n & nbsp\;\n\n Cost: 1\,000 yen. TIckets can be purchaced on board at the star t of your tour.\n\n  \;\n\n Access: Keage Station (on the Tozai subway line)\n\n  \;\n\n For more information\, call Tel: 075-321-7696\, or visit kyoto-tabi.or.jp/jikkokufune.html (Japanese)\n\n  \; DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20120329 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20120507 LOCATION:Nanzen-ji boat park\, Kyoto SUMMARY:Okazaki Sakura Viewing Boat END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4905LgEMIfjjj@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n This annaul geiko dance has been held since 1872! \; Thi s event started when an exposition was held in Kyoto to counter the loss o f status by having the captial moved to Edo.\n\n  \;\n\n When: April 1 - April 30\n\n  \;\n\n Times: Four performances daily at 12:30\, 2:00 \, and 3:30 and 4:50 daily. \; Each performance lasts about one hour.& nbsp\; For Special Class tickets\, please arrive at least 50 minutes befor e the show to enjoy the garden\, your cake\, and your tea.\n\n  \;\n\n Place: Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theatre\, Kyoto\n\n  \;\n\n Price:\n\n Res erved Tickets:\n\n ----- (Special Class) With tea ceremony and complimenta ry gift: 4\,500 yen. \; All seats are premium reserved.\n\n ----- (Fir st Class) Without tea ceremony: 4\,000 yen. \; Tatami and western-styl e seating is available\n\n Unreserved Ticket:\n\n ----- (Second Class) 2\, 000 yen. \; These tickets are available for purchace in advance but a small selection are sold only on the day of the performance. \; These sell out quickly.\n\n  \;\n\n You may order at the theater'\;s tick et office\, but ordering by phone or fax is preferred. \; Credit cards are NOT accepted.\n\n  \;\n\n For more information and a history of t he event\, see http://www.miyako-odori.jp/odori_en.html (English) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20120401 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20120501 LOCATION:Kaburenjo Theater\, Kyoto SUMMARY:Miyako Odori Maiko Dances END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4914B0Jh08kkk@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n  \;\n\n \n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n Came across this to day\, and thought I should let everyone know!\n \n PunkSpring is a punk ro ck concert that will be held April 1st (no this is not some elaborate Apri l Fools thing) in Kobe. It is about 2 hours JR from Hikone to Sannomiya st ation. From there\, it is about a 10 minute walk to the boat liner (which I assume is a few minutes away from the hall itself).\n \n Tickets are 7\, 800yen (a bit steep\, but The Offspring and Sum41!!!) and can be purchased online or from your local Lawson Conbini.\n\n  \;\n\n Details about t ickets are here: http://www.punkspring.com/12/tickets/index.html\n Schedul e is here: http://www.punkspring.com/12/lineup/index.html\n  \;\n\n Do ors open at 11am and The Offspring finishes things off at around 9.30pm. T he last train going up north is at 10.44pm so all you hard rockers will be able to get back to work the next day if you didn'\;t take it off.\n & nbsp\;\n\n It will be my first time going so I don'\;t know much else a part from what'\;s on the website. It looks like a lot of fun\, with ma ny foreign and Japanese bands attending. Good to have your soul filled wit h some headbanging punk every so often!\n \n See you guys around!\n \n -Ra mzi DTSTART:20120401T110000 DTEND:20120401T213000 LOCATION:Kobe\, Sannomiya SUMMARY:PunkSpring 2012! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4926uueV0vlll@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Shiga International Language Club ShILC is a nonprofit organ ization for international communication like learning Japanese language(Ni hongo)\, making new friends\, and find language exchange partners. There a re Japanese members having various occupation like a office worker\, a sci entist\, an engineer\, a public servant\, a university student and so on. There are also many foreigners from various countries and with various occ upations. People with any nationality are welcomed.\n\n We have a meeting on Friday from 20:00 to 22:00. In the meeting\, we use our original text f or communication. You can teach English or culture of your country to Japa nese people as a volunteer. We can also learn Japanese language and cultur e from Japanese people. Since there are many members\, you can make friend s and find language exchange tutors there. You can get various information of Japan in this activity.\n\n Many attractive events like a party or BBQ are held in our club. They are held on Friday night or weekend. In the ev ents\, you can make many friends in casual atmosphere. You can join in it in reasonable price about 2000yen.\n\n Please watch our website for detail s.\n\n http://www.shilc.org DTSTART:20120403T200000 DTEND:20120403T220000 LOCATION:Hamaotsu-Asuto RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;UNTIL=20120512;BYDAY=FR SUMMARY:Shiga International Language Club ShILC is now recruiting new membe rs from this April. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4938KKTe8Ummm@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Miyagawacho is one of the five geiko (geisha) districts of K yoto. \; It sprung up to serve the bustling kabuki district of Kyoto.& nbsp\; Every spring since 1950\, the geiko and maiko have put on the Kyo O dori event.\n\n  \;\n\n When: April 7 - April 22\n\n  \;\n\n Times : Performances at 12:30\, 2:30\, and 4:30 daily. \; The gate opens 30 minutes before the show. \; Each performance lasts about one hour.\n\n  \;\n\n Place: Miyagawacho Kaburenjo Theatre. \; Access via Gion Shijo station\, Kawaramachi or Kiyomizu gojo. \; A 20 minute walk sout h of Sanjo station (Tozai subway.)\n\n  \;\n\n Price: (Day of performa nce tickets are also available)\n\n First Section:\n\n ----- With tea cere mony: 4\,500 yen\n\n ----- Without tea ceremony: 4\,000 yen\n\n  \;\n Second Section:\n\n ----- With tea ceremony: 2\,500\n\n ----- Without tea ceremony: 2\,000\n\n  \;\n\n To order\, it seems you must stop by the theatre ticket office up to five days before the show from 10am-5pm to bu y your tickets. \; Tickets cannot be purchaced by phone\, though it ap pears you can call Tel: 075-561-1151 (Japanese only) for more information. \n  \;\n\n For more information\, see the Miyagawacho website: http:// www.miyagawacho.jp/ (Japanese only) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20120407 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20120423 LOCATION:Miyagawacho Kaburenjo Theatre\, Kyoto SUMMARY:Kyo Odori Geisha Dances END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-49480bVGKKnnn@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The Tsukasa Modern Ballet Group is going to be holding a mod ern ballet show with Japanese traditional buyou influence on Sunday April 8th\, 2012 at Biwako Hall in Otsu.\n\n Open: 16:00 / Ceremony 16:15 / Star t 17:10\n\n Tickets: Y1575 ~ 1890\n\n Ticket information/contact: .(JavaSc ript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i].s ubstring(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_zoSYOL nRNZ').innerHTML = output\;/*]]>*/\n\n Website: www.tsukasa-ballet.com\n\n  \;\n\n *Please note we are unaware of the actual finish time of the show and will most likely vary from the time shown above. DTSTART:20120408T160000 DTEND:20120408T200000 LOCATION:Biwako Hall SUMMARY:TSUKASA Modern Ballet END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4957ejhkVLooo@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n *taken from website*\n\n This festival is one of the Three G reat Float Festivals of Japan\, having a long tradition and history of ove r 400 years. \; Floats gorgeously decorated by long line of skilled cr aftsmen are referred to as &ldquo\;moving museum&rdquo\; which include Mio kuri Maku\, a hanging curtain stretched on rear side of a float\, designat ed as an important cultural property. \; The highlight of the Festival is &ldquo\;Kodomo (Childrens) Kabuki&rdquo\; which continues from days of Edo Period. \; Boy actors\, aging from 5 to 12 years old\, are wearin g flamboyant costumes to enthusiastically perform kabuki plays on the floa t as their stage\, just like in the old days.\n Date \; \; April 1 3 ~ 15\n Venue \; \; Nagahama Hachimangu (shrine)\,\n Nagahama Cit y area\n\n  \;\n\n http://www.nagahamashi.org/english/events.html\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n I believe the biggest day is the 15th\, and luckil y\, this year\, it'\;s on a Sunday! \; \; I"\;m not entirel y sure where it is\, but I'\;m sure it'\;s not hard to find from the station. \; Just follow the crowds! \; But I did put the marker a t Hachimangu shrine (according to google maps). DTSTART:20120413T083000 DTEND:20120415T180000 LOCATION:Nagahama Hachimangu Shrine SUMMARY:Nagahama Hikiyama Matsuri END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-49718VrFsXppp@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n It'\;s once again time for fire to light Omihachiman'\ ;s night sky\; this weekend is the Hachiman Festival\, which happens to co incide with the cherry blossoms in Omihachiman being at full-bloom. \; \n  \;\n\n  \; While the origins of this festival are unclear\, on e of the theories is that it began in commemoration of locals making reed torches to light the road for the emperor when he made a pilgrimmage to th e Hachimangu Shrine around 275 AD.\n\n  \;\n\n Schedule of events (mor e detailed explanations will likely be distributed at the station or the s hrine)\n\n Saturday\, the 14th: The Torch Festival\n\n 8:30 am~ : Tying/ma king the torches\n\n 13:00~ : \; Children'\;s torch(es) are set on fire\n\n 19:00~ : Taiko (?)\n\n 20:00~22:30: Burning the torches\n\n   \;\n\n Sunday\, the 15th: The Drum Festival\n\n 10:00~ : Annual festival\n 14:30: Taiko procession into the shrine\n\n 16:00: Giant drum procession \n  \;\n\n Access:\n\n 30 minute walk from the station\n\n 5~7 minute taxi ride\n\n short bus ride (Omi-tetsudo bus headed to Chomeiji)\n\n &nbs p\;\n\n Official Site (Japanese-only):\n\n http://www.omi8.com/maturi/hach iman.htm#whats_hachimanmaturi\n\n  \;\n\n Pictures (from PhotoGuide): \n http://photoguide.jp/pix/thumbnails.php?album=755\n\n  \; DTSTART:20120414T083000 DTEND:20120414T223000 LOCATION:Himure Hachimangu Shrine SUMMARY:Hachiman Festival (aka the less-famous fire festival in Omihachiman ) END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4977awmmRHqqq@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n It'\;s once again time for fire to light Omihachiman'\ ;s night sky\; this weekend is the Hachiman Festival\, which happens to co incide with the cherry blossoms in Omihachiman being at full-bloom. \; \n  \;\n\n  \; While the origins of this festival are unclear\, on e of the theories is that it began in commemoration of locals making reed torches to light the road for the emperor when he made a pilgrimmage to th e Hachimangu Shrine around 275 AD.\n\n  \;\n\n Schedule of events (mor e detailed explanations will likely be distributed at the station or the s hrine)\n\n Saturday\, the 14th: The Torch Festival\n\n 8:30 am~ : Tying/ma king the torches\n\n 13:00~ : \; Children'\;s torch(es) are set on fire\n\n 19:00~ : Taiko (?)\n\n 20:00~22:30: Burning the torches\n\n   \;\n\n Sunday\, the 15th: The Drum Festival\n\n 10:00~ : Annual festival\n 14:30: Taiko procession into the shrine\n\n 16:00: Giant drum procession \n  \;\n\n Access:\n\n 30 minute walk from the station\n\n 5~7 minute taxi ride\n\n short bus ride (Omi-tetsudo bus headed to Chomeiji)\n\n &nbs p\;\n\n Official Site (Japanese-only):\n\n http://www.omi8.com/maturi/hach iman.htm#whats_hachimanmaturi\n\n  \;\n\n Pictures (from PhotoGuide): \n http://photoguide.jp/pix/thumbnails.php?album=755\n\n  \; DTSTART:20120415T100000 DTEND:20120415T160000 LOCATION:Himure Hachimangu Shrine SUMMARY:Hachiman Festival (aka the less-famous fire festival in Omihachiman ) END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4988UDESgvrrr@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n We have a BBQ party.\n\n Only members of ShILC can join in t he event.\n\n If you are interested in joining the club\, please see our w ebsite for details.\n\n http://www.shilc.org DTSTART:20120414T110000 DTEND:20120414T143000 LOCATION:Misasagi\, Yamashina\, Kyoto SUMMARY:BBQ party of Shiga International Language Club ShILC END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-4999jHCgLIsss@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n I just received a flyer for this this year'\;s Internatio nal Japanese Speech contest\, which will be held in Beppu (Oita) on June 2 nd. If you are looking for an opportunity to challenge yourself and brush up on some Japanese\, I encourage you to apply! Visit \;http://www.iec -nichibei.or.jp/iec04_2.html for details and to download an application.\n  \;\n\n Date\n\n June 2 (Sat) 2012 from 1:00 P.M.\n\n Location\n\n B- con Plaza\n 12-1 Yamanote-cho\, Beppu-shi\, Oita\n http://www.b-conplaza.j p/english/index.htm\n\n Eligibility\n\n \n Not native Japanese speaker.\n \n Not having won the 1st Prize of the Foreign Minister&rsquo\;s Award\, or the Education Minister&rsquo\;s Award in a previous contest.\n\n\n App lication Deadline\n\n April 17 (Tue) \; 2012\n\n \n Applicants must s end their recorded speech (DVD-R\, MiniDV or VHS tape) and other required materials \; to the contest organizer.\n \n The result of the selecti on will be sent to applicants by the beginning of May 2012.\n\n\n Details Please check the application guidelines at: \;http://www.iec-nichibei .or.jp/iec04_2.html DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20120417 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20120418 LOCATION:B-con Plaza / 別府国際コンベンションセンター (Oita Prefecture) SUMMARY:2012 International Speech Contest in Japanese END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-5009nLA3rPttt@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Minakuchi holds a festival each year called the Minakuchi Hi kiyama Matsuri. Last year it was cancelled so I haven'\;t had a chance to attend\, but it seems like it will be a lot of fun. It starts on the ev ening of April 19th (Thu) and continues until around 8pm on April 20th (Fr i). \;\n\n The festival starts on Thursday night with the decoration o f the floats at the shrine and a "\;Stamp Rally"\; with prizes (?) . There will also be food carts and games. On Friday morning the floats wi ll parade through town starting at 11am and continuing throughout the day. In the evening the illuminated floats will be returned to their original resting places at their shrines throughout Minakuchi for further viewing.& nbsp\;\n\n Start and end time: Thursday April 19\, 6pm ---- Friday April 2 0 ~8pm\n\n Place: Minakuchi Shrine\n\n Price/Tickets: none\n\n Information /Contact: \;0748-60-2690 (shrine contact info)\n\n  \;  \; &nb sp\;  \;  \;  \;  \;  \;  \;  \;  \;   \;  \;  \;  \;  \;  \;http://www.koka-kanko.org/res/?e vid=209\n\n To get to Minakuchi: Take the Kusatsu line to Kibukawa Station . Transfer to the Ohmi-tetsudo for one stop and get off at Minakuchi-Jonan . The shrine is within 3 minutes walking distance. \;\n\n Japanese web site'\;s description: \;\n\n ４月１９日（木）夕刻より\n 【宵　宮】水口神社では神輿が飾られ、各町内では 曳山には提灯を飾って宵宮ばやしを奏でます。\n 　　　　　神社付近は多数の屋台で賑わい、子供の笑顔で溢れます。\n 　　　　　また、宵宮スタンプラリ ーが午後６時から９時まで開催されます。\n 　　　　　　　　（参加無料！社務所にて受付（景品あり））\n\n ４月２０日（金）\n 【例大祭】午前１ １時過ぎより水口神社に曳山が順次入り、古式祭を斎行の後、大神輿や\n 　　　　　子供神輿等が町内を渡御します。午後７時頃に神輿が還御すると、曳山は闇 の\n 　　　　　中に幾つもの提灯を灯し、名残を惜しみつつも優雅に各町内へ帰って行きます。\n\n  \;\n\n  \; DTSTART:20120419T173000 DTEND:20120420T210000 LOCATION:Minakuchi Shrine\, Minakuchi\, Koka SUMMARY:Minakuchi Festival END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-5018rvNHJeuuu@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Hiya\, \;\n\n So a few people started up Shiga'\;s fi rst cricket club last year\, and we'\;ve grown quite a lot since last s ummer. We have our first competitive fixture on the 22nd against Kyoto Gak uen University. I'\;m aware that most ShigaJets are American and have v ery little knowledge of the sport! but some people have expressed an inter est in finding out more. If you'\;re available on that day and fancy co ming along to support us we'\;d be delighted. It should be a fun day.\n It'\;s happening at the university cricket ground\, and we'\;ll be meeting at Kyoto eki at 9 o'\;clock in the morning. \;\n\n We also practice every weekend in Yasu\, and we'\;ve only ever had one American join us (the mighty palemaster!)...if anyone wants to give it a go please get in touch. I promise you it'\;s a great way to spend a sunny day!\n Cheers\, Phil.\n\n p.s. check out an article about the club in kansai sce ne this month: www.shigacricketclub.com/?p=172\n\n  \; DTSTART:20120422T100000 DTEND:20120422T170000 LOCATION:Kyoto Gakuen University SUMMARY:Cricket Game END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-5028VduUHJvvv@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The first training session is here guys! I'\;m gonna keep this short and sweet. \;\n \n When: This Saturday 28th\, 12.00pm star t\n Where: A park next to Omihachiman station\n How much: FREE\, bring eve ryone you know along! \;\n \n \n This is the general plan:\n\n  \; \n - Stretching\, some light cardio to start off with\n - Getting used to the rules\n - Passing training\n - Dodging techniques\n - One advanced tac tic\n - Practice game\n \n This is a rough guide. I have plenty of differe nt exersises to unleash onto you guys\, but we will start with this for no w. People who are already signed up\, do your bestest best best to come on down. Extra people are MORE than welcome\, as we are able to do more thin gs with more numbers\, such as a practice game.\n \n We will be meeting by the JR barriers inside of Omihachiman station and walking together. Pleas e bring some drinks to keep you hydrated and some comfortable cloths to ru n in. Metal studs are not allowed in the tournament\, but plastic ones use d for soccer/football are OK.\n \n Come on down and have a great time!\n Shiga AJET Team 2011-2012\n\n  \;\n\n \n \n  \;\n \n  \;\n DTSTART:20120428T120000 DTEND:20120428T133000 LOCATION:Omihachiman SUMMARY:First Rugby Training Session END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-5038DkJoolwww@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n The official second training session is this following Satur day. People coming to the tournament itself are highly advised to come as there is only time for one more training session after this. For people wh o aren'\;t coming to the event\, come on down and have a great time pla ying Touch Rugby!\n\n When: This Saturday 5th May\, 12.00pm start to about 1.30pm\n Where: A park next to Omihachiman station (same as the first tra ining session)\n How much: FREE\, bring everyone you know along!\n Map:&nb sp\;http://i47.tinypic.com/35hlbg8.jpg (The red dot)\n \n We have more equ ipment (cones and another rugby ball)\, so we will be able to do more dril ls this time round. Here'\;s what is on the menu:\n \n -Light cardio an d stretching\n -Passing training (review of last week plus new drills)\n - Recapping what to do after you get touched\n -In game scenarios\n -Practic e game\n \n Some drinks will be provided\, but please make sure to bring s ome for yourself just in case. It was pretty hot last training session\, a nd we don'\;t want any injuries.\n \n See you all there!\n \n Shiga AJE T Team 2011-2012\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n \n\n  \;\n\n &n bsp\; DTSTART:20120501T004300 DTEND:20120501T004300 LOCATION:Omihachiman SUMMARY:Second Rugby Training Session- Return of the Touch! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-50485uSUa2xxx@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Here we are everyone\, the last training session before the big day! Here are the details.\n \n UPDATE: Date has been changed to this Sunday 13th May due to popular demand.\n\n When: This Sunday 13th May\, 12 .00pm start to about 2.00pm\n Where: A park next to Omihachiman station (s ame as the first and second training session)\n How much: FREE\, bring eve ryone you know along!\n Map: \;http://i47.tinypic.com/35hlbg8.jpg (The red dot)\n \n I will bring (and not forget) the rugby cones so that we ha ve a more accurate pitch to play on. Here is the schedule for the training itself.\n \n -Light cardio and stretching\n -Passing recap\n -Recapping w hat to do after a touch\n -A nice\, long Practice Game\n \n We will be goi ng over passing and touching. After that\, we'\;ll get straight into a long practice game. This will be the main emphasis of the training session . It will get you guys used what a game is like as well as well as giving you a chance to use what has been taught in training. \;\n\n \n The mo re people who come\, the better the game will be. New people are more than welcome! \;\n \n See you all there! This is the last chance we have t o practice before the weekend of amazing touch rugby\, so do your best to come down!\n \n Shiga AJET Team 2011-2012\n  \;\n\n \n\n  \;\n\n & nbsp\; DTSTART:20120513T120000 DTEND:20120513T140000 LOCATION:Omihachiman SUMMARY:The Last Rugby Training Session - Get tries or die trying END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-50613XZmNwyyy@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Time to show what we'\;re made of\, Shiga! Don'\;t dro p the ball\, it'\;s for the-\n\n  \;\n\n AJET Tokushima Touch Rugby Tournament 2012\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n \n\n Before starting with the bulk of the post\, I would just like to say that this is a REALLY fun eve nt! Last year was amazing. The teamwork we displayed and games we won left me shocked. Touch rugby is great for beginners and pros alike\, as you wi ll all find out at training for this great day out. Let'\;s get this&nb sp\;rugby ball rolling (and the puns begin...)\n \n When: May 19th and 20t h (this is a Saturday and Sunday\, we will depart for the place Friday 18t h in the evening)\n Where: Shikoku Saburo no Sato (四国三郎の郷） in Tokushima (徳 島）\n Pictures and details about location: http://www.awanavi.jp/english/c- 18.html\n How much: Approximately the same price as last year\, which was 25\,000yen (subject to change\, please look at the Price subsection below) How many people: 15 max\n\n \n HOW TO SIGNUP:\n  \;\n\n \n Click &qu ot\;Attending"\; at the buttom of the page\n \n Post \;your name& nbsp\;in the "\;Comment"\; section at the bottom of the page\n \n Post if you are bringing any guests (each ALT is allowed 2 guests max)\n Make sure to come to training sessions when they are announced!\n \n BO NUS ROUND- Post a suggested team name/theme\, I have decided on the "\ ;Shiga Shinigami"\; (describe later in the post)\, but it can change a nd all suggestions are welcome!\n\n\n  \;\n\n\n Overview\n\n  \;\n The event itself is a weekend of touch rugby madness. There will be 3 man datory training sessions run by me each taking place on a weekend leading up to the event\, with additional sessions for those who want to take it t o the next level. The rules need to be gone over\, which is why everyone h as to come to these 3 sessions. Details on this will be given when we have a good bunch of people signed up for the event. And trust me\, it will be fun \n \n There will be a big BBQ Saturday evening after a day of rugby. This is a great opportunity to meet JETs from all over the prefecture and a great experience. Alcohol will also be flowing (as is the case with rugb y most of the time)\, but I would like to politely remind JETs to carry th emselves accordingly and respect the people as well as the property around them. We will do well in the tournament and have a great day\, it would b e bad for it to turn sour because of a few drinks.\n \n As for the touch r ugby game itself\, \; there will be \;6 people on the pitch. 1 alw ays has to be a female. And let me tell you\, first timers\, do not undere stimate the power of the females in Shiga. We won numerous games purely fr om the tries scored by them (they get extra points for scoring!). We are a llowed any number of subs. Also trust me when I say we need them\, as the games can get pretty intense. When someone is "\;touched"\;\, they stop\, put the ball between their legs and roll it behind them. There are quite a few more rules\, but this is the general jist of it. Please come to training to find out more (look at the Training subsection below).\n\n \n Quick Schedule\n\n  \;\n\n Friday 18th May Evening- Leave Station ( most likely Otsu\, station) heading to Tokushima\n\n We will be using a pr ivately hired bus (which will hopefully have this sweet little table in th e back). We will arrive in Tokushima the same evening \;in order to se t ourselves up and make sure we are on time for the games on Saturday. Det ails on the bus\, pickup time and more will be given closer to the date.\n \n Saturday 19th May All day- Have fun!\n \n We will be playing rugby for the majority of the day\, with the BBQ in the evening. This is the day me mories will be made!\n \n Sunday 20th All day\n \n We may have some rugby\ , we may not. It depends on how well we do. Either way\, we will have fun. Towards the afternoon/evening\, we will return back to sweet ol'\; Shi ga.\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n Price\n\n I'\;m going to break down wha t everyone will get for the price they are paying.\n\n \n Entry fee for p layers (I will decide if this can be gotten rid of for people wishing to j ust watch)\n \n BBQ\n \n Cabin\n \n Renting the outside area for tents \n Bus\n \n Team shirt\n\n\n This year\, I am planning on making custom shirts for everyone with the team name "\;Shiga Shinigami"\; (滋賀死 神\, the Shiga Death Gods). I personally think it has a really cool ring to it I will ask for sizes from everyone at training (please remember that the shirts will be in Japanese sizes\, not American). The bus is being boo ked and the shirts are yet to be made\, which is why we have yet to get an exact price. But don'\;t worry\, we will soon!\n\n  \;\n\n Accommo dation\n\n We have a cabin booked just for us. It is cozy and it is nice. However\, it can hold up to 7 people. Which is why we have the area outsid e of it booked for camping in. Hopefully we will find enough people to be in the cabin and camping in the tents. However\, if too many people want t o stay in the cabin\, we will allocate the rooms on a first come first ser ve basis. That is\, people who sign up first by clicking the "\;Attend ing"\; button AND leaving a comment as instructed in How to signup get priority.\n\n  \;\n\n Another note about accommodation. The BBQ on Sa turday is a lot of fun. But\, to put it bluntly\, please do not go crazy i n the cabin. Any damages or mess to our cabin will all be put onto us and us alone\, and the people involved (or worse\, everyone) will have to pay for it. You can imagine how crazy things would get when in a \;room pa cked the \;brim with \;drunken \;ALTs\, one on your right scre aming at the top of his lungs in an American flag tank top \;whilst tr ying to flip cups\, and one on your right passing \;you a carton of &q uot\;Black"\;. Yes\, just \;black. I am not speaking from \;ex perience (ofcourse)\, but \;I would just like to remind everyone to ke ep it tame. \;People also may be sleeping. The day will be fun but dra ining\, so please respect the people who want to rest up for Sunday.\n\n & nbsp\;\n\n Training\n\n I will say it once more\, COME TO THE 3 TRAINING S ESSIONS that will be announced once the team is confirmed. I will be coach ing it this year\, and with a few years of British rugby in me I will make sure we impress come tournament time. We did amazingly well last year\, b ut people did not go to the training sessions (I myself was guilty of this at the time\, for which I am very ashamed of). If we did\, I am certain w e would have made it to the next day. We won the majority of our games\, a nd heard most of the rules on the day itself.\n \n The sessions will be de dicated to the rules\, basic plays\, basic techniques\, some cardio and so me practice games. I would like the put emphasis on the rules. Once you le arn them they'\;re easy\, and I will make sure you all understand them well. But we need a bit of time to get a good grasp of them to be able to play our best come game time!\n \n The sessions will most likely take plac e in a field around the Hikone area. Any questions that needs answering wi ll be\, so please come prepared with any you may have. To the West-siders\ , I understand how far it is for you \;to come to \;the East-side& nbsp\;and most of you know the rules already\, but I will be in contact wi th you guys to talk about it further. You are more than welcome to come to the sessions\, but it is understandable if you can'\;t.\n  \;\n\n In closing\n\n I love this event\, I love this sport and I love you guys. The bond made between the team after the games \;last time was great ( I'\;m getting chills down my spine just thinking about it). I would gla dly spend my weekends training with all of you and playing alongside you a ll come tournament time. Signup\, come train and let'\;s have a bloody good time!\n\n Shiga AJET Team 2011-2012\n\n DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20120519 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20120521 LOCATION:Shikoku Saburo no Sato\, Tokushima SUMMARY:AJET Tokushima Touch Rugby Tournament 2012! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-50718TUkz3zzzz@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Hello!\n\n  \;\n\n Looking for a chance to a) \;get into a rice field to plant some rice by hand\; b) be part of a Japanese tr aditional \;religious ceremony\; c) wear traditional Japanese garb\; d ) hang out with some cool Japanese students and shrine carers and\; e) hav e a good time...........??? If so - read on!\n\n  \;\n\n On May 20th o ver in Higashi Omi City (east of Omi Hachiman on the Omi Tetsudo local tra in line) at the base of a pretty spectacular shrine\, there is a small sca le event in order to bring good luck to the upcoming rice planting season. I was part of it last year and can recommend it.\n\n  \;\n\n For the event\, a group of young men and women dress up in traditional wear and af ter some rice is blessed\, they plant it in a mini rice field at the base of the mountain the shrine is on.\n\n  \;\n\n See these pics. from las t year:\n\n \n http://www.gaido.jp/clickalbum/detail.php?ID=2971&\;gai do_code=1\n\n\n  \;\n\n Usually my school'\;s tennis and volleyball team volunteer as the planting group but my school and the shrine \;h as been nice enough to extend the invite to other interested ALTs. \; I'\;m not sure of the limit of people - but let me know if you are inte rested and I can pass on estimates for final confirmation.\n\n  \;\n\n ALSO - one week before the event\, there is a mini rehersal - before lunc h.\n\n  \;\n\n Speaking of lunch too\, last year we all got bentos of '\;thanks'\; after the event.\n\n  \;\n\n To get to the shrine\, take the Omi Tetsudo railway from Hikone or Omi Hachiman (next to the JR stations) and go to the stop Tarobougumae which is about 15 minutes or so from Omi Hachiman and a lot longer from Hikone.... and you'\;ll probabl y have to change trains at Yokaichi as well. You can walk straight from th e station to the shrine in about 10 minutes. I can meet people at the stat ion the day'\;s of the event and rehersal.\n\n  \;\n\n Being a week end \;on the Omi Tetsudo \;you can get the '\;SS Free Kippu' \; - a special weekend pass for 550 yen that lets you ride the Omi Tetsudo all day for that one fee.\n\n  \;\n\n One last point - I'\;ll prob ably set better times to meet and finish for the event as it gets closer. \n  \;\n\n Okay - hope to see some of you for this one! \n\n  \;\n Thanks - and post your interest/questions below or let me know at .(JavaS cript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0\; i=i-1){ if (l[i]. substring(0\, 1) == ' ') output += '&#'+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+'\;'\; else output += unescape(l[i])\;}document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_LVyRD bDJZI').innerHTML = output\;/*]]>*/.\n\n  \;\n\n Much appreciated ~\n belinda\n\n  \;\n\n  \; DTSTART:20120520T100000 DTEND:20120520T150000 LOCATION:Taroboogu Shrine near Yokaichi SUMMARY:Want to be part of a traditional rice planting festival in Higashi Omi? END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120519T192745CEST-5080V9efeJaaaa@www.shigajet.org DTSTAMP:20120519T170545Z DESCRIPTION:\n Hey guys!\n\n  \;\n\n I just found out about the full so lar eclipse that'\;s happening on the 21st!\n\n  \;\n\n It'\;ll be fully eclipsed around 7:30am in Shiga. \; The best forecasted veiwi ng location is around the Koka area.\n\n  \;\n\n  \;\n\n More info to be had here:\n\n http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2012.html#SE2012May 20A\n\n  \;\n\n There'\;s a really good website on the Shiga Univer sity (i think) website\, but I'\;m not sure how to actually get to it. DTSTART:20120521T073000 DTEND:20120521T082700 LOCATION:Shiga SUMMARY:Solar Eclipse!!! END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR