"Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono," December 2 at Pitt.

"Vivid kimono" by Raita Futo (Creative Commons).

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Evan Mason and his workshop "Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono" on December 2.

Pitt alumnus Evan Mason will teach participants about the craftsmanship put into designing a kimono. The lecture will begin with a lesson on the history and significance of the kimono in Japan, follow with a kitsuke demonstration (how to wear traditional Japanese attire), and end with participants trying on their own yukatas (casual kimonos)!

It runs from 4:00 to 5:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Miyazaki Week at Row House Cinema, November 29 through December 5.

The Row House Cinema will present its annual Miyazaki Week this year from November 29 through December 5. Selections include Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ), Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城), Porco Rosso (紅の豚), and Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し). Tickets are available online and the Row House notes "Many shows will sell out. We recommend buying tickets in advance." Please also note that some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

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

1988 film Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (機動戦士ガンダム 逆襲のシャア) in Pittsburgh, December 5.

As part of the 40th anniversary celebration for the Gundam franchise, the 1988 movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (機動戦士ガンダム 逆襲のシャア) will return to theaters on December 5. From the distributor:

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Gundam franchise when Char's Counterattack returns to theatres!

Amuro and Char, two best mobile suit (robotic weapons) pilots who fought together against Titans after the Jion's independency war, must face each other in a fateful duel where the Neo-Jion, led by Char, attempts to drop a gigantic meteor and its nuclear weapons to Earth in order to cause Nuclear Winter to wipe out the Earth inhabitants.

Gundam fans won’t want to miss out on this exclusive one-night-only event, featuring a special interview with franchise creator Yoshiyuki Tomino!

It will play locally, in Japanese with English subtitles, at the Southside Works Cinema and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, Robinson, and Pittsburgh Mills. Tickets are available online.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) in Pittsburgh, December 16 and 18.

The 2013 film The Tale of Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) will play in Pittsburgh on December 16 and 18 as the final installment of this year's GKIDS Ghibli Fest. A 2014 A.V. Club review provides a summary:

A humble bamboo cutter named Okina (translation: “old man”) happens upon a glowing stalk in the grove near his house. When he investigates, the shimmering tree blossoms reveal a baby nested inside. Believing this discovery to be a gift from the heavens, Okina brings her home to his wife Ouna (“old woman”), with whom he begins to raise the child as their own. Dubbing her “Princess” Kaguya, Ouna and Okina marvel at how rapidly the girl begins to grow, racing from infancy to pre-adolescence in a matter of days.

While Kaguya busies herself with a normal childhood, making friends with the local kids and bonding with an older boy named Sutemaru, her adopted father becomes distracted by Kaguya’s value to him—the bamboo shoot from which she was born begins producing gold. As Kaguya transforms into a teenager, Okina relocates their family to the capital city, where the girl receives lessons on how to be a proper woman, and is celebrated as a rare beauty. When five aggressive suitors come calling—followed by the emperor himself—Kaguya begins to feel trapped, things falling apart as she imagines a different life for herself.

It goes on to say the film has "some of the most beautifully expressive animation that Ghibli (or anyone else) has ever produced".

The film will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, the North Hills, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson, and tickets are available online. The December 16 shows are dubbed in English while the December 18 screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles.

2019 KPOPittsburgh Holiday Kpop Dance Party, December 13.

412 K-Town / KPOP Pittsburgh will host a KPOPittsburgh Holiday Kpop Dance Party on December 13.

Hi guys .. Chritsmas is near and it is almost end of 2019 .. Come join Us @2019 KPOPittsburgh Holiday kpop dance party. Dj.kidplay will be in the house and spin your fav Kpop Boy/girl group songs , k hiphop and Rnb , K EDM , mash up/remixes and more ..
this event will be happening on Dec 13th ( Friday) @ levelup studio " 8pm-12am". This event is 18 and up ( No alcohol but we will have water for you guys ^^) and $10 at the door. hope to see you guys there ^^ 감사합니다

It starts at 8:00 pm at Level Up Studios in Bloomfield (map).

Yang Jin and Mimi Jong performing as "String Bouquet" in Oakland, November 24.

Pipa performer Yang Jin and erhu performer Mimi Jong will perform as "String Bouquet" on November 24 at the Carnegie Library in Oakland, part of the World Kaleidoscope series.

As individual artists, Jin Yang and Mimi Jong have been dedicated to the study and performance of traditional Chinese music. Since meeting in 2015, they have embarked on a musical journey together. From concert halls to libraries, from universities to community centers, from museums to house concerts, String Bouquet is permeating the hearts of their audience. Their versatile styles include Chinese traditional, global, western classical, jazz, pop and modern music. Their multi-media projects include collaboration with dance and various performance arts. String Bouquet continues to explore and expand the possibilities of their creativity, bringing exciting music presentations to their audience.

The performance runs from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in the North Wing Music Room on the second floor. 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.

The Course of Democracy Never Did Run Smooth: Hongkongers’ Political Awakening (從反送中運動看港人的掙扎與蛻變), December 15 at CMU.

Cafe Philo @ Pittsburgh will present an English-language talk, The Course of Democracy Never Did Run Smooth: Hongkongers’ Political Awakening (從反送中運動看港人的掙扎與蛻變), on December 15 at Carnegie Mellon University.

The Anti-Extradition Movement in Hong Kong Political apathy seems to have reigned Hong Kong for very long. And yet the recent Anti-Extradition Movement, the largest and longest social movement in the history of Hong Kong, has been joined by over one-third of the population. Through a discussion on the Anti-Extradition Movement, this seminar aims to provide a general understanding of the struggle for democracy in Hong Kong, especially its milestones, transformations, and current obstacles, and to explore the reasons for Hongkongers' political awakening.

Speakers: Hong Kong Social Action Movements in Boston (https://www.facebook.com/HKSAMBOS/)
Date: Sunday, December 15th , 2-4 pm
Place: CMU Wean Hall 4623
Host: Café Philo-Pittsburgh
This talk will be delivered in English.

“An Island of Death”: Homo Sacer and Ungrievable Deaths, December 13 at Pitt.

via thejejumassacre.com

Y.J. Hwang will give a lecture, “An Island of Death”: Homo Sacer and Ungrievable Deaths, on the Jeju Island Massacres on December 13.

Jeju Island is internationally known as “the Hawaii of Asia” because of its scenic landscapes. But it is not known that this volcanic island is also called “an Island of Death” in connection with the Jeju massacre (1948-1949). This talk thus focuses on the ways in which the victims of the mass killing are enacted in relation to cultural implications of conceptualizing deaths of the Jeju incident. Given that the main characteristic of the Cold War narrative is associated with the reburial of the dead and the finding of missing bodies in the context of modern Korean history, this talk engages with the way in which cultural memory is performed in Jeju Peace Memorial Park through artistic practices and monuments. Concentrating on the injustice of death, the ethics of the dead, and the relationship between history and memory, it also includes how this site reveals a futuristic vision of understanding the Jeju massacre.

YJ, Hwang is a teaching fellow, working on her doctoral project in relation to South Korea’s Jeju massacre and its cultural memory at the University of Pittsburgh. As a theatre and performance studies scholar, her research interests include gender, memory, and mobility.

It starts at 12:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Pirates again without an Asian player after Wang becomes free agent.

In not-so-news from earlier this month, the Pirates granted Taiwanese pitcher Wei-chung Wang (王維中) free agency on November 4, leaving them again without an Asian player on their roster. Wang joined the team on August 31 as the first Taiwanese player in Pittsburgh Pirates history and made five appearances toward the end of the season. He was the sixth Asian player to appear in a regular-season game for Pittsburgh, following Jung-ho Kang, Akinori Iwamura, Hisanori Takahashi, Chan-ho Park, and Masumi Kuwata.

The Pirates still have a number of Asian players in their system, including Taiwanese infield prospect Cheng Tsung-Che (鄭宗哲) and Korean shortstop Ji-hwan Bae, who is currently ranked the #8 prospect in the team's system.

2019 Chinese movie Better Days (少年的你) continues in Pittsburgh through November 25.

The new Chinese movie Better Days (少年的你), which opened in Pittsburgh on November 15, will continue through at least November 25. From the distributor:

From the award-winning team of Soul Mate, comes a new Chinese drama movie by Derek Kwok-Cheung Tsang, starring Jackson Yee and Zhou Dongyu.

When it is time for the Chinese gaokao, a two-day national college entrance exam, the entire country comes to a standstill. For nearly ten million high school students, this exam not only determines where and if they get to study but the fates of their entire families as well. Like so many others, Nian has been single-mindedly preparing for the exam, cutting everything else out of her life. When she becomes the target of relentless bullying, fate brings her together with small-time criminal Bei and the two form a strong friendship. Before they can completely retreat into a world of their own, the two are dragged in the middle of a murder case of a teenage girl where they are the prime suspects. In this dramatic thriller, Derek Kwok-Cheung Tsang paints a bleak picture of an oppressive society, in the guise of a gripping fairy-tale love story, exposing the dark world of bullying and societal pressures of achievement facing today’s youth.

It will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online. 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.