"HOW: Hands-On Workshop Series — Obon Lanterns with Shannon", August 1 in Oakland.

Via Toronogashi.

Advance notice for an Obon Lantern workshop at the Carnegie Library in Oakland on August 1.

Join us for HOW, a series of hands-on workshops for adults and teens. Learn from skilled craftspeople. Dig in and try things out in a creative, supportive environment. Join us for one or all of these free programs. Materials provided.

Make floating paper lanterns traditionally used during Obon in Japan. Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom honoring the spirits of one’s ancestors.

No registration is necessary for these sessions. Seating for all workshops is available to 20 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. You’ll want to come early to be sure you MAKE it on time!

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.

GKIDS Studio Ghibli Fest 2017 brings six films to Cinemark theaters this summer and fall.

Six Studio Ghibli films will play at Cinemark theaters this summer and fall as part of GKIDS Studio Ghibli Fest 2017: My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) in June, Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) in July, Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ) in August, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ) in September, Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) in October, and Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) in November. Each will have screenings in Japanese with English subtitles and dubbed in English and will play in the Pittsburgh area in Monaca, Monroeville, North Hills, and Pittsburgh Mills. Showtimes and tickets are available online:

My Neighbor Totoro
English dubbed: June 25 at 12:55 pm
Japanese: June 26 at 7:00 pm

Kiki's Delivery Service
English dubbed: July 23 at 12:55 pm
Japanese: July 24 at 7:00 pm

Castle in the Sky
English dubbed: August 27 at 12:55 pm
Japanese: August 28 at 7:00 pm

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
English dubbed: September 24 at 12:55 pm
Japanese: September 25 at 7:00 pm

Spirited Away
English dubbed: October 29 at 12:55 pm
Japanese: October 30 at 7:00 pm

Howl's Moving Castle
English dubbed: November 26 at 12:55 pm
Japanese: November 27 at 7:00 pm

2017 Japanese animated film Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic (劇場版「黒執事 Book of the Atlantic」) in Pittsburgh, June 12 and 14.

The 2017 Japanese animated movie Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic (劇場版「黒執事 Book of the Atlantic」) will play at the Southside Works Cinema on June 12 and 14. The distributor provides a summary for the film, which opened in Japan in January and is making its debut throughout the US in June:

All aboard to the next great adventure for Ciel and his demonic butler, Sebastian! After hearing rumors of a peculiar society bringing people back from the dead, the two board the luxury liner Campania on her maiden voyage to investigate. Incognito amongst the mysterious Aurora Society, they find familiar faces and a sight they can’t believe—a woman raised from the dead! But surprise quickly turns to dread when the shambling corpse attacks.

With more questions than answers, Ciel and Sebastian are up against not just one flesh-hungry corpse, but hundreds. Worse yet, the flamboyant reaper Grell and his new partner, Ronald Knox, stand in their way. Time is running out to solve this mystery, and if the demonic duo doesn’t act fast, they’ll be treading some seriously rough waters. Who could be behind this daring necromancy—and are they ready to find out?

Tickets and showtime information is available from the Southside Works Cinema website. The June 12 show is in Japanese with English subtitles, while the June 14 show is dubbed in English. The theater is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the SouthSide Works shopping center (map).

Hayao Miyazaki films My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) and Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) at Cinemark theaters around Pittsburgh in June and July.

The Hayao Miyazaki films My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) and Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) will play at Cinemark theaters in western Pennsylvania in June and July, respectively. An English-dubbed My Neighbor Totoro will play at 12:55 pm on June 25 at Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, North Hills, and Pittsburgh Mills, while the English-subtitled version will play at those theaters at 7:00 pm on June 26. The English-dubbed version of Kiki's Delivery Service will play at 12:55 at those theaters on July 23, and the English-subtitled version will play there at 7:00 pm on July 24. Tickets are currently available online.

HCL Technologies hiring bilingual Mandarin-English Product Identity Analyst position onsite at Google.

HCL Technologies is hiring for a bilingual Mandarin-English customer product support position onsite at Google in Pittsburgh. The posting, via Monster.com:

Bilingual Mandarin Chinese Product Identity Analyst is a full-time job through HCL America, Inc. onsite at Google Pittsburgh.

This position requires entrepreneurial drive to contribute to the long-term growth of online shopping by performing in-depth research, analyzing product specification data, using highly technical internal tools and processes to manage and enhance a large repository of knowledge about products. It is part of a fast-paced environment, partnering closely with operations and engineering teams.

Documentary A Chronicle of My Cultural Revolution, June 8.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center, SilkScreen, and StartUpTown will present the film A Chronicle of My Cultural Revolution on June 8.

StartUpTown to present director Xu Xing’s film "A Chronicle of My Cultural Revolution." This documentary of personal experiences of the Cultural Revolution starts with the director’s own love story. The film will be followed by a short presentation by East Asian Librarian Haihui Zhang on the CR/10 project, a collection of memories and impressions of ordinary people and their experiences with China’s decade long Cultural Revolution.

The event will be held at the StartUptown: Paramount Film Exchange at 1727 Blvd. of the Allies (map). It is free and open to the public, but donations are encouraged.

Japanese rock group ONE OK ROCK at Mr. Smalls, August 6.

The Japanese rock group ONE OK ROCK will play at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale on August 6 as part of its Ambitions US Tour. The Chicago Tribune profiled the group last year ahead of their Pittsburgh concert.

One Ok Rock could easily be mistaken for an American band, which might actually be the point: The group's members love American pop-rock, and the sort of Hot Topic/Good Charlotte/Warped Tour punk that was popular circa 2005. Ask Taka what music he likes, and he'll cite acts such as Linkin Park, Maroon 5 and "a lot of emo stuff." The album "35xxxv" (pronounced "thirty-five") is a crisp, endearing, slightly dated homage to those bands; it sounds like an album of Bush-era Fall Out Boy outtakes.

. . .

To a small but vocal contingent of its Japanese fans, the band's preoccupation with stateside success was perceived as an abandonment of its roots ("Maybe they understand already?" Moriuchi says hopefully when asked how these fans feel now). Backlash or not, Moriuchi, having lived in southern California, isn't in a hurry to go back home. "The United States is so comfortable for me. I don't know how it is for the others, but for me it's so much better than Japan."

Tickets for the all-ages, 7:00 pm show are $25 online. Mr. Smalls Theatre is located at 400 Lincoln Ave. in Millvale (map).

My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) at Row House Cinema in late-July.

The Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville will show Hayao Miyazaki's 1988 animated film My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) as part of the Pittsburgh Children's Film Festival from July 28 to August 3. Tickets and showtime information have yet to be announced.

Douglas Paal and "US-China Relations in the Era of Donald Trump", June 8.

The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh will host Douglas Paal, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and his talk "US-China Relations in the Era of Donald Trump" on June 8.

Douglas H. Paal is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International (2006–2008) and was an unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan (2002–2006). He was on the National Security Council staffs of Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush between 1986 and 1993 as director of Asian Affairs and then as senior director and special assistant to the president.

The event runs from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at the Duquesne Club downtown (map). The cost is $20 for World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh members and $30 for non-members.

36th annual Pittsburgh Bonsai Show, June 3 and 4.

The Pittsburgh Bonsai Society will presents its 36th annual Pittsburgh Bonsai Show on June 3 and 4 at the Phipps Garden Center in Shadyside (map). The event is free and open to the public, though reservations are required for the workshops and fees are required for supplies.