"Japanese Action Comic Punk band" Peelander-Z back in Pittsburgh, April 25.

Japanese punk band Peelander-Z will play in Pittsburgh on April 25. Wikipedia provides an overview of their live shows:

They perform on stage and appear in color-coordinated costumes, which they state are not costumes, but their skin. The costumes range from sentai style suits, to kimono, to rubber Playmobil style wigs. There is also a tiger costume and a giant squid/guitar costume to coincide with the song "Mad Tiger". Another aspect of their routine is their on-stage antics such as human bowling (diving head-first into bowling pins), pretending to hit each other with chairs in imitation of pro-wrestlers, and mid-performance piggyback rides. They often allow audience members on stage to join in on the fun, and often dive into the audience or hang from a balcony as part of their act.

They return to Pittsburgh for the first time since 2015, following a brief hiatus. The show is at the Hard Rock Cafe in Station Square (map) and tickets are on sale as of noon today; those under 21 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Noble Asian Grocery opens on Saw Mill Run Blvd.

via @LiteracyPittsburgh

Noble Asian Grocery is among the new food-related establishments permitted to open in February by the Allegheny County Health Department. It is run by Burmese immigrant Ja Doi and is located at 2830 Saw Mill Run Blvd. in Whitehall (map). Writes Literacy Pittsburgh of its former student:

Ja Doi has lived in Pittsburgh for five years, and opening a small grocery store has been her goal for four of those years! We are so proud of her for working so hard to achieve her dream while raising her two young children.

Chinese calligraphy workshop downtown, March 16.

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

The downtown branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host a Chinese calligraphy workshop on March 16.

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).

March premiere of new Fruits Basket (フルーツバスケット) anime to skip Pittsburgh.

The theaters for the March premiere of the 2019 Japanese anime Fruits Basket (フルーツバスケット) were announced this afternoon, but no Pittsburgh locations made the list (yet). It will play, however, in Philadelphia, Columbus, and Washington D.C. on March 26 and 27.

Tickets now available for "Yeonmi Park: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom," March 20 at Kelly Strayhorn Theater.

North Korean defector, author, and activist Yeonmi Park will speak at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty on March 20. Tickets are now available at $25 for students and military, $40 for general admission, and $85 for VIP.

"Where Goes The Neighborhood? Japan and the Rise of Asia" March 5 downtown.

The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and Japan America Society of Pennsylvania will present "Where Goes The Neighborhood? Japan and the Rise of Asia" on March 5.

Join us for a lively discussion with two well-known experts on the evolving Japan-US alliance and its impact on security and trade in Asia.

The US-Japan alliance has provided one of the foundations for decades of security and freedom in Asia. But, the neighborhood is changing: Japan is experiencing significant strategic and diplomatic challenges from China, faces increasingly aggressive North Korean weapons development and testing, and has an uncertain relationship with South Korea.

While the U.S. continues to be Japan’s main partner and ally, it has withdrawn from the major Pacific free trade pact, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), after completing negotiations with Japan. As uncertainty in the region abounds, Japan considers how to work effectively with the U.S. but also how to chart its course as a leader and a balancer in Asia.

The event is free but registration is required and can be done online; breakfast is required. It runs from 8:00 to 9:30 am at the Rivers Club on Grant Street (map).

Korean artist Hyesook Choi part of Material World exhibition at Pittsburgh Glass Center, March 1 through May 12.

From "The Power of Beauty."

Hyesook Choi is one of six artists participating in the Material World exhibition at Pittsburgh Glass Center from March 1 through May 12.

This multi-artist show will explore themes of consumerism, luxury, obsession, and materialism as they relate to popular culture and societal conventions.

Highest-grossing Chinese film of 2019 The Wandering Earth (流浪地球) in Pittsburgh through March 6.

The new Chinese movie The Wandering Earth (流浪地球), which opened in Pittsburgh on February 5 for the Lunar New Year, will stay in town through at least Wednesday, March 6. The South China Morning Post summarizes the movie, considered China's first big-budget science fiction film.

The film portrays how a group of intrepid Chinese astronauts save the world from the brink of annihilation due to the imminent destruction of the sun. Like Hollywood space movies where Americans are portrayed as the only ones capable of saving humanity, here Chinese astronauts are the sole adventurers among the global space community determined to complete the arduous task of fending off the apocalypse.

In spite of such overt patriotism, the film is spectacular for its ceaseless stream of hair-raising close-shave encounters and apocalyptic landscapes oozing desolation and despair. There is also a touching subplot involving family bonds at the centre of the mission to save the earth.

The film is the highest-grossing movie of the year in China so far, and #2 of all-time there behind 2017's Wolf Warrior 2 (战狼2).

Tickets are available online 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.

2012 Japanese film Thermae Romae (テルマエ・ロマエ) begins Maridon Museum's Spring Film Fest, March 14.

The Spring Film Series begins at the Maridon Museum in Butler on March 14 with the 2012 film Thermae Romae (テルマエ・ロマエ).

Progress on Oakland's TW Kitchen (台味廚坊).

A good amount of progress has been made on TW Kitchen (台味廚坊), a new Taiwanese restaurant coming to North Oakland. Signage first went up in December for the place offering "Taiwanese style bentos, noodles, soup, and more," and though it has not opened yet there is a new awning and signage. It will be located at 192 N. Craig St. (map), in what was most recently Millennial Cupcake and Parfait Bar.