2008 film Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) in Pittsburgh, May 7, 8, and 10.

The 2008 film Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) will play in Pittsburgh on May 7, 8, and 10, part of this year's Studio Ghibli Fest. From the distributor:

Perfect for audiences of all ages, Ponyo centers on the friendship between five-year-old Sosuke and a magical goldfish named Ponyo, the young daughter of a sorcerer father and a sea-goddess mother. After a chance encounter, Ponyo yearns to become a human so she can be with Sosuke. As to be expected with Miyazaki, the film is awash in pure unbridled imagination and visual wonder — but it is the tender love, humor, and devotion exhibited by Ponyo and Sosuke that form the emotional heart of the film.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the Waterworks Cinema, the Phoenix Theaters Luxury 14 in Bridgeville, and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online; the May 7 shows are dubbed in English, while the May 8 and 10 shows are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Pitt hiring Visiting Instructor of Japanese for Fall 2023 start.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is hiring a Visiting Instructor of Japanese.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for a visiting full-time instructor position in the Japanese language program starting Fall, 2023. Candidates must have native language proficiency; hold an M.A. in linguistics, applied linguistics, second language acquisition, or second language pedagogy; and be authorized to work for the University. Prior experience in teaching Japanese and prior experience in teaching with the performed culture approach is strongly preferred.

2023 Korean Camp, April 27 - 29 in Oakland.

The Community of Reconciliation in Oakland is hosting a Korean Camp April 27 through 29, with introductions to Korean cooking, language, martial arts, games, and more. Registration may be completed online.

2023 Chinese film Born to Fly (长空之王) in Pittsburgh, from April 28.

The 2023 Chinese film Born to Fly (长空之王) will play in Pittsburgh from April 28. From the distributor:

After an unforeseen threat arises mid-air, a talented young air force test pilot (WANG Yibo) is forced to test not only the capabilities of his top-secret aircraft, but also his own physical and psychological limits, in order to survive.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

Fantuan hiring Mandarin-speaking Business Development Specialist for Pittsburgh area.

Fantuan, a delivery service catering to Asian restaurants and groceries that expanded to Pittsburgh in 2020, is hiring a Mandarin-speaking Business Development Specialist.

Fantuan was founded in Vancouver, Canada in 2014. With a mission of “life made easier,” the company is a one-stop platform providing food delivery (Fantuan Delivery), reviews (Fantuan Reviews), an errand service (Fantuan Rush), e-commerce and marketing services. Fantuan is one of the top Asian life-services platforms in North America, currently operating across Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, Los Angeles, New York and other metropolitan areas in Canada and the US.

Job Title: Business Development Specialist

Job Responsibility:

1. Facing local merchants, understand the business status and needs of the merchants, combine the needs of consumers, select and design marketing and operation plans that fit for the merchants, negotiate and reach cooperation with the merchants, and promote the increase of merchant transaction volume.

"Borders vs. Barriers: The World of J-E Translation," part of 2023 Japan Lecture Series, May 4.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania will present Dylan Toda and his talk "Borders vs. Barriers: The World of J-E Translation" as part of the 2023 Japan Lecture Series on May 4 at Carnegie Mellon University.

How do international ideas reach us across a language barrier? Japan ranks 80th in the world for English proficiency, meaning Japanese to English (JE) translation services are high in demand. These two languages, a world apart, have a dynamic and challenging translation field which is powered by technology and expertise. Dylan Toda, a JE academic translator with expertise in the humanities, offers his insight into JE translation and its career paths, latest technologies, greatest challenges, significance, and more.

Join the JASP in learning from this field expert and discovering the fascinating world of JE translation on May 4, 2023. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided.

Dylan Toda is a Japanese to English academic translator, specializing in the fields of Japanese religion, history, and philosophy. He earned a M.A. (Buddhist Studies) from Otani University in Kyoto, Japan and a B.A. (East Asian Studies; Religious Studies minor) from Oberlin College. His translations can be found in many respected academic publications, including International Inoue Enryo Research, Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, The Eastern Buddhist, Journal of International Philosophy, Journal of Religion in Japan, and Japanese Studies. His website is https://www.dylanluerstoda.com.

It runs from 6:00 to 7:45 pm in the Askwith Kenner Global Languages and Cultures Room, Carnegie Mellon University Tepper Quad, Room 1024 (map). The event is free but registration is required.

Ko-Do-Mo no Hi special box at Teppanyaki Kyoto, available for order through May 2.

Teppanyaki Kyoto, a Japanese restaurant in Highland Park, is offering a Ko-Do-Mo no Hi (子供の日) special box for Children's Day, available for order through May 2. Ko-Do-Mo no Hi (Children's Day) falls on May 5 each year. Orders can be placed online through the 2nd for pick up on May 4 or May 5.

2022 Japanese animated film Suzume (すずめの戸締まり) stays in Pittsburgh through May 3.

The 2022 Japanese animated film Suzume (すずめの戸締まり), which opened in Pittsburgh on April 13, will remain here through at least May 3.

On the other side of the door, was time in its entirety— “Suzume” is a coming-of-age story for the 17-year-old protagonist, Suzume, set in various disaster-stricken locations across Japan, where she must close the doors causing devastation. Suzume’s journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu (located in southwestern Japan) when she encounters a young man who tells her, “I’m looking for a door.” What Suzume finds is a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins as though it was shielded from whatever catastrophe struck. Seemingly drawn by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob… Doors begin to open one after another all across Japan, unleashing destruction upon any who are near. Suzume must close these portals to prevent further disaster.

Suzume was the third-highest grossing film in Japan for 2022 and to this point is the third highest-grossing film there in 2023. It plays at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Waterworks Cinema through the 27th and the AMC Loews Waterfront from the 28th through May 3rd. Tickets are available online.

Taste of Asia Asian Food Festival in Pittsburgh, May 25.

The Taste of Asia Asian Food Festival will take place in at the Pittsburgh Playhouse downtown on May 25.

Join us for a celebration of Asian American Heritage month at Taste of Asia, the first Asian-focused food festival in Pittsburgh! We’re bringing together some of the best Asian restaurants in the city to showcase their mouth-watering dishes. Come and sample bites from Shanghai Tokyo, Chengdu Gourmet 2, Zen Asian Diner, and Essence.

The event will be held on Thursday, May 25, from 3:00 – 8:30 PM at the Pittsburgh Playhouse downtown. It’s the perfect opportunity to gather with friends and family and experience a wide variety of Asian cuisine all in one place.

Tickets are available online.

2023 movie Shin Kamen Rider (シン・仮面ライダー) coming to Pittsburgh, May 31.

The latest Kamen Rider movie, Shin Kamen Rider (シン・仮面ライダー), will play in Pittsburgh on May 31.

Hongo Takeshi awakens to discover he has been transformed into a grasshopper-hybrid cyborg. Becoming the Masked Rider, he must fight the mysterious evil organization SHOCKER to protect all of mankind. "SHIN KAMEN RIDER" is Anno Hideaki’s ode to the legendary Tokusatsu franchise, Japan’s biggest hero, and his dearest childhood icon. Go! Go! Let’s go!

It is scheduled to play locally so far at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the AMC Classic South Hills Village, and the Cinemark Theaters in Monaca, North Hills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online.

2022 Japanese animated film Suzume (すずめの戸締まり) stays in Pittsburgh through April 27.

The 2022 Japanese animated film Suzume (すずめの戸締まり), which opened in Pittsburgh on April 13, will remain here through at least April 27.

On the other side of the door, was time in its entirety— “Suzume” is a coming-of-age story for the 17-year-old protagonist, Suzume, set in various disaster-stricken locations across Japan, where she must close the doors causing devastation. Suzume’s journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu (located in southwestern Japan) when she encounters a young man who tells her, “I’m looking for a door.” What Suzume finds is a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins as though it was shielded from whatever catastrophe struck. Seemingly drawn by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob… Doors begin to open one after another all across Japan, unleashing destruction upon any who are near. Suzume must close these portals to prevent further disaster.

Suzume was the third-highest grossing film in Japan for 2022 and to this point is the third highest-grossing film there in 2023. It plays at a variety of local theaters through Friday the 21st, and will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Waterworks Cinema from the 22nd. Tickets are available online.

2022 film Return to Seoul stays in Pittsburgh through April 20.

The 2022 film Return to Seoul, which premiered in Pittsburghon March 23 as part of this year's Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival and stayed in local theaters afterward, will remain in Pittsburgh through April 20.

On an impulse to reconnect with her origins, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.

It plays at the Squirrel Hill Manor and tickets are available online.

Spirited Away: Live on Stage in Pittsburgh-area movie theaters, April 23, 25, 27, and May 2.

Spirited Away: Live on Stage will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters on April 23, 25, 27, and May 2. From the distributor:

Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award®-winning animated feature film comes to life in this first-ever stage adaptation, full of dazzling sets, captivating musical numbers, and wondrous puppets of beloved characters. Adapted and directed by Tony Award®-winner John Caird (Les Misérables), two unique casts and performances were filmed during the show’s acclaimed 2022 run at Tokyo’s historic Imperial Theatre, featuring Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi as Chihiro.

It will play locally at: the AMC Loews Waterfront; the Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, and the North Hills; and the Moviescoop theaters in Waterworks and Cranberry. Tickets are available online.

1985 Japanese film Tampopo (タンポポ) at Row House Cinema, April 21 - 27.

The 1985 Japanese film Tampopo (タンポポ) will play at Row House Cinema from April 21 - 27, part of its Yes Chef film series.

This humorous and endearing ‘Japanese Noodle Western’ is and ode to the joys of food. When a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles, the widowed owner begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the “art of noodle-soup making.”

Tickets are now available. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

2022 film Return to Seoul stays in Pittsburgh through April 12.

The 2022 film Return to Seoul, which premiered in Pittsburghon March 23 as part of this year's Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival and stayed here for another six days, will remain in Pittsburgh through April 12.

On an impulse to reconnect with her origins, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.

It plays at the Harris Theater 5:00 pm each day through the 12th.

Taiwanese bubble tea chain 朝茶 TSAō·CHA / TSAOCAA to open Oakland location.

Taiwanese bubble tea chain 朝茶 TSAō·CHA is coming soon to Oakland. It will be located at 124 Oakland Ave. (map), in what was most recently and briefly Oakland Craft House. The chain also brands itself as Tsaocaa, and opened its extremely popular Squirrel Hill location in 2020.

2021 Taiwanese film A Letter to A'ma (給阿媽的一封信), and Q&A with the director, April 16 at CMU.

The 2021 Taiwanese film A Letter to A'ma (給阿媽的一封信), and Q&A with the director, will play at Carnegie Mellon University on April 16. The event is hosted by the Pittsburgh Taiwanese Association and co-hosted by Café Philo Pittsburgh and the Taiwanese Scholar Society in Pittsburgh.

In A Letter to A’ma, Taiwanese art teacher/filmmaker Hui-Ling returns to her childhood home to mourn the passing of her grandmother. As she pieces together the fragmented memories of her youth, she finds herself coming face-to-face with the problematic issue of her country’s fractured history. Through a student art project guided by this teacher that has lasted for over a decade, a representational portrait of the island’s collective memory begins to emerge, initiating a process in which Taiwan, an island-nation forgotten by the world and in the midst of forgetting itself after centuries of colonization and decades of dictatorship, can now remember its past and re-envision its postcolonial identity through art.

Director Hui-Ling Chen will attend for a post-screening Q&A!

2000 Taiwanese film Yi Yi (一一) in Pittsburgh, April 15 - 20.

The 2000 Taiwanese film Yi Yi (一一) will play in Pittsburgh April 15 through 20. From the distributor:

The extraordinary, internationally embraced Yi Yi (A One and a Two . . .), directed by the late Taiwanese master Edward Yang, follows a middle-class family in Taipei over the course of one year, beginning with a wedding and ending with a funeral. Whether chronicling middle-age father NJ’s tentative flirtations with an old flame or precocious young son Yang-Yang’s attempts at capturing reality with his beloved camera, the filmmaker deftly imbues every gorgeous frame with a compassionate clarity. Warm, sprawling, and dazzling, this intimate epic is one of the undisputed masterworks of the new century.

It plays at the Row House Cinema and tickets are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

2023 Japan Lecture Series - The Physics of the Samurai Sword, April 20 at Cranberry Township Library.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania will present "The Physics of the Samurai Sword" on April 20, part of the 2023 Japan Lecture Series.

Ever wonder why samurai swords occupy such a revered place in the art of weaponry? The curved blades have become so popular in media that many English speakers know their name - katana. The physics behind a katana are complex and involve a combination of metallurgy, materials science, and manufacturing techniques. Swords of other shapes and lengths complemented the use of the katana in battle and cultural significance.

Learn more about the history, development, and use of these blades on April 20, 2023. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided.

The talk by Matthew Roberts of Pine-Richaland High School runs from 6:00 to 7:45 pm at the Cranberry Township Library (map). The event is free but registration is required.

2022 Japanese animated film Suzume (すずめの戸締まり) in Pittsburgh, from April 13.

The 2022 Japanese animated film Suzume (すずめの戸締まり) will play in Pittsburgh from April 13.

On the other side of the door, was time in its entirety— “Suzume” is a coming-of-age story for the 17-year-old protagonist, Suzume, set in various disaster-stricken locations across Japan, where she must close the doors causing devastation. Suzume’s journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu (located in southwestern Japan) when she encounters a young man who tells her, “I’m looking for a door.” What Suzume finds is a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins as though it was shielded from whatever catastrophe struck. Seemingly drawn by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob… Doors begin to open one after another all across Japan, unleashing destruction upon any who are near. Suzume must close these portals to prevent further disaster.

Suzume was the third-highest grossing film in Japan for 2022 and to this point is the third highest-grossing film there in 2023. It is scheduled to play, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the AMC Classic Westmoreland, and tickets are available online.

Chinese animated film New Gods: Yang Jian (新神榜：杨戬) in Pittsburgh, April 13.

The 2022 Chinese animated film New Gods: Yang Jian (新神榜：杨戬) will play at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville on April 13. From GKIDS, the distributor:

Thirteen years after Yang Jian (known to some as Erlang Shen) imprisoned his sister beneath a mountain, the once powerful god now scrapes by as a penniless bounty hunter. When a mysterious woman hires him for a new job, Yang Jian soon finds himself chasing down a familiar figure. He must stop Chenxiang, his long-lost nephew, who is in search of the magical lotus lantern that will free his mother, even if it will bring catastrophe. As Yang Jian confronts the actions of his past, he must face a host of dangerous vigilantes seeking the same treasure with the power to alter the balance of their worlds.

This latest entry in the New Gods universe from Light Chaser Animation (White Snake, New Gods: Nezha Reborn) features awe-inspiring action sequences set against breathtaking and wildly imaginative environments. Combining ancient lore with dazzling animation, New Gods: Yang Jian is a timeless adventure of epic proportions featuring one of China’s legendary mythic figures.

The show is at 7:00 pm and tickets are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

University of Pittsburgh hiring Postdoctoral Fellow in Japan Studies.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of History of Art & Architecture is hiring a Postdoctoral Fellow in Japan Studies.

The Department of History of Art and Architecture (HAA) and the Asian Studies Center (ASC) at the University of Pittsburgh invite applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow of Japanese Art, Architecture, or Visual Culture for academic years 2024 and 2025 (September 1, 2023–April 30, 2025). This position is open to applicants with expertise in the history of art, architecture, or visual culture of Japan (including its diaspora, colonies, occupied territories, and indigenous communities) from any time period. HAA is committed to centering diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in its curricular and research initiatives. We seek a colleague whose scholarship, teaching, and mentorship will advance our DEIA and anti-racist mission. Applications are open to advanced ABDs (those who will have PhD in hand by April 2024) and to scholars who have received their PhDs within the last 6 years. 

The postdoctoral fellow will teach one course each fall and spring semester at the undergraduate level, one of which will be the Arts of Japan. The other course will be an upper-division undergraduate seminar related to the fellow’s research expertise in Japan and may be open to graduate students. In addition to their teaching duties, the postdoctoral fellow will be expected to mentor undergraduate and graduate students beyond the classroom as appropriate to their educational needs. The fellow will receive a research stipend and mentoring from colleagues in HAA and ASC.

Pittsburgh Japan Community Spring Picnic, April 22 at North Park; April 7 registration deadline.

The Japanese Society of Greater Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Japanese School are hosting a Pittsburgh Japan Community Picnic on April 22.  The event is open to the public but registration by April 7 is required.  Information about the event, from the Japanese Society of Greater Pittsburgh:

Pittsburgh Japan Community Spring Picnic

Pittsburgh Japan Community Spring Picnic will be held on Saturday, April 22 at North Park. Come enjoy eating freshly pounded rice cakes and listening to the  Japanese musical instruments in a park with a view of cherry blossoms.

Pittsburgh Japanese School (PJS) and Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh (JAGP) have jointly organized this event to provide an opportunity for the Japanese community in the Pittsburgh area to get to know each other.

Everyone is welcome to attend free of charge, so please feel free to register.
Advance registration is required to attend the event.[Deadline: 4/7(Fri.)]. 

We look forward to seeing you there!