Tomodachi is a Japanese word meaning “friends.” Help us celebrate the spirit of friendship through activities, art and food that showcase Japan, its people and rich history. Activities will include Kamishibi storytelling, singing and dancing, origami art, kimono try-ons, and Japanese inspired refreshments.The event, presented by the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania, runs from 2:00 to 5:00 pm in the Children's section of the library, and is free and open to the public. The library is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map) and is accessible by buses 28X, 54, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71A, 71B, 71C, 71D, and 93.
Saturday, March 31, 2018
7th annual Tomodachi Festival at Carnegie Library in Oakland, April 28.
The Main Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host the 7th annual Tomodachi Festival on Saturday, April 28.
Friday, March 30, 2018
Thursday, March 29, 2018
2018 Korean Food Bazaar (제23회 선교바자회), May 5 in Shadyside.
Look for the 2018 Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh Korean Food Bazaar (제23회 선교바자회) on Saturday, May 5, from 10:30 to 4:00 pm. The highly-anticipated annual Korean food festival is in its 23rd year, and is held at 821 S. Aiken Ave. in Shadyside (map).
Pittsburgh Taiko beginners' workshop, Saturdays from March 31.
A Pittsburgh-area Japanese drumming group, Pittsburgh Taiko, will offer beginners' workshops Saturdays this spring, starting March 31.
The Slow Way Home, a documentary on "how a society intent on keeping streets safe for kids made them walkable for everyone," at Pitt on April 3.
A 2016 documentary The Slow Way Home, followed by a discussion with the producer, will play at the University of Pittsburgh on April 3.
The way children travel to school structures daily life for families around the world—but differs dramatically. In Japan, 98 percent of children walk to school every day, unaccompanied by a parent. In the United States, just 13 percent of children walk or bike to school, and most are driven to school by a parent.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Book launch for Zouping Revisited, March 29 at Pitt.
The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and Graduate School of Public and International Affairs will present a book launch for the forthcoming Zouping Revisited: Adaptive Governance in a Chinese County on March 29.
Monday, March 26, 2018
Mongolia's HAYA making US debut at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, April 5.
The Mongolian music group Haya (Хаяа), will make its US debut on April 5 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. A profile of the "Migrations" concert, from its management company:
“Migration” is about searching for one’s own spiritual home, experiencing the beauty of life itself, and returning to a simplistic, survivalist lifestyle. HAYA Band’s “Migration” Concert employs innovative musical language alongside classic traditional songs, fusing a variety of musical elements such as chants, the Mongolian horsehead fiddle, plucked string instruments, throat singing, and shaman drums. Their music is refined and captivating. Their shows have a distinct “ceremonious” feel. Migration provides us with a path for escape from this fast-paced modern world, a contemporary migration to another realm, one surrounded by the wonders of nature and life.Tickets for the 8:00 pm show are available for $16 to $30 online. IUP is located roughly 60 miles east of Pittsburgh, and the concert will be held in the Fisher Auditorium of the IUP Performing Arts Center (map).
Sunday, March 25, 2018
2016 film Violent Prosecutor (검사외전) at Pitt for annual Korean Film Festival, March 30.
The second half of Pitt's 15th annual Korean Film Festival is the 2016 crime drama Violent Prosecutor (검사외전) on March 30. Han Cinema summarizes film:
An investigator (Hwang Jung-min) who was framed and put in prison, holds hands with a fraud (Gang Dong-won) and attempts to clear his name.The movie starts at 5:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.
Saturday, March 24, 2018
MEPPI Japan Lecture Series - A City of Consumption: The Woodblock Print Industry in Edo Japan, March 29 at Carnegie Museum of Art.
Nihonbashi (日本橋)
The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania will present its next event in the MEPPI Japan Lecture Series on March 29 to kick-off a new exhibition of Utagawa Hiroshige prints at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Dr. Brenda Jordan's talk, "A City of Consumption: The Woodblock Print Industry in Edo Japan," offers a preview of the theme and the collection:
The city of Edo (Tokyo) was the largest city in the world by 1800, and a city of commercial and artistic life. In this talk, Dr. Jordan will highlight one of the defining arts of this period in Japan—the industry of the colored woodblock print. Designed and produced by a collaborative process, and sold to people from all walks of life, nineteenth century Japanese prints provide a window into Edo urban culture—what people thought was important, what they liked to do, and where their interests lay. After the lecture, the Hiroshige exhibit will be open to the attendees. This event will serve as a kickoff event for the Hiroshige exhibit, which will be open from March 31 to July 8, 2018.
Friday, March 23, 2018
2017 Chinese animated film Have a Nice Day (大世界) just announced for Pittsburgh, April 6 - 19.
The 2017 Chinese animated film Have a Nice Day (大世界) will play in Pittsburgh from April 6 through April 19. The distributor offers a summary:
A hard rain is about to fall on a small town in Southern China.
In a desperate attempt to find money to save his fiancée’s failed plastic surgery, Xiao Zhang, a mere driver, steals a bag containing 1 million from his boss.
News of the robbery spreads fast within the town and, over the course of one night, everyone starts looking for Xiao Zhang and his money…
Liu Jian delivers a whirlwind neo-noir, cementing his place as a pioneering force in independent Chinese animation.
Japanese-language-only screenings of Yojimbo (用心棒) and Your Name (君の名は) at Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival.
There will be Japanese-language-only screenings of Yojimbo (用心棒) and Your Name (君の名は) at the Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival, which starts next month at the Row House Cinema. The no-subs-no-dubs screening of Kurosawa's Yojimbo runs from 10:00 to 11:30 am on April 8, and the Japanese-language-only screening of Your Name runs from 10:00 to 11:45 am on the 15th.
Tickets for these, and all other events, are available online via the festival's website. The Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival, now in its third year, runs from April 6 through 19 and features 10 Japanese movies across genres and decades, and will play at the single-screen theater in Lawrenceville (map).
2017 documentary The Departure, on punk-turned-priest Ittetsu Nemoto, at CMU International Film Festival, March 30.
The 2017 documentary The Departure will play at the Carnegie Mellon University International Film Festival on Friday, March 30. Its subject is Ittestsu Nemoto,
a former punk-turned-Buddhist-priest in Japan, has made a career out of helping suicidal people find reasons to live. But this work has come increasingly at the cost of his own family and health, as he refuses to draw lines between his patients and himself. The Departure captures Nemoto at a crossroads, when his growing self-destructive tendencies lead him to confront the same question his patients ask him: what makes life worth living?Tickets for the screening are available online. It will play at McConomy Auditorium (map) from 7:00 pm, and the evening also includes a discussion panel.
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Screening of documentary Barefoot Doctor Sun Lizhe, with Q&A with doctor, at Pitt on March 27.
The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center presents a screening of the documentary Barefoot Doctor Sun Lizhe, followed by a question-and-answer session the doctor, on March 27.
King Hu's Legend of the Mountain (山中传奇) in Pittsburgh one more day, March 25.
Pittsburgh Filmmakers and the Silk Screen Asian Arts & Cultural Organization are showing a different classic Asian film each month, with King Hu's 1979 movie Legend of the Mountain (山中传奇) set to play once more in March.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
"Feeling of Freedom: Japanese and American Wartime Films on the Liberation of the Philippines, 1943-45," March 26 at Pitt.
Via 서울대학교.
The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Takashi Fujitani and his talk "Feeling of Freedom: Japanese and American Wartime Films on the Liberation of the Philippines, 1943-45" on March 26.
IUP hiring language instructor fluent in Japanese and Korean.
Summary
The Department of Foreign Languages at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) invites applicants for anticipated full-time, and temporary faculty position for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Duties
Teach elementary, intermediate, and advanced Japanese and Korean.
Position Qualifications
Fluency in Japanese and Korean. A master's degree in Foreign Languages, Education, or a related field are required. Ph.D. is preferred. Ongoing research and publications appropriate to one's area of specialty are expected, and teaching or field experience is preferred.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple (文豪ストレイドッグス Dead Apple) in Pittsburgh, from May 2.
The 2018 adaptation of the movie and anime series Bungo Stray Dogs will play at the Southside Works Cinema on May 2, May 5, and May 6. The theater provides a synopsis of Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple (文豪ストレイドッグス Dead Apple):
Tickets now available for third annual Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival.
Tickets for the third annual Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival at the Row House Cinema are now for sale. The festival runs from April 6 through 19, and the lineup this year includes 10 films:
- Antiporno (アンチポルノ)
- Neko Atsume House (ねこあつめの家)
- Godzilla (ゴジラ), 1954 version
- Sailor Moon: Live Musical
- Sanjuro (椿三十郎)
- Stray Cat Rock (野良猫ロック セックスハンター)
- The Day of the Western Sunrise
- Urotsukidoji: Legend Of The Overfiend
- Wild Zero (ワイルド ゼロ)
- Yojimbo (用心棒)
- Your Name (君の名は)
Tickets and showtime information is available at the festival's official website. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).
"China's Constitutional Changes: Discussion," tonight at Pitt.
The University of Pittsburgh's Global Citizen Lab will hold a discussion on China's Constitutional Changes on March 20 at 9:00 pm. The event features Dr. Jono Smith of the Department of History. It will be held in 218 Cathedral of Learning (map), free and open to the public.
Monday, March 19, 2018
2008 Studio Ghibli film Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) at Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters, March 25, 26, 28.
The 2008 Studio Ghibli film Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) will play at Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters on March 25, 26, and 28 as the first installment of this year's GKIDS Ghibli Fest. A 2009 Roger Ebert review introduces the film, which was the highest-grossing movie in Japan in 2008:
There is a word to describe “Ponyo,” and that word is magical. This poetic, visually breathtaking work by the greatest of all animators has such deep charm that adults and children will both be touched. It’s wonderful and never even seems to try: It unfolds fantastically.The English-dubbed version will play on the 25th and 28th, and the English-subtitled version on the 26th; both versions will play at the Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, North Hills, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. (On the Cinemark site linked above, enter your zip code to find ticket information.)
The G-rated feature tells a story both simple and profound. Sosuke, a 5-year-old who lives in a house on a seaside cliff, finds a goldfish trapped in a jar on the beach. This is Ponyo. Freeing her, he is rewarded by a lick on a finger that heals a cut. And by tasting human blood, we learn, Ponyo gains the ability to transform between fish and human.
"Storytime: Chinese and English" at Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill, March 24.
The Squirrel Hill branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host its next "Storytime: Chinese and English" on March 24.
Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Chinese. For children birth – 5 years and their caregivers.It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am and is free and open to the public. The Carnegie Library branch in Squirrel Hill is located at 5801 Forbes Ave. (map), accessible by buses 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, and 74.
Colloquium: On Cold War Ruins: Transpacific Critique of American Justice and Japanese War Crimes, March 26 at Pitt.
The University of Pittsburgh's Humanities Center will host Dr. Lisa Yoneyama of the University of Toronto and her colloquium "On Cold War Ruins: Transpacific Critique of American Justice and Japanese War Crimes" on March 26.
Friday, March 16, 2018
WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) hiring bilingual English-Mandarin Manager of School Relations.
Pittsburgh-based Chinese education consulting and placement firm WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) has announced an opening for a bilingual English-Mandarin Manager of School Relations.
Night Market 2018 at Pitt, March 23.
The University of Pittsburgh's Chinese American Student Association will host Night Market 2018 on March 23.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
A Taxi Driver (탁시운전사) at Pitt for annual Korean Film Festival, March 16.
The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will 2017's A Taxi Driver (탁시운전사) on March 16 as the first installment of its 15th annual Korean Film Festival. A 2017 Maggie Lee review in Variety summarizes A Taxi Driver:
Revisiting the 1980 Gwangju Massacre, a landmark historical event in South Korea’s march towards democracy, director Jang Hoon brings a sappy, feel-good touch to a tragic subject by focusing on the bond between a German reporter (Thomas Kretschmann) and the taxi driver (Song Kang-ho) who helped him get the news out to the world.
WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) hiring Mandarin-speaking pre-sales specialist.
Pittsburgh-based Chinese education consulting and placement firm WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) has announced an opening for a Mandarin-speaking pre-sales specialist (前期销售专员).
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Top Chinese movie of 2018, Operation Red Sea (红海行动), continues in Pittsburgh through March 21 (at least).
The highest-grossing movie in Mainland China this year, Operation Red Sea (红海行动), will continue in Pittsburgh for at least a fourth week, through March 21. The Chinese-Hong Kong film, currently #2 movie in Mainland China behind Black Panther, opened at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater on February 23. The production company provides a synopsis:
The Chinese Navy’s Jiaolong (“Sea Dragon”) Assault Team is famed for its skill in getting the job done. After its success in rescuing a cargo ship hijacked by pirates off the Somalia coast, the team is assigned an even more perilous mission. A coup in a North African republic has left local Chinese residents in danger, circumstances further complicated by a terrorist plot to obtain nuclear materials. The situation could prove fatal to the hostages and disastrous to the entire region, and presents Jiaolong with a challenge that threatens the very existence of the team and its members.Tickets and showtime information is available via Fandango. The theater is located at 300 West Waterfront Dr. in the Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead (map), across the Monongahela River from Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, and the rest of Pittsburgh.
Chinese animated film Big Fish & Begonia (大鱼海棠) just announced for Pittsburgh, April 11 and 12.
The 2016 Chinese animated film Big Fish & Begonia (大鱼海棠) is getting a limited release in the US, and the distributor recently announced dates for Pittsburgh screenings in April. A glowing Variety review summarizes:
In the history of Chinese animation, there has never been a film like “Big Fish & Begonia.” Certainly, precedents exist in American and Japanese cartoons (at its core, the film could be a cross between Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and Studio Ghibli’s “Spirited Away”), but as far as the Chinese industry goes, this bold and breathtaking fantasy adventure stands alone.
Quick-serve ramen restaurant BOOM Noodles coming to Southpointe.
BOOM Noodles will open in a former Saga hibachi restaurant at Southpointe Town Center, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times today. It is a new venture by AMPD Group, which operates (among others) Steel Cactus and Social House Seven, the latter an Asian-themed bar and restaurant downtown. No opening date has been announced.
Working from some of the recipes of AMPD’s downtown Asian cuisine restaurant Social House 7, AMPD will open BOOM Noodles, which DeSimone describes as a quick-serve Ramen restaurant. BOOM Noodles will be watched by AMPD for potential to expand elsewhere.BOOM Noodles and a new Steel Cactus location will occupy a space formerly occuped by Saga Japanese Restaurant in Canonsburg's Southpointe Town Center (map).
ORIENTED, featuring ceramic artists who identify with both Western and Eastern cultures, in Pittsburgh from March 13 to 17.
From "Culture Blind" by Stephen Young Lee.
The 2018 National Council On Education For The Ceramic Arts will bring hundreds of national and international artists to venues across Pittsburgh in March. One exhibition of particular relevance here is ORIENTED, on display from March 13 to 17, which
explores the concept of ceramists who identify with both Western and Eastern cultures; their stories are unique and give a taste of what goes on in contemporary America.Featured are Adam Chau, Ayumi Horie, Steven Lee, Jennifer Ling Datchuk, and Beth Lo.
China-Africa Railway Crossings: Building the TAZARA Railway, March 19 at Pitt.
The University of Pittsburgh's African Studies Program hosts Dr. Jamie Monson and her talk "China-Africa Railway Crossings: Building the TAZARA Railway" on March 19.
Monday, March 12, 2018
HCL Technologies hiring Bilingual Japanese Product Analyst for position onsite at Google.
Billingual Japanese Product Identity Analyst is a full-time job through HCL America, Inc. onsite at Google Pittsburgh. This position requires entrepreneurial drive to contribute to the long-term growth of online shopping by performing in-depth research, analyzing product specification data, using highly technical internal tools and processes to manage and enhance a large repository of knowledge about products. It is part of a fast-paced environment, partnering closely with operations and engineering teams.
Sunday, March 11, 2018
"Archaeology for the People: A Review of Public Archaeology in China," March 16 at Pitt.
Public excavation of Xiyang Lou, via Chinese Social Sciences Net.
The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Anthropology will host Tao Wang of Capital Normal University (Beijing) and his talk "Archaeology for the People: A Review of Public Archaeology in China" on March 16.
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Pirates sign 18-year-old Korean shortstop Ji-Hwan Bae.
Via Joong-ang Ilbo.
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed 18-year-old Korean shortstop Ji-Hwan Bae (배지환), according to Pirates Prospects. Bae, from Daegu, signed with Atlanta in September 2017 but his contract, along with 12 others, was voided in November. Not counting Jung-ho Kang, who remains out of the country because of legal issues, Bae is the only Korean player in the Pirates system, though at this point he is still several years away from figuring into plans at the Major League level.
Friday, March 9, 2018
K-Day Radio Show, a K-pop program at Point Park University, is giving away two pairs of tickets to the April San E and Mad Clown show.
San E (산이) and Mad Clown (매드클라운) are coming to Pittsburgh on April 10, and a local K-pop radio station is giving away two pairs of tickets. K-Day Radio Show, a K-pop program on the Point Park University radio station, is giving away one pair through its Facebook page and one pair through its Instagram page. Winners will be announced March 28.
Thursday, March 8, 2018
A Taxi Driver (탁시운전사), Violent Prosecutor (검사외전) at Pitt for annual Korean Film Festival, starting March 16.
The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will present two Korean films for its 15th annual Korean Film Festival: 2017's A Taxi Driver (탁시운전사) on March 16 and 2016's Violent Prosecutor (검사외전) on March 30.
Pitt hiring native Chinese speakers as "language buddies" for this summer's STARTALK program.
The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is hiring 20 native Chinese speakers for this summer's STARTALK program. From the job posting:
Pitt Chinese STARTALK program hosted by the Department is East Asian Languages and Literature is seeking a student Language Buddy. The Language Buddy (LB) will work under the Lead Teacher to provide one-on-one practice in Chinese with high school students for one hour daily from 1:00-2:00 PM from June 21 to July 13, 2018. We strive to create an encouraging environment where students can freely explore Chinese language and culture. If you are patient, open-minded, and enjoy being around teenagers, we welcome you to join our team.
Job Requirements
• Attend orientation on June 18th (Monday) from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
• Review activity plan before coming to each session
• Attend daily meeting at 12:45 pm
• Fill in the progress report after each session and monitor student performance and progress
• Use maximum Chinese to communicate and interact with high school students
• Must attend every session during the summer camp
• Maintain a professional but friendly relationship with students
Gyotaku: The Art of Japanese Fish Printing, March 10 at Society for Contemporary Craft.
gyotaku by Nora Gomez (Creative Commons)
The Society for Contemporary Craft will host Gyotaku: The Art of Japanese Fish Printing on March 10.
Learn the 400 year old Japanese art of Gyotaku Students will create an image of a fish and other natural objects with relief surfaces with exacting detail! This technique uses block print Ink, rice papers, acrylic and watercolor paints. Students will take home a fish print ready to mount and frame.
Free! Take Your Marks (特別版 Free!-Take Your Marks-」) in Pittsburgh, March 14.
The 2017 anime film Free! Take Your Marks (特別版 Free!-Take Your Marks-」) will play at Southside Works Cinema on March 14, part of a one-day screening in the US.
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Top movie in China, Operation Red Sea (红海行动), continues in Pittsburgh through March 14 (at least).
The top movie in China right now, Operation Red Sea (红海行动), will continue in Pittsburgh for at least a third week, through March 14. The Chinese-Hong Kong film, currently the top movie in Mainland China and the highest-grossing Chinese film of 2018 so far, opened at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater on February 23. The production company provides a synopsis:
The Chinese Navy’s Jiaolong (“Sea Dragon”) Assault Team is famed for its skill in getting the job done. After its success in rescuing a cargo ship hijacked by pirates off the Somalia coast, the team is assigned an even more perilous mission. A coup in a North African republic has left local Chinese residents in danger, circumstances further complicated by a terrorist plot to obtain nuclear materials. The situation could prove fatal to the hostages and disastrous to the entire region, and presents Jiaolong with a challenge that threatens the very existence of the team and its members.Tickets and showtime information is available via Fandango. The theater is located at 300 West Waterfront Dr. in the Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead (map), across the Monongahela River from Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, and the rest of Pittsburgh.