Coming of Age Ceremony Brings Japanese Tradition, Pittsburgh Community Together

Below is an article covering the first Coming of Age Ceremony for Japanese students at the University of Pittsburgh, a profile from the University of Pittsburgh's official news source reprinted in its entirety with permission. Visit pittwire.pitt.edu for additional photos.


Yasuda Women's University student Nayu Hattori is dressed in her kimono by Pitt alumnus Evan Mason (left, A&S '15) and Katsuko Shellhammer (right), educational outreach coordinator for the Japan America Society of Pennsylvania.

Most of the Japanese students hadn’t packed colorful and elaborate kimonos in their suitcases when they came to Pittsburgh — they were limited to carrying one bag apiece.

About 25 students from Yasuda Women’s University in Hiroshima, who were at the University of Pittsburgh for five months learning English, were away from home in January, missing out on the annual Coming of Age ceremony, a national holiday in Japan.

So, Pitt’s Asian Studies Center threw a party — kimonos included.

A banner that reads “University of Pittsburgh Coming of Age Day Ceremony” in Japanese greeted student Nika Tanimoto and other participants.

“This Coming of Age ceremony seems like the perfect confluence of the University, our Japanese students and the community to celebrate together,” said Lynn Kawaratani, the center’s acting associate director. Members of the Pittsburgh community, the Japanese Nationality Room Committee and the Japan America Society of Pennsylvania all loaned kimonos for the students to wear. The Asian Studies Center has been partnering with Pitt’s English Language Institute for about a year, developing programming for these international students as well as Pitt students.

The age of 20 is considered the beginning of adulthood in Japan, and the national holiday — with roots dating to 714 A.D. — officially recognizes this transition in grand style. Preparations for the Pittsburgh ceremony began in the early afternoon of Jan. 10 as the women began arriving at the University Club’s Gold Room to be dressed in silk kimonos.

Mazinger Z: Infinity (劇場版 マジンガーZ ／ INFINITY) in Pittsburgh, February 11 and 12.

The 2017 film adaptation of the 1970s manga and TV series Mazinger Z: Infinity (劇場版 マジンガーZ ／ INFINITY) is getting a limited theatrical release in the US next month, and will play at several Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters on February 11 and 12. The distributor summarizes:

Ten years ago, the villainous scientist Dr. Hell led his wicked followers, known as the Underground Empire, in a struggle to destroy all of humanity. It was against these forces that the young hero Koji Kabuto fought, piloting the legendary super robot “Mazinger Z.” Koji’s victory stopped Dr. Hell’s evil plan and returned peace to the Earth.

Now Koji has left the pilot seat behind and become a scientist in his own right, following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps. Yet an unexpected encounter deep under Mt. Fuji triggers an even greater threat to mankind than ever before and alters Koji’s destiny forever. With humanity’s fate in their hands, Koji and Mazinger Z face a choice between good…and evil.

Audiences who attend the English subtitled premiere will also have the chance to receive an exclusive Mazinger Z: INFINITY mini-poster (limited quantities, while supplies last).

The movie opened in Japan on January 13. It will play in Japanese with English subtitles at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson at 12:55 pm on the 11th and 7:00 pm on the 12th. Tickets are now available online.

Magical Girl Lyrical NANOHA Reflection (魔法少女リリカルなのは Reflection) in Pittsburgh, February 12 and 14.

The 2017 Japanese animated movie 魔法少女リリカルなのは Reflection will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont on February 12 and 14.

"Assigning study with Anki as homework," February 9 at Pitt.

The Robert Henderson Language Media Center at the University of Pittsburgh is hosting a new series of language-teaching workshops this semester, the first on February 9, "Assigning study with Anki as homework," with Dr. Stephen Luft of the Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures. Dr. Luft presented on this topic in December:

Assigning study with Anki as homework: This presentation will describe how to hold students accountable for studying with Anki, a free flashcard program, outside of class. While the presentation will focus on using Anki to aid retention of newly learned characters (e.g., kanji), it is considered to be applicable to a wide variety of subjects.

The event runs from 12:00 to 12:50 pm and is free and open to the public. The Language Media Center is located in G-17 Cathedral of Learning (map).

Hiroshige’s Tokaido Road at Carnegie Museum of Art, March 31 through July 8.

3rd station : Kanagawa

The Carnegie Museum of Art will exhibit its collection of Utagawa Hiroshige's The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (東海道五十三次) prints from March 31.

Lunar New Year: Year of the Dog at Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, February 10.

The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh will hold "Chinese New Year Celebration: Year of the Dog" on Saturday, February 10.

In ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on the Lunar New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. Come kick off the Lunar year 4716, the year of the Dog, with Silk Screen Asian Arts and Culture Organization at the Children's Museum. Try Chinese calligraphy with Ming Rui, and enjoy live performances by Yan Lai Dance Academy, Purple Bamboo Chinese Ensemble, and Steel Dragon Lion Dance Team. Stop by MAKESHOP to explore Kumihimo, a Japanese form of braid-making. Kumi himo is Japanese for "gathered threads". The technique involves using different types of looms to create countless kinds of braids! You can even taste some of our favorite fruits and learn about the Vietnamese Five Fruit Tray tradition at our Fresh Picks.

A complete schedule of events is available on the museum's website. The celebration runs from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and is free with museum admission ($16 for adults, $14 for kids aged 2 through 18, and free for infants under 2). The museum is located at 10 Children's Way on the Northside (map).

AEON (株式会社イーオン) in-person interviews in Pittsburgh for teaching positions in Japan, March 24.

AEON (株式会社イーオン), a large chain of English schools in Japan, is holding in-person interviews for prospective teachers throughout the United States this spring, and will be interviewing in Pittsburgh on March 24. Those interested should submit applications online by early March.

Movie & Mumble with 1996 Japanese film Shall We Dance (Shall we ダンス?), February 10 in Cranberry.

The 1996 Japanese film Shall We Dance (Shall we ダンス?) will play in Cranberry as the year's first installment of the Movie & Mumble series hosted by the Cranberry Area Diversity Network.

He's an overworked accountant. She's an accomplished dancer. Passion is about to find two unlikely partners. The 1996 Japanese romantic comedy “Shall We Dance?” will launch the 2018 Movie & Mumble series. No reservations are necessary. The PG-rated feature, with English subtitles, will be followed by an open discussion led by Elena Geil, a former resident of Japan.

The movie was originally scheduled for January 13, but inclement weather caused its cancellation. The event runs from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at the Cranberry Public Library (map), and is free and open to the public.

Three events with Samir Lakhani, Eco-Soap Bank Founder and University of Pittsburgh alumnus, February 9 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh will host alumnus and Top 10 CNN Hero of 2017 Samir Lakhani for three events on February 9 as an "Race, Gender and Leadership Series: Health & Entrepreneurship in Asia" series. Lakhani will give a keynote address from 12:00 pm at Alumni Hall. From 3:00 to 4:30 pm is an "Healthy Global Engagement and Social Entrepreneurship: How to work responsibly with/as an international NGO?" discussion in the Willian Pitt Union.

An informal dialogue between Pitt students and Mr. Lakhani on best practices when seeking employment with non-profits or developing new NGOs to serve the needs of developing countries.

And from 5:00 to 7:30 pm, the Katz Graduate School of Business will host his "Fireside Chat: Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship".

Pitt Business is proud to host a fireside chat with University of Pittsburgh alumnus Samir Lakhani, founder of Eco-Soap Bank and a Top 10 CNN Hero of 2017. In this special discussion, Lakhani will highlight the power of social entrepreneurship to make positive health, economic, and environmental impacts on the developing world. Pitt Business Associate Dean Audrey J. Murrell will serve as moderator, as issues of ethics, leadership, health, and global entrepreneurship in the 21st century are discussed.

The events are free and open to the public, but both the keynote address and the Fireside Chat require advance registration.

Khruangbin plays Pittsburgh, April 6.

Via @khruangbin.

Texas trio Khruangbin, with a sound routinely described as "Thai funk," will play in Pittsburgh on April 6. In a January Vulture profile, the band speaks to that label:

After Mark Speer, Laura Lee, and Donald Johnson put out their first album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, critics and khru-members alike slotted them under the genre of Thai funk. “We can’t claim that,” says Speer, who plays the guitar. “That’s doing great disservice to the folks who actually make what we in the West call Thai funk. Khun Narin, or Paradise Bangkok, check them out, those are actual Thai bands playing Thai funk.” It’s been an honest mistake: Ahead of recording Universe, Speer built a playlist of tracks by Khun Narin, Paradise Bangkok, and their contemporaries, sourced from all over but mostly from a blog called Monrakplengthai. They played it constantly. “If you put something in your head, and you’re listening to it all the time, it will come out when you’re playing,” Lee, the bassist, says.

Tickets for the 21-and-over show at Rex Theater on the Southside (map) are now available online.