The City of Osaka realizes the administration's increasing
responsibility for promoting culture in the city as people's
demand and interest in culture continue to diversify. Aiming
to advance the comprehensive development of culture from
a long-term point of view, the city established Cultural
Promotion Project Center in July, 1991 and has conducted
various cultural projects in cooperation with citizens and
local businesses.
1. Promotion of Culture for Citizens
1 Financial support for groups and projects of cultural interest
The city provides financial aid to Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra
and support their activities to contribute to the improvement
of musical culture in the city. Such aid is also given to groups
and projects of cultural interest whose activities are beneficial
to the cultural improvement in the city.
2 Local cultural projects
The city aims to provide the Osaka City citizens with an occasion
to enjoy an artistic performance in a more relaxed, familiar
way and also to improve the communication among performers
and between performers and the citizens. For this purpose,
the city has conducted the following projects and has encouraged
artistic and cultural activities in the city with a future
expansion of Osaka culture in sight:
- Circuit events
- Establishment of local culture center
- Establishment of information networks
- Performing arts promotion projects
3 City Hall Festival
The city holds City Hall Festival several times a year at
the entrance of the city hall building. The program of
the festival varies from classical music, Japanese traditional
music to performing arts and more. Citizens chosen by drawing
are invited to the festival for free to enjoy the performance
and also to become more familiar with the city hall.
4 Establishment of great writers' monuments and memorial
event
The city has built fifteen monuments of Japanese great writers
in related locations, such as their birthplace and the scenes
in the novels, and has organized an annual memorial event "Bungakuhi-no
tsudoi (gathering for commemoration of the monuments)."
5 Orchestra Experience Day for Youth
The city regularly organizes an Orchestra Experience Day
for Youth to give young people an opportunity to enjoy classical
music in a friendly atmosphere by practicing and playing
with professional orchestra musicians. This project aims
to encourage the interest in music among young people, to
expand the population of classical music fans, and to raise
an audience who will support the musical culture in the future.
6 Bunraku appreciation events
The city organizes a variety of bunraku appreciation events
for students and citizens to become more familiar with bunraku.
Such events include Citizen Bunraku Appreciation Day, Student
Bunraku Appreciation Day, and summer special family discount.
7 Studio rental at Osaka Philharmonic Hall
Osaka Philharmonic Hall is a concert hall built exclusively
for classical music. Its facilities include a main hall with
a seating capacity of 310, one large studio (90 square meters)
and two medium studios (40 square meters each). While the
hall is mainly used by the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra for
their practice, its studios are available to rent to the
citizens for their music practice and presentation.
2. Promotion of Art and Artistic
Performance
1 Promotion of performing arts
Aiming to promote the performing arts, the city has started
the "performing arts support project" and has provided
financial aid to groups and individuals of performers who
are highly motivated for their creative activities. The aid
is intended to support the expense of their public performance.
The city also has conducted the "performing arts appreciation
project" to provide the opportunity to the citizens
to enjoy fine performing arts for a discounted rate.
2 Osaka European Movie Festival
Aiming to contribute to the international cultural exchange
and the development of image culture in Osaka, the city annually
organizes Osaka European Movie Festival that features various
European films and symposiums with celebrity guests.
3 Osaka Culture Festival
The city designates two months of October and November every
year as a period of Osaka Culture Festival, jointly with
Osaka Prefecture. Superior performances and performers among
the entries will be honored with the following prizes:
1) Osaka bunka (culture) prize / Osaka geijutsu (art) prize
-- given to performers who showed notable cultural and/or
artistic performance
2) Osaka bunkasai (culture festival) prize -- given to performances
which were able to produce significant results
4 Sakuya-konohana prize
Sakuya-konohana prize is given to newly-discovered talented
personalities in five categories (art, music, theater/dance,
popular entertainment, literature), who promise to support
the culture in Osaka in the future.
5 Preservation and promotion of traditional art and culture
- Support for Bunraku Kyokai
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