Host families needed for visiting Japanese high school students in August.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania advertises a need for host families in Pittsburgh for a group of Japanese high school students visiting as part of the TOMODACHI program in August. Via the group's mailing list:

This August you have the opportunity to open your home to one or two students from Aichi Prefecture, Japan! Hosting a student can provide a connection to last a lifetime.

Twelve seniors from Nihon Fukushi University High School near Nagoya will be coming to Pittsburgh for a musical exchange with local high school students. Host families are needed to provide an immersive American experience for these students for 9 nights.

A small honorarium will be provided. Host families will provide breakfast and dinner, and will drop off and pick up the students daily at Pittsburgh CAPA School downtown. We encourage hosts to plan fun activities with the students in their free time.

To apply, please fill out this form or contact the JASP office at (412) 433-5021 with questions.

All members of the host family age 18 and older must consent to a criminal background check.

The Associated Press has a lengthy profile on Pirates Jung-ho Kang (강정호), who is enjoying a successful rookie season as first Korean Baseball Organization position player in the Major Leagues. An excerpt:

[H]e's up for anything, a mindset that allowed a leap that many of his countrymen have not taken. Kang transitioned in the middle of his prime to a contender after signing a four-year, $11-million deal in January.

"A lot of guys are afraid to come over here, but he did it," said Texas Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who signed with Seattle as an teenager out of South Korea in 2000 then worked through the minors for nearly a decade before becoming an everyday player.

"He's not afraid. He wants to play here," Choo said.

Former Pirates draft pick throws out first pitch in Gwangju.

Mike Pill, drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2nd round of the 1977 Amateur Draft, threw out the first pitch at a game in Gwangju between the Kia Tigers and the Nexen Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization. His son, Brett, pitches for Kia. 일간스포츠 profiled the family today on their first trip to South Korea. The photograph below shows both men's jerseys; Brett's says "Pill", Mike's says "Pill's dad".

Former Steelers QB Bradshaw to travel Asia for Korean reality show remake.

Terry Bradshaw, the Hall of Fame quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1970 to 1983, will be one of the stars of "Better Late Than Never", an upcoming reality show based off South Korea's "Grandpa Over Flowers" (꽃보다 할배). From The Wrap:

“Better Late Than Never” will follow five famous men as they backpack throughout Asia without any luxuries. Actors Henry Winkler and William Shatner, former athletes Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman and comedian Jeff Dye have signed up for the reality series that begins production in August.

The one-hour series, an adaptation of the South Korean variety show “Grandpa Over Flowers,” will follow participants to Tokyo, Kyoto, Seoul, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Chang Mai.

“The five will navigate their way through each city — communicating with the local population, immersing themselves in local traditions and enjoying exotic food — all the while dealing with the unexpected twists and turns that any trip presents,” the network said in a statement. “As they check off items on their own personal ‘bucket list,’ the five will rely on each other for support and encouragement and, in the process, demonstrate that friendship is the ultimate gift.”

Studio Ghibli film When Marnie Was There (思い出のマーニー ) at Regent Square Theater, June 12 - 18.

The 2014 Japanese movie When Marnie Was There (思い出のマーニー ) will play at Regent Square Theater from June 12 to 18. The group summarizes what some believe may be the last Studio Ghibli film:

The newest animated film from Studio Ghibli tells the enchanted story of Anna, a teenage girl who feels disconnected from her peers. Her foster mother frets about Anna’s asthma attacks and sends her to spend the summer with her grandparents in Hokkaido, a sleepy town by the sea. Anna keeps to herself – until she makes friends with the mysterious Marnie, who may or may not be real. Beautifully rendered, the lush, hand-crafted paintings give this modern tale the look and feel of classic animation at its best.

Showtimes are now available online; the first screening is Friday at 8:00 pm. The 8:00 pm screenings will be in Japanese with English subtitles, but the 3:00 pm and 5:30 pm shows will be dubbed in English. The Regent Square Theater is located at 1035 S. Braddock Ave. (map).

Bubblepop at brillobox in Lawrenceville, June 19.

brillobox will host Bubblepop---a night of K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop---on June 19. From the Facebook event page:

We'll be playing all your favorite pop and hip-hop from South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the USAaaaayyyy

DJ YOUNG BAE
DJ QUEEN B

10pm-2am ~ FREE!!

DRESS UP if fashion is your thing. Do what you want, what you want with your body.

It starts at 10:00 pm, and the venue is at 4104 Penn Ave. (map).

Introduction to Mandarin at Shaler Library, from June 16.

Shaler North Hills Library (map) will host a free, three-session Introduction to Mandarin Chinese on June 16, 23, and 30.

Presented by Teresa Blum and Joy Xu, native speakers of Mandarin Chinese. The instructors will introduce pinyin, tones, and numbers. They will also introduce the use of learning with the Mango language database.

The sessions run from 10:30 to 11:30 am in the conference room. Registration is required and can be made by calling 412-486-0211.

Korean movie The Front Line (고지전) at Parkway Theater, June 16.

The Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks will show the 2011 Korean film The Front Line (고지전) on June 16 as the second installment of this summer's "Asian Movie Madness". A summary from a 2012 A.V. Club review:

Jang Hun’s pulpy military thriller The Front Line is set during the waning days of the Korean War, as the commanders know they’re about to hammer out a truce, but the grunts in the field are still shooting at each other, under orders to seize as much territory as possible, for added leverage at the bargaining table. Shin Ha-Kyun plays a lieutenant sent to the Aerok Hills to file a report on a ragtag company where discipline is slack, and where an officer has recently turned up dead with a South Korean bullet in his brain, possibly at the hand of a rumored North Korean mole. When Shin arrives, he finds war orphans milling about, a baby-faced CO shooting up morphine, and soldiers wearing North Korean uniforms over their own to keep warm. In short, the lines between ally and enemy have long since been blurred, and these men are now fighting to survive long enough to see the peace they’ve been promised for years.

The movie starts at 7:00 pm and is free, as are all Asian Movie Madness films, which are held on the third Thursday of the month. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map), a few miles west of the North Side.

"Storytime: Japanese and English" at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, June 16.

The Carnegie Library in East Liberty will host "Storytime: Japanese and English" on Tuesday, June 16.

Celebrate our city's diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Japanese. For children ages 2-5 and their parents or caregivers.

The event runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am, and the library is located at 130 S. Whitfield Street (map).

Oakland's Sichuan Gourmet to have Sichuan menu, spicier dishes.

The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's student-run newspaper, has an article today on two restaurants opening on Atwood St. One is the new location of Sichuan Gourmet, which has been in Squirrel Hill for several years and will open a new restaurant in what was formerly India Garden. On what will help distinguish Sichuan Gourmet from the several other Chinese places in the area, co-owner Wei Yu tells the paper:

While his original location in Squirrel Hill has both Sichuan and American menus, Yu said his second location in Oakland will only have a Sichuan menu, to set itself apart from other Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood.

“The other restaurants are totally different,” he said. “They are tailored to American [tastes]. If you taste our food and compare to their food, you will find that the taste is not the same.”

The main difference, he said, is that his food will be much spicier.

“People from different parts of China have different tastes,” he said. “In east China, people eat sweeter foods. The sauce is more spicy in Sichuan.”