When the former mayor of Pittsburgh was the US ambassador to Japan.

Photograph from Library of Congress.

George W. Guthrie, mayor of Pittsburgh from 1906 to 1909, served as the United States Ambassador to Japan from 1913 until his death in 1917.

Yanlai Dance Academy presents Red Fan, March 4.

Yanlai Dance Academy, based in the North Hills, will present Red Fan on March 4.

Enjoy the dazzling spectacle of traditional Chinese dance. Watch dances that range from graceful fluidity to rambunctious athleticism. Learn about the many ethnic groups and traditions that make up Chinese culture. Be dazzled by the exquisite costumes, exotic music, and gifted dancers. Yanlai Dance Academy's Red Fan is a family-friendly experience guaranteed to entertain.

Tickets begin at $15 for general admission. The event will be held from 6:00 pm at Carson Middle School, located off McKnight Road in the North Hills (map).

InStyle Hair Studio, a new Asian hair salon, coming to Squirrel Hill.

Renovations are underway at 5815 Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill (map), where InStyle Hair Salon will open in what was most recently a Kidz & Company children's clothing store. It will be the second Asian hair salon in the neighborhood, and the most recent in a line of Asian businesses to recently open in Squirrel Hill following Hair Lin's (名髮廊), two express mail services, an Asian clothing boutique, a Taiwanese restaurant, and Hi Sound KTV.

"Staged Seduction: Selling Dreams in a Tokyo Host Club" talk with author Dr. Akiko Takeyama, February 10 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Anthropology will host Dr. Akiko Takeyama and her talk on her 2016 book Staged Seduction: Selling Dreams in a Tokyo Host Club on February 10.

In Tokyo host clubs, ambitious young men seek their fortunes by selling love, romance, companionship, and sometimes sex to female consumers for exorbitant sums of money. Takeyama reveals a world where all intimacies and feigned feelings are fair game and theorizes the aspirational mode: seducing one another out of the present and into a hopeful future, in Japan’s service-centered economy.

The talk begins at 3:00 pm in 3106 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

1995's Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊) at Southside Works, February 7 and 8.

The 1995 Japanese animated movie Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊) will play in Pittsburgh on February 7 and 8. The distributor provides a summary:

In the year 2029, cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of “The Puppet Master”—a mysterious and threatening computer virus is capable of infiltrating human hosts. Working closely with her fellow agents from Section 9, the Major embarks on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity.

Don’t miss the movie the Examiner called “…one of the pioneering films of anime history.”

Tickets are currently available online. Southside Works Cinema is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the Southside, one block from the Hot Metal Bridge (map).

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons 2 (西遊伏妖篇) in Pittsburgh, from February 2.

The new Stephen Chow-produced movie Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons 2 (西遊伏妖篇) will open in Pittsburgh with a 7:00 pm show on February 2. A January 30 South China Morning Post review provides a summary:

In the 2013 film the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuan Zang conquered the three demons that would subsequently become his famed disciples (the Monkey King, pig demon “Pigsy” and fish demon “Sandy”); the coolly, if confusingly, titled The Demons Strike Back follows the quartet in the early stages of their journey to the west, as Monkey King and co. repeatedly try to protect Xuan Zang from demons – including the well-known spider and skeleton types – presumably eager to feast on the monk’s flesh.

The movie premiered in China on January 28 and set a record there for the highest-grossing opening day of a domestic film. Tickets and showtimes are available via Fandango. 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.

Chinese-Indian co-production Kung Fu Yoga (功夫瑜伽), starring Jackie Chan and Lay Zhang, in Pittsburgh from February 3.

The 2017 movie Kung Fu Yoga (功夫瑜伽) will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront from February 3. A January 2017 one-star review summarizes:

Chan plays Jack, a well-respected university professor who specializes in Chinese/Indian history. Like Indiana Jones before him, Jack insists that everything valuable belongs to the world/a museum. So, after enlisting the help of his teaching assistants Zhu (Yixing Zhang) and Nuomin (Miya Muqi), Jack inevitably embarks on a quest to dig up buried treasure that takes him from Tibet's frozen tundras to Dubai's urban sprawl. Along the way, Jack's group gets attacked by Randall (Sonu Snood), a descendant of the treasure trove's owners. But conflict only ensues 40 minutes later, after Jack bores us to tears with a multi-part history lesson about the treasure's past. Chan wants to make history come alive(!) so he lectures us multiple times(!!) after an equally boring "300"-style battle sequence that pits ferocious Indian soldiers riding elephants against ingenious killing machine Chinese soldiers. A scuffle ensues, then a really dull auction for more treasure, then he drives a car with a computer-generated lion in it, and then the rest of the movie keeps right on happening.

Tickets and showtimes are available via Fandango. 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.

1993 movie Sailor Moon R: The Movie (劇場版 美少女戦士セーラームーンＲ) at AMC Loews Waterfront, from February 3.

The 1993 movie Sailor Moon R: The Movie (劇場版 美少女戦士セーラームーンＲ) which played in US theaters for the first time in January, will be at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater from February 3. The distributor provides a plot summary:

Long before Mamoru found his destiny with Usagi, he gave a single rose in thanks to a lonely boy who helped him recover from the crash that claimed his parents. This long-forgotten friend, Fiore, has been searching the galaxy for a flower worthy of that sweet gesture long ago. The mysterious flower he finds is beautiful, but has a dark side- it has the power to take over planets. To make matters worse, the strange plant is tied to an ominous new asteroid near Earth! Faced with an enemy blooming out of control, It’s up to Sailor Moon and the Sailor Guardians to band together, stop the impending destruction and save Mamoru!

Tickets and showtimes are available via Fandango. 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.

HarbisonWalker International hiring entry-level Mandarin-speaking Purchasing Agent for Moon Twp. location.

HarbisonWalker International is hiring a Mandarin-speaking Purchasing Agent for its Moon Township location (map).

HWI is seeking a highly motivated and qualified team member to join our Product Supply group in Integrated Supply Chain.

Product Supply group is a key contributor to HWI's vision of being "The First and Only Call" in the refractory industry. The primary responsibility of the Buyer, International Products, is to be the single point of contact for quotation, purchase, and shipment for assigned international suppliers and/or product lines. S/he will work closely with both cross-functional internal partners and external suppliers. Internal partners include Customer Service, Technical Marketing, Sales, Quality, Transportation, and Finance. External suppliers are based worldwide with a sizable network of suppliers based in China.

The Buyer will also be responsible for the creation of process and reporting documentation to track supplier performance. S/he will work closely with the cross functional teams to critically examine current process and identify opportunities for continuous process improvement as well as creating new processes and metrics.

• Provide and/or facilitate quotation of products from international vendors in a timely manner to support HWI revenue growth goals
• Process purchase orders, monitor and communicate order status and delivery dates. Process invoices. Prioritize orders for suppliers by understanding HWI business needs
• Lower freight cost to support overall cost reduction goals
• Assist in resolving issues related to assigned international suppliers and/or product lines including delivery, quality, and claims
• Identify and implement opportunities for continuous process improvement as metrics warrant

Job Requirements:
This is an entry level position with advancement opportunities for the right person.

• Intern or entry-level work experience in a supply chain function of a manufacturing company is desirable. Willingness and ability to learn is a must.
• College degree in Science, Engineering, Business, Economics, Supply Chain or related field is required.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and project management skills is required.
• Proficiency in MS Office with high skill level in MS Excel is required.
• Fluency in Mandarin Chinese is a definite plus.

Those interested may apply via the HWI website.

Twinsters, Jenny Yang part of Asian American / Pacific Islander Advocacy Week at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Students Alliance will present the 2015 documentary Twinsters and comedian Jenny Yang as part of Asian American / Pacific Islander Advocacy Week through February 3.

Twinsters, about two Korean adoptees separated at birth and reunited years later, will play on February 2 in 109 David Lawrence Hall (map) from 9:00 pm. A synopsis, via the movie's official site:

In February 2013, Anaïs Bordier, a French fashion student living in London, stumbled upon a YouTube video featuring Samantha Futerman, an actress in Los Angeles, and was struck by their uncanny resemblance. After discovering they were born on the same day in Busan, Korea and both put up for adoption, Anaïs reached out to Samantha via Facebook. In Twinsters, we follow Samantha and Anaïs’ journey into sisterhood, witnessing everything from their first meeting, to their first trip back to Korea where their separation took place.

Twinsters explores the meaning of family and connection through a story that would have been impossible just 10 years ago without the creation of YouTube and Facebook.

Speaking on February 3, Jenny Yang

is a Los Angeles-based writer and stand up comedian who produces the first-ever, mostly female, Asian American standup comedy tour, Disoriented Comedy, and The Comedy Comedy Festival: A Comedy Festival, a comedy festival showcasing the best in Asian American comedic talent.

The talk starts at 6:00 pm in the William Pitt Union Lower Lounge (map). Both events are free and open to the public.