2005 Miyazaki film Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) in Pittsburgh, April 7, 8, and 10.

The 2005 Miyazaki film Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) will play in Pittsburgh on April 7, 8, and 10 as part of this year's GKIDS Ghibli Fest 2019.

Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. But as the true power of Howl’s wizardry is revealed, Sophie finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world.

It will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and the North Hills. The April 7 and 10 shows are dubbed in English, while the April 8 show is in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets are available online.

Japanese film The Third Murder (三度目の殺人) at Carnegie Library in Oakland, April 7.

The 2017 Japanese film The Third Murder (三度目の殺人) will be this month's installment of International Cinema Sunday at the Carnegie Library in Oakland on April 7.

Leading attorney Shigemori takes on the defense of murder-robbery suspect Misumi, who served jail time for another murder 30 years ago. Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, 124 minutes, rated R

The movie runs from 2:30 to 4:30 pm in Classroom A 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.

Chinese-language play Ivy League Dream in Wexford, April 7.

The Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center will present the play Ivy League Dream on April 7 at North Allegheny Senior High School in Wexford (map). The show starts at 7:00 pm and will play with English subtitles. Tickets are available by contacting the email addresses on the flyers above.

2018 Japanese animated film Penguin Highway (ペンギン・ハイウェイ) in Pittsburgh, April 14.

The 2018 Japanese animated film Penguin Highway (ペンギン・ハイウェイ) will play at Southside Works Cinema on April 14, one week earlier than previously announced. The distributor summarizes:

Budding genius Aoyama is only in the 4th grade, but already lives his life like a scientist. When penguins start appearing in his sleepy suburb hundreds of miles from the sea, Aoyama vows to solve the mystery. When he finds the source of the penguins is a woman from his dentist’s office, they team up for an unforgettable summer adventure!

Tickets for the 7:00 pm show are available online. Southside Works Cinema is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the Southside, one block from the Hot Metal Bridge (map).

Spots still available for free "Learn to Play the Pipa (Chinese Lute) – 4 Class Series for Adults" at Carnegie Library in Oakland, Thursdays in April.

Several places still remain for a series of free pipa lessons for adults in April, led by pipa soloist Yang Jin at the Carnegie Library in Oakland.

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

April 4 Adult Lesson 1

April 11 Adult Lesson 2

April 18 Adult Lesson 3

April 25 Adult Lesson 4

Registering for one class will register you for all 4 sessions in the series. The class is limited to 16 participants.

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.

UPMC hiring bilingual Mandarin-English Patient Services Representative for Squirrel Hill office.

UPMC is hiring a bilingual Mandarin-English Patient Services Representative for a Squirrel Hill office.

Do you have a background in healthcare working with patients? UPMC ishiring a Bilingual Patient Services Representative to support their office inSquirrel Hill.They are looking for someone who will be able to assist both the Chinese and English speaking patients. This position is full-time, Monday - Friday during daylight hours.

A Patient Services Representative is responsible for welcoming patients upon arrival, promoting the usage of new and emerging consumer-friendly technologies, educating patients on their copayments and financial obligations and collecting payments when applicable, scheduling subsequent appointments within the continuum of care, connecting patients to financial advocacy resources when appropriate, updating patient's demographics and insurance coverage information, and promoting an overall culture of service excellence. We are seeking candidates with a strong customer service background and a desire to be empowered to ensure a positive experience during a patient's visit to UPMC.

For more information, and to apply, review the posting on the UPMC website.

Listening to Monsters: Nature, Technology, and Sound Design in Gojira (1954), April 2 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present Dr. Brooke H. McCorkle and her talk "Listening to Monsters: Nature, Technology, and Sound Design in Gojira (1954)" on April 2. It starts at 5:30 pm in 3911 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival opens tomorrow at Row House Cinema.

The fourth annual Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival at the Row House Cinema features 12 films, a collection of Japanese TV gameshow moments, a number of special events, and runs from March 29's Ramen Fest through April 11.

"Storytime: Japanese and English" returns to East Liberty, April 16.

via archdaily.org

The next installment of the monthly program "Storytime: Japanese and English" will take place on April 16 at the Carnegie Library in East Liberty.

Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Japanese for children and their parents or caregivers. For children age birth – 5 and their caregivers.

It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

Sister City 海阳?

via baidu.

According to today's Cranberry Eagle, the sister city relationship between Cranberry, Butler County, and Haiyang, China, is almost done, should be complete following a trip by Haiyang officials to western Pennsylvania in September.

[Butler Tourism and Convention Bureau president Jack] Cohen said the sister city project with Hai Yang will bring not only tourism to Butler County, but also potential Chinese businesses looking to expand into the U.S.

“As people get to know us and we get to know them, we build relationships,” Cohen said. “You never know what individuals are looking for.”

Hai Yang chose Butler County and Cranberry because Chinese Westinghouse employees living in Cranberry Township have reported a high quality of life, Cohen said.

Westinghouse is building a nuclear plant facility in Hai Yang, Cohen said.