Build yourself a Sungnyemun.

I was surprised to see this at Barnes & Noble today: a Lego model of Sungnyemun, one of Seoul's gates and better known in Korea and abroad as Namdaemun until it burned down in 2008. The iconic structure is being rebuilt, and you can play along at home. This particular model in the Lego Architecture series was retired earlier in the year, though, is no longer available on the Lego website. It's also listed as a product for girls, so apparently it was off-limits to half the population who might be interested in building a South Korean landmark. However, they still have a couple at the Cranberry location selling for the suggested retail price of $34.99.

If you're interested in building Korean models, you'll find more variety on G-Market, one of South Korea's online shopping portals. Browsing plastic collectibles turns up dragon ships and other old boats, traditional houses, the Blue House, and a whole Royal Palace Series, for starters.


A Sungnyemun plastic model, and the 12-item Royal Palace Series, and the Blue House, available from G-Market. It's the English website, and many of these models are available for international shipping, but the pages are often in Korean.

Cantoy shoots music video in Pittsburgh (it survives).

If it's extremely rare for an Asian band to play Pittsburgh, it's unimaginably so for one to shoot a music video here. Cantoy did both in April: playing Tekkoshocon and hanging around Strip District back alleys for "Ranka".

Find performers on the Japan Artists Information Directory.

Every so often I get questions about where to find a Japanese artist or performer for a cultural event (usually right before said cultural event). One potential resource is the Japan Artists Information Directory, compiled by the Five Colleges Consortium in western Massachusetts. There you can find a directory of performers organized by name, genre, and region. Western Pennsylvania is rather quiet so far, with only three performers, but it has the potential to be a valuable resource. And considering the demand for artists and performers in classrooms, at on-campus events, and at seasonal festivals, if you specialize in a type of Japanese dance, song, or skill, it might behoove you to list yourself on the JAID if you are interested in more work.

2013 Korean Food Bazaar, May 4th in Shadyside.

New posters for the 18th annual Korean Food Bazaar (바자회) went online last week. The festival is scheduled for May 4th from 10:30 to 4:00 at the Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh (피츠버그한인중앙교회) in Shadyside (map). We went last year; it was good.

Naya Restaurant to replace Aseoma on Murray Ave.

This sign just went up at 2018 Murray Ave., announcing that Naya Restaurant is coming soon.

"One Night in Beijing" at CMU, April 27.

Carnegie Mellon University's Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture (ARCC) will host its annual "One Night in Beijing" on April 27. The event's Facebook page says:

The show boasts a wide variety of performances, including traditional Chinese dances, hip-hop dances, a cappella, Chinese yo-yo, and much much more!

This year's theme is The White Serpent. Come experience an amazing display of talent and culture while following a classic legend of romance and courage.

The show will be held in UC Rangos from 7 pm to 9 pm (campus map). Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door.

The Art of Akira Returns through April 28.

A reminder that Toonseum: Pittsburgh Museum of Cartoon Art will continue to host The Art of Akira Returns through April 28. It opened on February 5, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Anime Film Series and its showing of Akira, which Toonseum writes, "single-handedly saved the Japanese film industry and changed the way the world viewed animation art forever". The museum's profile of the exhibit continues:

The historic and artistic significance of AKIRA cannot be denied; it was the pinnacle of cel animation. Complete with a definitive orchestral score and professional voice actors, AKIRA was the most expensive animated film ever made when it was released in 1988. The film is a document of many animation firsts but is especially noteworthy for being one of the last completely hand-drawn cel-animated features produced before the rise of digital technology. A collaboration of thousands of artists and thirteen Japanese production companies, this staggering adaptation has become one of the most universally praised films of all time and has inspired a revolution in animation still apparent over 20 years after its release. The Art Of AKIRA celebrates these incredible achievements by giving viewers a fascinating tour of the making of this landmark film.

Toonseum is located at 945 Liberty Ave. in Pittsburgh's Cultural District (map), and is open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm every day but Tuesday.

Clones of D.C. cherry blossoms sent to Pittsburgh.

A line in an April 10th PBS blog post about "cloning the original cherry blossoms" sent to Washington D.C. by Japan caught my eye:

[Horticulturist Dave] Kidwell-Slak says the Arboretum has sent clippings of the gift trees to Pittsburgh and North Carolina for cities to plant.

And a March 22nd AP article says:

More recently, the arboretum and the park service sent 120 clones of the original trees back to Japan so scientists there can also retain the genetic line. Another set of trees has been sent to Pittsburgh to be planted in parks there.

An email to Dr. Kidwell-Slak hasn't received a reply yet, so it's not known yet where the clippings were sent or under whose supervision they will be. I'm pulling for Schenley Park.

Tekkoshocon renamed Tekko.

On the Tekkoshocon Inc's President's blog, the author writes on the decision to formally shorten the name of Pittsburgh's largest anime convention from Tekkoshocon to Tekko. The biggest reasons for the official change---to what fans already call it---are mispronunciation among locals and confusion among Japanese.

The name is difficult to pronounce and I have encountered a number of Pittsburgh businesses that avoid using our name because they forget how to pronounce it. I cannot count the number of times I went into a restaurant over Tekkoshocon X-2 and heard “You’re with that anime convention; I cannot remember what it’s called, something tekk something like.” That is really bad. How do you expect people to remember you if they cannot remember the name.

Give it a read. Actually, a lot of the entries on that blog are thought-provoking and forthcoming, and not only for people interested specifically in anime conventions.

The poster for the 18th annual Korean Food Bazaar (바자회) went online on Wednesday. It's scheduled for May 4th from 10:30 to 4:00 at the Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh (피츠버그한인중앙교회) in Shadyside (map). We went last year; it was good.