A few Korean flavors at Hines Ward's new restaurant.

Former Pittsburgh Steeler receiver Hines Ward is opening a new restaurant in Seven Fields, and the menu at Table 86 will feature a few Korean flavors: Mae Oon Shrimp, Korean barbecue wings, a pulled pork sandwich with Korean barbecue sauce, and Korean BBQ ribs. (Mae Oon / 매운 is an adjective that means spicy in Korean). Ward's mother is Korean, and Hines became especially well-known in South Korea after being named Super Bowl MVP in 2006. He told the Tribune-Review yesterday:

There are some nods to his mother's cooking, too.

“Asian-style, Korean barbecue things my mom has taught me over the years,” Ward said. “I love the Korean ribs.”

Taiwanese movie Rebels of the Neon God (青少年哪吒) at Harris Theater, from August 28.

The 1992 Taiwanese movie Rebels of the Neon God (青少年哪吒) will play at the Harris Theater from August 28. The movie was released in the United States in April, 23 years after it premiered in Taiwan. A summary, from a July Philadelphia Inquirer review:

There's no better way to dive into [filmmaker Ming-liang] Tsai's world than with his stunning debut, Rebels of the Neon God (1992), which finally is getting its first theatrical release in America.

A breathtaking, disturbing look at urban angst and the emptiness of youth culture, the film introduces us to a character who haunts so many of Tsai's Taipei films: Hsiao-kang (played by the director's longtime collaborator, Lee Kang-sheng), a somber, surly, silent, often petulant youth who doesn't seem to feel at ease anywhere he goes.

When we first see him, Hsiao-kang seems an earnest, if frustrated, college student who works hard into the night. He shares a tidy flat with his taxi-driver father, who makes no attempt to understand - or even like - the youth. His overprotective mother seems never to tire of consulting augers and priests about her son's future.

Appearances can be deceptive. Hsiao-kang doesn't think he fits in at school, and early in the film, he drops out, pocketing a large tuition refund without telling his parents. He spends hours wandering the streets on foot or on his moped and seems incapable or unwilling to connect with others.

Showtimes have not yet been released. The Harris Theater is located at 809 Liberty Ave. in the downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District (map).

Documentary The Look of Silence in Pittsburgh, from August 28.

The 2014 documentary The Look of Silence, on the Indonesian killings of 1965 and 1966, will play in McKees Rocks and in Regent Square on August 28. A synopsis, from the film's website:

Through [director Joshua] Oppenheimer's footage of the perpetrators of the 1965 Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discovers how their son was murdered, as well as the identities of the killers. The documentary focuses on the youngest son, an optometrist named Adi, who decides to break the suffocating spell of submission and terror by doing something unimaginable in a society where the murderers remain in power: he confronts the men who killed his brother and, while testing their eyesight, asks them to accept responsibility for their actions. This unprecedented film initiates and bears witness to the collapse of fifty years of silence.

Ticket information has not yet been released. The documentary will play at the Regent Square Theater from August 28 to September 3, and at the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks from the 28th.

Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人) movies coming to Hollywood Theater in Dormont, from September 30.

The first of two Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人) films will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont on September 30, October 1, and October 7. The movie was released in Japan on August 1. The second film, Attack on Titan: End of the World (進撃の巨人 エンド オブ ザ ワールド) is due for a September 19 release, and will play at the Hollywood Theater on October 20, 22, and 27. A brief summary, from Tech Times:

The movies are based on a popular manga and anime series of the same name, where humanity lives behind massive walls to protect themselves against the threat of massive man-eating giants known as Titans. The story revolves around a young group of men and women who enlist in their city's armed forces to drive back the Titans after a never before seen "Colossal Titan" breaches the walls.

Details and ticket information to be announced later. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

Love Live! The School Idol Movie at Hollywood Theater in Dormont, September 13.

The Hollywood Theater in Dormont announced today that it will show the Japanese anime movie Love Live! The School Idol Movie on September 13. A plot summary from the distributors:

Although u’s, the defending champions of the school idol tournament, plans to dissolve their group after the graduation of their senior members, they receive news that leads them to holding a concert event! The 9 girls continue to learn and grow in this new and unfamiliar world. What is the last thing that these girls can do as school idols? With the clock ticking, what kind of meaning will the u’s members find in performing the most exciting live performance?

Tickets are on sale now for $15. The screening will be in Japanese with English subtitles. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

Tomodachi Ties Through Taiko concert and farewell reception, August 15.

A concert and farewell reception for a group of 12 exchange students from Aichi Prefecture, Japan will be held on Sunday, August 15. The cohort from Nihon Fukushi Daigaku High School will visit Pittsburgh for one week "to practice taiko drumming with Pittsburgh Taiko and students from CAPA and Allderdice High Schools for the TOMODACHI Ties Through Taiko program", according to the latest Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania newsletter. The concert and farewell reception will start at 3:00 pm at the Pittsburgh CAPA School downtown (map):

See the results of the students' hard work this week at a joint performance by Pittsburgh Taiko, the Pittsburgh students, and the Japanese students. A Farewell Reception directly following the concert will wish the students safe travels on their trip back to Japan.

The visit is part of the TOMODACHI Initiative, formed by the US Embassy in Tokyo and the U.S.-Japan Council,

a public-private partnership, born out of support for Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, that invests in the next generation of Japanese and American leaders through educational and cultural exchanges as well as leadership programs.

You can see photos of the group's activities around Pittsburgh on the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania and MCG Youth & Arts Facebook pages.

T4U now open in Oakland.

via @taaysaghy.

T4U---a bubble tea, coffee, and dessert place---is now open at 3501 Forbes Ave (map). We first spotted it in June, opening in what was formerly a uniform store. Run by the people behind Oakland's Szechuan Express, it's one of two new Asian bubble tea places coming to the area.

Sichuan Gourmet in Oakland now open.

Grand Opening promotion, via the Sichuan Gourmet Weibo page.

The Sichuan Gourmet location in Oakland is now open. Located at 328 Atwood St. (map), at the former India Garden spot, it is the restaurant's second location, after the original on Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill.

Co-owner Wei Yu told the Pitt News in June:

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.”

"Storytime: Japanese and English" at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, August 18.

The Carnegie Library in East Liberty will host "Storytime: Japanese and English" on Tuesday, August 18.

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).

Japanese Tea Ceremony and Obon Festival at Pittsburgh Zen Center, August 29.

The Pittsburgh Zen Center in Sewickley is hosting a Japanese Tea Ceremony and Obon Festival on Saturday, August 29. The tea ceremony will begin at 9:30:

Enjoy a demonstration of Japanese Tea Ceremony and have a cup prepared for you.
Preparing tea in this ceremony means pouring all one’s attention into the predefined movements. The whole process is not about drinking tea, but is about aesthetics, preparing a bowl of tea from one’s heart.
Myoshu Pam Wren has been practicing Tea for over 20 years. She and her students will prepare and serve matcha and sweets to our guests.

RSVP is required for the tea ceremony and can be done online. The Obon component begins at 1:30. Obon, Wikipedia writes,

is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.

The event is free but a $20 donation is suggested. The Pittsburgh Zen Center is located at 124 Willow Ridge Road in Sewickley (map), a suburb northwest of Pittsburgh.