Kyoto Interntaional Community House in the Sakyo Ward of Kyoto will hold a one-day event to share the location of 1000 rooms in Kyoto City on February 6 from 1pm to 4:30 pm.

For those seeking help renting a room, counseling will also be available at the event.

The event is free.

For more information call (075) 752-3511.

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You would expect during a normal autumn season to see thousands upon thousands of people roaming here and there admiring the beautiful autumn leaves, but that is not quite the case this year.

Be it so called global warming or just another side of the way God created the earth, rain is pouring over Japan a little more than usual at this time of year. Usually rain doesn’t start falling this much until the leaves are at the end of the autumn cycle.

Autumn, however it goes, does not wait for man. Man cannot change it or slow the process down. We can only take it as it comes and enjoy the ride.

If people in Japan want to see momiji this year, they are going to have to endure getting wet or put on some rain gear and buy a new waterproof camera because rain is in the forecast off and on for the next week.

The weather right now in the Kansai area is cool to warm. Lately, there has been a little rain off and on, but that shouldn’t be the case during Golden Week. The forecast for Golden Week 2009 is sunny and warm weather.

Go to your local Japan store – yes, that’s the name of the store, not the country – and purchase some charcoal, a grill (if you don’t already have one), some pink starter gel and a lighter. Japan is a good store to buy snacks and drinks also. So you may want to get everything for the BBQ from the Japan store and the vegetables and meats from a market.

A typical BBQ in Japan consists of green peppers, onions, kabocha (pumpkin), shiitake mushrooms, carrots (sometimes), shishito peppers (small long sweet green peppers), sausages, beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, octopus, rice balls dipped in soy sauce and grilled and eggplant.

Don’t forget the yakiniku sauce, beer and bread rolls!

To top off a Japanese BBQ, after you’ve polished off all the food, head over to an onsen somewhere near your house and wash away all the smoke from the BBQ! After a hot soak, you’ll be well relaxed and ready for a nice long sleep to prepare yourself for another two days of Golden Week fun.

Other options for Golden Week that don’t involve lots of travel time include: going to a park near your house, hike somewhere you’ve never been before, take a bicycle ride somewhere you’ve never been before, rent a bunch of videos from Tsutaya, play card games with friends, or if all else doesn’t look like what you want to do, relax around the house and enjoy time off from work!

Everyone and their mother will be on the roads this Golden Week and most won’t be traveling the side roads to avoid high toll fees like many have in the past, including myself. If anyone chooses to use the side roads to get long distances, it won’t be because of prices but will be because of the most likely high number of cars that WILL be traveling on the toll roads.

If you want to use the toll roads, you may want to consider doing so at a time when most others won’t be on there, preferably late at night and early, early in the morning. If you choose to travel during the daytime, alternate routes like free roads and highways may be your best bet to getting there in the shortest amount of time.

My family and friends are planning on going down to Okayama like we do every Golden Week. But we’re hoping to sidestep the traffic by going early in the morning before most others get on the road. Whether that works or not remains to be seen. I’ll report back about it after Golden Week is over. Till then, happy Golden Week and safe travels!

People attending the festival will be able to enjoy handicrafts and gardening lessons. Herbal tea will be served for free during the event.

Admission is ¥200.

For more information call (06) 6696-7117.

Today, sakura cherry blossoms are completely opened at 100% and will from this point on begin to fall off the trees.

Japanese call this period of cherry blossom viewing, mankai. Everyone tries to see the blossoms at this point of the season because the trees and flowers are so beautiful. The flowers are opened and the bright white and pinks are at their most vibrant.

From this point on, people will go not only to see the remaining flowers left on the trees, but to see the petals as the fall off and float to the ground resembling snow falling. It is one of the funnest times for children to do hanami and one of the most beautiful.

Japan has decided to give drivers a break in normal driving fees on toll roads and will cap the toll charges at 1000 yen. Drives where distances before the cap were less than 1000 yen will still be less than the 1000-yen cap price, but drives for long disances will be capped at 1000 yen.

Say you wish to drive from Kyoto to Hiroshima. You will be charged about 1200 yen for the drive from Kyoto to the end of Nishinomiya, Kobe (roughly 60km), and then from that point to Hiroshima (320km), you will only be charged 1000 yen. Normally, the drive would cost about 10,000 yen overall, depending on the time you enter and exit the toll road. But the new cap price will no longer depend on the time you enter or exit a toll road and you will only be charged 1000 as long as either the time you enter or exit falls on a weekend day or holiday.

However, this 1000 yen fee does not apply to everyone. In order to receive the discounted 1000-yen-cap-fee, you must have an ETC card (Electronic Toll Collection card). The ETC card can be purchased at any AutoBacs or auto shop and installed for a nominal fee. If you wish to install your ETC card reading machine in your car yourself, it can be done very easily and will save you a few thousand yen in the process.

The capped toll fees of 1000 yen will begin April 1st, 2009 and end two years later. If you have an ETC card now, you will still be able to benefit from somewhat lower prices than those who drive without one. ETC cards also save on having to stop and go at toll booths and lining up behind other cars. The overall savings from having an ETC card, depend on the user. Weigh these points very carefully before you decide to buy one.