Tickets now available for Pittsburgh premiere of 2019 Chinese animated film White Snake (白蛇：缘起), March 3.

Tickets are now available the Pittsburgh premiere of the 2019 Chinese animated film White Snake (白蛇：缘起) on March 3 at the Row House Cinema. The distributor writes:

From Light Chaser Animation, one of China’s premiere animation studios, comes a visually stunning new take on a classic legend. One day a young woman named Blanca is saved by Xuan, a snake catcher from a nearby village. She has lost her memory, and together they go on a journey to discover her real identity, developing deeper feelings for one another along the way. But as they learn more about her past, they uncover a darker plot of supernatural forces vying for power, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Conceived as a prequel to one of the most ancient and enduring stories in Chinese history, White Snake presents a sumptuous tale of trickster demons, deadly mythical beasts, assassins, wuxia action, and the promise of eternal love.

The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

2019 Masaaki Yuasa film Ride Your Wave (きみと、波にのれたら) in Pittsburgh, February 19.

The 2019 Masaaki Yuasa film Ride Your Wave (きみと、波にのれたら) will play in Pittsburgh on February 19. From the distributor:

From visionary director Masaaki Yuasa (The Night is Short, Walk on Girl, Devilman Crybaby) comes a deeply emotional new film that applies his trademark visual ingenuity to a tale of romance, grief and self-discovery.

Hinako is a surf-loving college student who has just moved to a small seaside town. When a sudden fire breaks out at her apartment building, she is rescued by Minato, a handsome firefighter, and the two soon fall in love. Just as they become inseparable, Minato loses his life in an accident at sea. Hinako is so distraught that she can no longer even look at the ocean, but one day she sings a song that reminds her of their time together, and Minato appears in the water. From then on, she can summon him in any watery surface as soon as she sings their song, but can the two really remain together forever? And what is the real reason for Minato’s sudden reappearance?

It will play locally at the Cinemark theater in Monroeville in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets are available online.

Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) stays in Pittsburgh through (at least) February 20.

The Oscar-winning 2019 Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) will keep playing throughout the Pittsburgh region through at least February 13. A synopsis from the movie's official site:

Bong Joon Ho brings his singular mastery home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairytale.

Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. By turns darkly hilarious and heart-wrenching, PARASITE showcases a modern master at the top of his game.

Here is a list of currently-scheduled screenings:

• AMC Mt. Lebanon: now through February 19
• AMC Loews Waterfront: now through February 19
• Cinemark Pittsburgh Mills: now through February 19
• Cinemark Robinson: now through February 19
• Squirrel Hill Manor: now through February 20
• Tull Family Theater: now through February 20
• Southside Works Cinema: now through February 20

BTS coffee at Panda.

Squirrel Hill's Panda Supermarket advertised one of its latest arrivals: Cold Brew coffee by Babinski featuring BTS members. Only four are on display now---RM, Jung Kook, Jin, Suga---but others may be on the way. Full sets are also seem to be available online.

Happy Home Buffet closed for renovations until March.

Happy Home Buffet on McKnight Road has recently closed for renovations until March, a sign out front reports. The goings-on of Asian buffets are usually not remarkable, but it has been a rough few years in Pittsburgh with several large restaurants closing: including Tokyo Sushi Buffet and TJ Buffet at this McKnight Road location; Old Town Buffet (formerly Misaki) on Route 51; Dynasty in Cranberry; and Sushi Cho (formerly York Buffet) in Robinson.

This closure is also not related to the Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh; the host restaurant of the JAGP's annual New Year's party has, coincidentally, often closed shortly thereafter, including Golden Palace in Robinson, Misaki and Old Town Buffet in the South Hills, and Tokyo Sushi Buffet in the North Hills.

"Making Green Tea For America - And For Japan," February 21 at Pitt.

via cyclonebill (Creative Commons)

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Robert Hellyer and "Making Green Tea For America - And For Japan" on February 21.

Join Professor Robert Hellyer of Wake Forest University for a discussion on the socio-economic history of green tea in America and Japan in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Soon after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan dramatically expanded tea production—especially of high-quality sencha green tea—specifically to meet demand from the United States, then a green tea consuming nation. This presentation will outline that export trade highlighting how tea production helped to ease social tensions in the nascent Japanese nation-state by providing employment for Tokugawa retainers who had opposed the new central regime during the Boshin War (1868-1869). It will also explain the ways in which a change in American tastes—the 1920s’ embrace of black teas produced in South Asia—brought a decline in Japanese tea exports to the United States. Facing a glut, Japanese tea merchants aggressively marketed sencha at home for the first time, emphasizing its health benefits. As a result, more Japanese began to consume sencha, setting in motion a trend that made that type of green tea the definitive daily beverage it remains today.

The event starts from 3:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Pittsburgh's 2020 Lunar New Year Parade postponed until March 1.

The Organization of Chinese Americans - Pittsburgh has announced today's Lunar New Year Parade will be postponed until March 1, 11:00 am.

412 K Town (KPOPittsburgh) My Valentines Kpop Dance Party, February 14 in Bloomfield.

412 K-Town / KPOP Pittsburgh will host a Valentine's Day K-pop dance party on February 14.

Hey Everyone !! Valentine’s Day is around corner. Come Join us at " Valentines day Kpop Dance Party " present by 412 K Town ( KPOPittsburgh) on february 14th, 2020 Friday @ LevelupStudios.
Dj.Kidplay will be spinning your favorite kpop songs as we dance the night away , and we will have RDP throughout the night so be ready to show us your moves on the dance floor.
This event is 18 and up ( no alcohol will served but we will have water for everyone ) and it is $15 (Cash&Venmo) at the door ( donations are optional ) Feel Free to bring guests and Hope to see you guys there ^^

It starts at 8:00 pm at Level Up Studios in Bloomfield (map).

"Storytime: Chinese and English" in Squirrel Hill, February 29.

via Ed Massery.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branch in Squirrel Hill will hold its next "Storytime: Chinese and English" on Saturday, February 29.

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

Storytime 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.

Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) stays in Pittsburgh through (at least) February 13.

The acclaimed 2019 Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) will keep playing throughout the Pittsburgh region through at least February 13. A synopsis from the movie's official site:

Bong Joon Ho brings his singular mastery home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairytale.

Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. By turns darkly hilarious and heart-wrenching, PARASITE showcases a modern master at the top of his game.

Here is a list of currently-scheduled screenings:

• AMC Loews Waterfront: now through February 12
• AMC Mt. Lebanon: now through February 12
• Southside Works Cinema: now through February 13
• Squirrel Hill Manor: now through February 13
• Tull Family Theater: now through February 6
• Southside Works Cinema: now through February 12