"Storytime: Chinese and English" at Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill, November 24.

The Squirrel Hill branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host its next "Storytime: Chinese and English" on November 24.

Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in Chinese and English. For children birth-5 years and their caregivers.

It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am and is free and open to the public. The Carnegie Library branch in Squirrel Hill is located at 5801 Forbes Ave. (map), accessible by buses 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, and 74.

Chinese calligraphy workshop downtown, December 8.

"Chinese calligrapher," by David Boté Estrada (Creative Commons).

The downtown branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host a Chinese calligraphy workshop on December 8.

A Chinese calligraphy expert will show us pictures of her home in China, give background on the art of calligraphy, and lead a Chinese calligraphy workshop for all ages! 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 event runs from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. The Downtown & Business branch is located at 612 Smithfield St. (map).

"Learn to Play the Pipa (Chinese Lute) – 4 Class Series for Children," at Carnegie Library in February.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's main branch in Oakland will host pipa soloist Yang Jin for a series of free pipa lessons in February.

Renowned pipa performer Yang Jin will teach a series of 4 free pipa (Chinese lute) classes for children beginning February 7. Pipa instruments will be provided during class. The classes, held Thursdays 6:30 – 7:30 PM, take place:

February 7 Children’s Lesson 1

February 14 Children’s Lesson 2

February 21 Children’s Lesson 3

February 28 Children’s Lesson 4

Registering for one class will register you for all 4 sessions in the series. The class is limited to 12 participants.

The pipa, one of the most popular instruments in China, has a pear-shaped wooden body and consists of 12 to 26 frets.

Registration is required and can be completed online. 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.

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) at Carnegie Museum of Art, December 1.

For this month's Cinematheque event as part of the Carnegie International exhibition, the Carnegie Museum of Art will present the 2013 Studio Ghibli film The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) on December 1. A 2014 A.V. Club review provides a summary:

A humble bamboo cutter named Okina (translation: “old man”) happens upon a glowing stalk in the grove near his house. When he investigates, the shimmering tree blossoms reveal a baby nested inside. Believing this discovery to be a gift from the heavens, Okina brings her home to his wife Ouna (“old woman”), with whom he begins to raise the child as their own. Dubbing her “Princess” Kaguya, Ouna and Okina marvel at how rapidly the girl begins to grow, racing from infancy to pre-adolescence in a matter of days.

While Kaguya busies herself with a normal childhood, making friends with the local kids and bonding with an older boy named Sutemaru, her adopted father becomes distracted by Kaguya’s value to him—the bamboo shoot from which she was born begins producing gold. As Kaguya transforms into a teenager, Okina relocates their family to the capital city, where the girl receives lessons on how to be a proper woman, and is celebrated as a rare beauty. When five aggressive suitors come calling—followed by the emperor himself—Kaguya begins to feel trapped, things falling apart as she imagines a different life for herself.

It goes on to say the film has "some of the most beautifully expressive animation that Ghibli (or anyone else) has ever produced".

The movie runs from 1:00 to 3:15 pm. The museum is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map), accessible by buses 28X, 58, 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71B, 71D, 75, and P3.

2018 Japanese animated anthology film Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Film Theater, Volume 1 (ちいさな英雄－カニとタマゴと透明人間－) in Pittsburgh, January 10 and 12.

A 2018 collection of three short films, titled Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Film Theater, Volume 1 (ちいさな英雄－カニとタマゴと透明人間－), will play in Pittsburgh on January 10 and 12.

Studio Ponoc, the new animation studio founded by two-time Academy Award®-nominee Yoshiaki Nishimura (The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, When Marnie Was There) and featuring many artists from the venerable Studio Ghibli, made an immediate splash last year with its acclaimed debut film Mary and The Witch’s Flower. The studio returns this year with Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Films Theatre Vol. 1, an ambitious collection of three thrilling tales created by some of the greatest talents working in Japanese animation today.

In Kanini & Kanino, directed by Academy Award®-nominee Hiromasa Yonebayashi (When Marnie Was There, Mary and The Witch’s Flower), two crab brothers embark on a grand underwater adventure to find their father, after an accident carries him far downstream. Depicted as tiny beings in a large and merciless natural world, the brothers must evade a series of freshwater predators if they are ever to reunite with their family again.

In Life Ain’t Gonna Lose, acclaimed animator Yoshiyuki Momose (key animator on Isao Takahata’s films at Studio Ghibli, and animation director of the video game Ni No Kuni) makes his directorial debut with a very different kind of story. Eight-year-old Shun loves baseball and to run. Only eggs defeat him. With the love of his strong-willed mother (Maggie Q), Shun faces the challenge of an everyday life threatened by a deadly allergy.

Lastly, in Invisible (the directing debut of Akihiko Yamashita, a talented key animator on many of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki’s best-known films) a man wakes up one morning and goes through his day in a world where no one can see him. But just when he seems to have reached his limit, a momentous decision gives him the chance to reclaim his humanity.

Together, the stories explore ideas of heroism large and small, and the infinite potential of the short film format allows the directors and Studio Ponoc to experiment with breathtaking, action-packed visuals, concise human drama, and gorgeous fantasy worlds, in this unforgettable short film anthology that is further demonstration of the studio’s exciting future.

It will play at the Southside Works on January 10, and at the Cinemark in Monroeville on the 10th (subtitled) and 12th (dubbed). Tickets are available online.

Japanese Coming-of-Age Ceremony (成人の日) at Pitt for students turning 20, January 11.

Kasai does 成人の日 in 2010.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and English Language Institute will host the second annual Coming-of-Age Ceremony (成人の日) on January 11, 2019. A large cohort of students from Yasuda Women's University is studying at Pitt's English Language Institute this fall and will miss the traditional ceremony in Hiroshima next month, so Pitt will hold its own event. Pittwire covered last year's ceremony:

About 25 students from Yasuda Women’s University in Hiroshima, who were at the University of Pittsburgh for five months learning English, were away from home in January, missing out on the annual Coming of Age ceremony, a national holiday in Japan.

So, Pitt’s Asian Studies Center threw a party — kimonos included.

A banner that reads “University of Pittsburgh Coming of Age Day Ceremony” in Japanese greeted student Nika Tanimoto and other participants.

“This Coming of Age ceremony seems like the perfect confluence of the University, our Japanese students and the community to celebrate together,” said Lynn Kawaratani, the center’s acting associate director. Members of the Pittsburgh community, the Japanese Nationality Room Committee and the Japan America Society of Pennsylvania all loaned kimonos for the students to wear. The Asian Studies Center has been partnering with Pitt’s English Language Institute for about a year, developing programming for these international students as well as Pitt students.

Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城), Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便), My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ), and Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind (風の谷のナウシカ) at Row House Cinema, from November 30.

This year's annual Miyazaki Week at the Row House Cinema will feature four movies this year from November 30: Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城), Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便), My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ), and Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind (風の谷のナウシカ). The series runs through December 6, and tickets and showtime information is available online. Movies after 6:00 pm will be shown in Japanese with English subtitles, while daytime movies will be dubbed in English. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

New Pokemon movie The Power of Us (劇場版ポケットモンスター みんなの物語) opens November 24.

The latest animated Pokemon movie The Power of Us (劇場版ポケットモンスター みんなの物語) will play in the Pittsburgh area from November 24. The distributor provides a summary:

A young athlete whose running days might be behind her, a compulsive liar, a shy researcher, a bitter old woman, and a little girl with a big secret—the only thing they have in common is the annual Wind Festival in Fula City.

The festival celebrates the Legendary Pokémon Lugia, who brings the wind that powers this seaside city. When a series of threats endangers not just the festival, but all the people and Pokémon of Fula City, it’ll take more than just Ash and Pikachu to save the day! Can everyone put aside their differences and work together—or will it all end in destruction?

The movie plays in English on November 24, 26, 28, and December 1 at Southside Works, AMC Loews Waterfront, and the Cinemark Theaters in Monroeville, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online.

Japanese movie Shoplifters (万引き家族) coming soon to Pittsburgh.

The 2018 Japanese movie and Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters (万引き家族) is coming soon to the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill and the Regent Square Theater in Regent Square.

After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold.

At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu’s wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces.

Although the family is poor, barely making enough money to survive through petty crime, they seem to live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them...

It opens on December 21 in Regent Square, though showtimes are not yet available. Ticket and showtime information has not yet been announced for the Manor Theater.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's "Stretched Thin" profile on Everyday Noodles and the challenging quest of finding, and training, qualified noodle-pullers.

Melissa McCart of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a profile on Mike Chen and Everyday Noodles, and the challenges that US immigration policy has posed to finding and keeping qualified noodle-pullers.

With luck comes challenge. In the case of Everyday Noodles, Mr. Chen’s challenge has been finding Taiwanese staff who know how to hand-pull noodles and assemble soup dumplings, skills that typically take years to master.

Hiring international workers with H-1B visas solved Mr. Chen’s problem at first. He now has new problems that are affecting his ability to hire cooks. The Trump administration overhauled immigration policies, tightening eligibility. The changes are being carried out by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

In April, USCIS announced it reached the congressionally mandated 85,000 H-1B visa cap for fiscal year 2019, according to the agency website. The cap was met within five days — with over 190,000 applications received, less than past years, according to USCIS — which activated a lottery system. Specialized restaurant work generally no longer qualifies for an H-1B visa.

Mr. Chen’s experiences are an example of how these policies are affecting the Pittsburgh area: They are shrinking already small immigrant communities and stagnating the labor pool.