Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2011

If you’ve been noticing a lot of pink ribbons, pink bracelets and other pink paraphernalia lately, it’s because we’ve hit breast cancer awareness season (see “Forever Pink,” Body & Soul, October 18). That means it’s time for the Run for the Cure/Walk for Life. Here in Tokyo, it’s held on the track around the Imperial Palace, giving participants something pretty to look at while they run their 10K. Of course, you don’t have to be an athlete in peak form to take part. You can choose a 5K course and take it at a more sedate pace as well. Entertainment and food will be available throughout the day, and funds raised will go towards the Run for the Cure Foundation’s efforts to battle breast cancer. Registration is available in advance or on the day. Nov 26, 9am-2pm. Adult registration ¥5,000, kids ¥2,500, under-5s free. Hibiya Park Chiyoda-ku. Nearest stn: Hibiya or Kasumagaseki. www.runforthecure.org.

Listen up, classical music aficionados: the Tokyo Sinfonia, a 19-piece orchestra nurturing the next generation of players and audience members, is recruiting volunteers. In particular, they would love to find a computer-savvy person to take their website in hand and help keep it up to date, even if that is just posting their bi-weekly newsletters and PDFs of their leaflets. They are also looking for people to help around performance time for pre-concert preparation and for post-concert reparation. This could be a fruitful experience for young musicians, but anyone with an interest is encouraged to get in touch. Contact Mari Baba at mari@tokyosinfonia.com or 03-3588-0738.