Japan

JAPAN RUGBY TOP LEAGUE 2010-2011 (Tokyo): Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m., NTT Communications Shining Arcs vs. Kubota Spears; Sept. 18, 5 p.m., Ricoh Black Rams vs. Fukuoka Sanix Blues; 7 p.m., Sanyo Electric Co. Wild Knights vs. Yamaha Jubilo; Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m., NEC Green Rockets vs. Toshiba Brave Lupus; Oct. 2, noon, Richo Black Rams vs. Coca Cola West Red Sparks; 2 p.m., Suntory Sungoliath vs. Toyota Industries Corporation Shuttles; Oct. 16, noon, Kubota Spears vs. Toyota Industries Corporation Shuttles; 2 p.m., NEC Green Rockets Ricoh vs. Sanyo Electric Co. Wild Knights; Oct. 23, noon, Suntory Sungoliath vs. Yamaha Jubilo; 2 p.m., Toshiba Brave Lupus vs. Kubota Spears; Nov. 27, noon, Ricoh Black Rams vs. Verblitz; 2 p.m., Sunotory Sungoliath vs. NTT Communications Shining Arcs; Dec. 11, noon, Toshiba Brave Lupus vs. Kobelco Steelers; 2 p.m., Sanyo Electric Co. Wild Knights vs. Suntory Sungoliath; Dec. 25, noon, NTT Communications Shining Arcs vs. Yamaha Jubilo; 2 p.m., NEC Green Rockets vs. Kintetsu Liners; Jan. 10, noon, Sanyo Electric Co. Wild Knights vs. Verblitz; 2 p.m., Toshiba Brave Lupus vs. Suntory Sungoliath; Prince Chichibu Rugby Stadium, five-minute walk from Gaien-mae Station on Ginza Line; 1,500-3,000-4,000 yen adults, 500 yen senior, junior high & elementary school students; 03-3401-3290; www.top-league.jp/ (Japanese only).

ASAHI BEER OKTOBERFEST IN HIBIYA (Tokyo): ends Sept. 17, 5-10:30 p.m.; annual Oktoberfest at Hibiya Park, with performances by the Queen of Yodeling Veronika Lenz and Bavarian folk music band Top 4 Plus; two-minute walk from Hibiya Station on Hibiya Line or Mita Line, Kasumigaseki Station on Chiyoda or Marunouchi Line or eight-minute walk from JR Yurakucho Station; www.oktoberfest.jp/index.html (Japanese only).

INDY JAPAN 300 MILE (Tochigi prefecture): Sept. 17-19; IRL IndyCar Series Round 16 at Twin Ring Motegi: Sept.17, friendship day; Sept.18, practice & qualification; Sept.19, race 1 p.m.; adult 6,000-9,000-14,000-19,000 yen, children (4-15) 500-4,300 yen; two-hour and 30-minute drive from Tokyo taking Tohoku Express, then get off at Kanuma IC and take Route 123 or a 100-minute drive from Tokyo taking Joban Express, then get off at Naka IC and take Route 123; 0285-64-0080; www.twinring.jp/indyjapan/ or www.mobilityland.co.jp/indyjapan/.

KISHIWADA DANJIRI MATSURI (southern Osaka): Sept. 18, 6 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sept. 19, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; this 300-year-old festival features towering floats decorated with images of samurai warriors is one of the most popular and most dangerous; Kishiwada city, by train: take Nankai Line to Kishiwada Station, by car: take Hanshin Kosoku Wangan Express to Kishiwada Minami Interchange, or Kishiwada Interchange or Hanwa Jidoshado Express to Kishiwada Izumi Interchange; 0724-36-0914; www.city.kishiwada.osaka.jp/site/danjiri/english.html.

JAPAN BEER FESTIVAL IN YOKOHAMA (Yokohama): Sept. 18, 2 -6 p.m., Sept.; 19, 1 -5 p.m., Sept. 20, noon-4 p.m., at Osanbashi Yokohama Passenger Terminal Hall; taste more than 200 varieties of beer from more than 50 brewers; seven-minute walk from Nihon Daigaku-dori Station on Minato Mirai Line or a 15-minute walk from JR Kan-nai Station; 4,100 yen (advance ticket); 090-3488-7000; www.beertaster.org/gjbf/date.htm.

TOKYO GAME SHOW 2010 (Chiba prefecture): Sept. 18-19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; at one of the biggest game shows globally, see advance games, software and cellular phone content; Makuhari Messe, five-minute walk from Kaihin Makuhari Station on JR Keiyo-Line; 1,200 yen; 03-5541-6802; tgs.cesa.or.jp/.

SUPER TRACK AND FIELD MEET IN KAWASAKI (Kanagawa prefecture): Sept. 19, 2:30 p.m.; top world athletes compete in track and field; Todoroki Track and Field Stadium, 15-minute walk from Musashi Nakahara Station on JR Nanbu-Line; 2,000-3,000-4,000 yen adults, 1,500 yen junior and senior high scholl students, free ages younger than 12; 03-5974-1160; www.super-meet.com/160160ENGLISH160160/GeneralInformation/tabid/126/Default.aspx.

SAMUKAWA SHRINE FESTIVAL (Kanagawa Prefecture): 1 p.m. Sept. 19, 10 a.m. Sept. 20; Sept. 19-20; annual festival to wish peace and prosperity with a Yabusame performance — the archer riding on a horseback shoots an arrow at a target — at 2 p.m. Sept. 19; five-minute walk from Miyayama Station, JR Sagami Line; 0467-75-0004; www.samukawa-jinja.or.jp/info/in03.htm (Japanese only).

FUJI YOSHIDA HORSEBACK ARCHERY (Yamanashi prefecture): Sept. 19; Started in 1176, the festival features Yabusame, an archer riding on a horseback shooting an arrow at a target, and it is different from other festivals because local residents pray for the coming year while forecasting using horses’ footprints after Yabusame performances at Shimo Yoshida Komuro Asama Shrine; performances start 1 p.m. Sept. 19; two-minute walk from Shimo Yoshida Station on Fuji Kyuko Line, Fuji Yoshida city, 0555-22-1025; www.fujiyoshida.net/forms/info/info.aspx?info_id=2103 (Japanese only).

OEDO ANTIQUE FAIR (Tokyo): Sept. 19, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; more than 250 licensed antique dealers participate;Tokyo International Forum, 3-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; One-minute walk from JR Yurakucho Station; 03-5805-1093; www.medissue.co.jp/oedo-antique/.

MINI CONCERT AT KYU-IWASAKI-TEI GARDEN (Tokyo): Sept. 19 & 26, 1 & 3 p.m.; mini concerts for visitors to Kyu-Iwasaki-Tei Garden, formerly a country house of Iwasaki Family; 400 yen to enter the garden; 1-3-45 Ikenohata, Taito-ku, Tokyo; three-minute walk from Yushima Station, Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line; 03-3823-8033; www.tokyo-park.or.jp/.

AJINOMOTO STADIUM BIG FLEA MARKET (Tokyo): Sept. 20, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; about 800 booths; 300 yen; five-minute walk from Tobitakyu Station, Keio Line; 03-3226-6800; www.recycler.org/.

RESPECT-FOR-THE-AGED DAY (national holiday): Sept. 20; Respect-for-the-Aged Day is a Japanese national holiday called Keiro no hi and is a day when Japanese people show respect to long-time contributors to society and celebrate their longevity and pray for their health. Japan has the longest life expectancy of any country in the world.

YONEX OPEN JAPAN 2010 BADMINTON BWF SUPER SERIES (Tokyo): Sept. 21-26, 32 singles and pair teams battle for $200,000 prizes; Tokyo Gymnasium; 500 yen adults Sept. 21, 2,000-3,500 yen adults Sept. 22-25, 3,500-6,000 yen adults Sept. 25-26; Sendagaya Station on Sobu-Line; 03-3481-2382; www.yonexopenjp.com/ (Japanese only).

AUTUMNAL EQUINOX DAY: Sept. 23; Sept. 23 marks the beginning of fall and is a Japanese national holiday to pay respect to deceased ancestors. Japanese people visit temples and cemeteries and put flowers and offer incense for the repose of the deceased.

TOKYO BAY CRUISE: ends Sept. 23, 7:15 p.m.; leaves Takehashi Pier Terminal; includes dinner; 2,500 yen adults, 1,000 yen senior & junior high school students, 500 yen elementary school students; 03-3437-6119.

OHARA NAKED FESTIVAL (Chiba prefecture): Sept. 23-24; in Ohara district of Isumi City (on the Pacific coast), crowds carry mikoshi (portable shrines) to the Ohara fishing harbor to be blessed by a Shinto priest and ask the gods for bountiful crops and nets full of fish, then carry the 18 mikoshis into the sea, in an event known as Shiofumi (tide stepping); 047-062-1111.

GRAND SUMO SEPTEMBER TOURNAMENT (Tokyo): ends Sept. 26; Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo. Ryogoku Station, JR Sobu Line; 3,600-4,900-8,200 yen; 0570-02-9111; http://t.pia.jp/sports/sports.

MAMMALS DIVERSITY IN MARINE ADAPTION EXHIBITION (Tokyo): ends Sept. 26, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (Fri., 9 a.m.-8 p.m., closed Sept. 13); see 150 specimens including fossils, stuffed animals & skeletal structures; National Science Museum, five-minute walk from JR Ueno Station, 10-minute walk from Ueno Station on Ginza-Line and Hibiya-Line; 1,400 yen adults, 500 yen children; 03-5777-8600; www.asahi.com/mammal/ (Japanese only).

THE DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (Tokyo): ends Sept. 26, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. (night museum: 10:15-11:30 p.m. Fri.); exhibition of Frenguellisaurus, discovered in San Juan, Argentina, and believed to be oldest dinosaur on Earth (228,000,000 years ago), , Panphagia protos, Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis, Saurosuchus, and Exaeretodon, including 80 fossils, skeletal structures and reconstructed biological models; Mori Arts Museum Center Gallery 52nd floor; 1,500 yen adults, 1,000 yen senior & junior high school students, 500 yen children; from Roppongi Station on Hibiya-Line or four-minute walk from Oedo-Line; 03-5777-8600; www.kyoryu-saiko.jp (Japanese only).

CORMORANT FISHING (UKAI) (Gifu prefecture): ends Oct. 15; cormorant fishing on Nagara River in Gifu prefecture is a traditional type of fishing in Japan and more than 40 sightseeing ships are set on Nagara at 6:15 p.m., 6:45 p.m. & 7:15 p.m. to observe usho fishermen catch sweetfish using trained cormorants; fare is 3,000 -3,300 yen; Nagara River Cormorant Fishing Boat Reservations 058-262-0104; www.kankou-gifu.jp/en/ukai/index.html. Other places to observe cormorant fishing are Uji River in Kyoto (0774-23-3334), Katsura River in Kyoto (075-861-0302), Kiso River in Inuyama city, Aichi prefecture (0568-61-0057), Hiji River in Oozu, Ehime prefecture (0893-24-2664) and Nishiki River in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi prefecture (0827-41-0470 or www.ukai-iwakuni.com/).

COSMOS MATSURI (Kanagawa Prefecture): ends Oct. 24, more than a million cosmos flowers with zinnias and sunflowers at Kurihama Hana no Kuni (Flower World); 15-minute walk from Kurihama Station on Keihin Kyuko Line or JR Yokosuka Line; 0468-33-8282; www.kanagawaparks.com/yokosuka/kurihama/index.html (Japanese only).

TOKYO BIG SIX BASEBALL LEAGUE (Tokyo): ends Oct. 31, Keio University, 2010 spring tournament champion will challenge to win consecutive tournaments in this event; Jingu Stadium, six-minute walk from JR Suidobashi Station; 1,100 yen for the infield bleachers, 700 yen for the outfield bleachers; 03-3409-5610; www.big6.gr.jp/. “CAPTAIN EO”: (Chiba prefecture): ends June 30; 17-minute 3-D film starring Michael Jackson as “Captain EO,” who leads his crew on an outer space adventure; Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland Station, two-minute monorail ride from Resort Gateway Station/Maihama Station, JR Keiyo Line; 5,800 yen adults, 5,000 yen ages12-17, 3,900 yen ages 4-11, 5,100 yen seniors older than 60; discount Starlight Pass available after 3 p.m.: 4,700 yen adults, 4,100 yen youths, 3,200 yen children); 0570-00-8632; www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/tdr/english/news/index.html.

Okinawa

RYUKYU DYNASTY MOON VIEWING FESTIVAL: ends Sept. 19, 6:30-9 p.m., reproduction of the mid-autumn banquet held during the Ryukyu Dynasty to welcome envoys from China featuring Okinawan traditional performing arts; Shuri Castle Park, 1-2 Shuri Kinjo-cho, Naha city, Okinawa prefecture; 098-886-2020; oki-park.jp/shurijo-park/english/event/index.html.

Korea

ANCIENT CULTURE OF UZBEKISTAN (Seoul): ends Sept. 26; National Museum of Korea; free; 02-2077-9555.

COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS (Seoul): ends Sept. 30; National Museum of Contemporary Art; free; 02-2188-6038.

“JOSEON, LAND OF HATS” (Seoul): ends Oct. 30; Space C, Coreana Art and Culture Complex; 3,000 won adults, 2,000 won for students; 02-547-9177. MUSICAL, “GREASE” (Seoul): open-ended run, 8 p.m., Mon., Wed.-Fri., 3 & 7 p.m., Sat., 2 & 6 p.m., Sun. and holidays, Dongsoong Art Center; 40,000-60,000 won; 1588-5212

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