2016 Japanese film After the Storm (海よりもまだ深く) at Hollywood Theater, June 16 - 22.

The 2016 Japanese film After the Storm (海よりもまだ深く) will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont from June 16 through June 22. A summary from a March San Francisco Chronicle review:

Ryoto (Hiroshi Abe) has lost his mojo. Fifteen years earlier, his novel won a prestigious award, but he has yet to follow up on that success. He is divorced from Kyoko (Yoko Maki) and is behind on his child support — he is limited by the divorce settlement to visiting his son Shingo (Taiyo Yoshizawa) once a month.

He is also broke — probably because of the cost of the divorce and his gambling habit. With no follow-up novel in the works, he has taken a job with a private detective agency. As he gets the goods on his clients’ cheating significant others, he also examines his only life, which he is gradually realizing is a failure.

“I’m the ‘great talents bloom late’ kind,” Ryoto tells his mother, Yashiko (Kirin Kiki, who is excellent).

Not buying it for a second, Mom responds, “You’re taking too long to bloom.”

Unable to move on, Ryoto uses his private eye skills to spy on his ex-wife and her new boyfriend, who seems to be everything he is not — and a nice guy to boot. What could be a creepy sort of plot twist is, in Kore-eda’s hands, more of a sad desperation.

As with many of Kore-eda’s best films — “Maborosi” and “Still Walking,” among others — “After the Storm” has what the Japanese call mono no aware, which translates as “the pathos of things.” It is a film that is aware of the transient, impermanent nature of life.

Tickets and showtime information is now available online. 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.

Snacks and sweets at Asian Food Market Bobae in Monroeville.

Happened across a large selection of Korean and Japanese snacks and sweets---including mochi, Japanese Kit-Kat flavors (like matcha and sake), and Ramune drinks---at Asian Food Market Bobae the other day. The Korean-owned store (bobae / 보배 is treasure in Korean) is located in a small strip mall at 4027 William Penn Highway in Monroeville, across from the Miracle Mile Shopping Center (map).

Korean movie The Way Home (집으로) in Oakland, July 2.

The 2002 Korean film The Way Home (집으로) will play at the Carnegie Library's Main Branch in Oakland on July 2 as that month's installment of the International Cinema Sunday series. A 2002 San Francisco Chronicle review provides a summary:

Dumped by his mother at the rural home of his ancient grandmother, a 7-year- old boy turns surly and depressed. His Game Boy batteries die, Grandma's food tastes strange, and the countryside lacks the vivid distractions of urban life.

Gradually, the spoiled brat (Seung-Ho Yoo) and the deaf, exquisitely patient grandmother (Eul-Boon Kim) grow to love and understand each other. By the time his mother returns to claim him, the boy has learned more from the old woman's gestures of kindness than his mother ever taught him

The movie runs from 2:00 to 5:00 pm and is free and open to the public. 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.

Dr. Angela Stanzel and "German-Chinese Economic Relations" talk, June 12 downtown.

Dr. Angela Stanzel of the European Council on Foreign Relations will speak on June 12 on "German-Chinese Economic Relations". From the Pittsburgh Warburg Chapter of the American Council on Germany:

While German-Chinese trade and investment relations are still expanding, 2016 was also a year of strong reappraisal by Germany. Germany’s economic circles have become wary as enthusiasm in China for economic reform is tapering off; opportunities for foreign firms have been removed one by one. The lack of reciprocity and the risk of seeing Germany’s technology siphoned off by China have already had an impact on the thinking in government and large companies in Germany. This has triggered a change in Berlin’s tone and dealings with China. The quality of this change is remarkable because for many years German-Chinese economic relations were thought to have no way to go but further upward. Today, this relationship has seemed to enter a period of unknown stormy waters precisely when the Trump factor adds volatility to China’s relationship with the United States, its most important political and economic partner.

Registration is requested by June 9. The event runs from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown (map) and is $5 for those not members of the American Council on Germany or the German American Chamber of Commerce.

Pitt hiring for temp bilingual Chinese-English Social Media Education Coordinator position.

The University of Pittsburgh has an opening for a bilingual Mandarin-English Social Media Education Coordinator temp position. From the Pittsource posting:

The Social Media Education Coordinator will play a key roll in developing on-line educational content for the University’s international alumni. They will be responsible for working with the Asian Studies Center and the UCIS Director of Constituent Relations to develop a new on-line educational and outreach materials platform for alumni in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Content will be bilingual (Mandarin and English). SMEC will need to develop a social media strategy to push content.

Job Requirements
Understanding of on-line education;
background in education;
fluency in Chinese and English;
Excellent communication skills;
Attention to detail;
Basic understanding of Web design;
Microsoft Office in English and Mandarin;
Background in Chinese social media

K-pop Dance Class at Yanlai Dance Academy in July and August.

The Yanlai Dance Academy in the North Hills will host a K-pop Dance Class on weekends from July 22 through August 19. Classes run from 2:00 to 3:00 pm and are $13 for drop-ins or $10 per session for the whole term. The school is located at 2260 Babcock Blvd (map).

"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.