Hello Kitty Cafe Truck coming to Ross Park Mall, September 11.

via @HellyKittyCafeTruck

The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will return to Ross Park Mall on September 11.

Hello Pittsburgh! The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is returning to Ross Park Mall on Saturday 9/11! Come say hello to us near Cheesecake Factory between 10am-7pm and pick up some supercute treats & merch, while supplies last!

Learn how we are creating a comfortable and safe environment for our guests and staff here: https://www.sanrio.com/pages/message-to-the-sanrio-community-about-covid-19

More information about the truck and its tours available via Sanrio. Ross Park Mall is located in Ross Township in the North Hills, just off McKnight Road (map).

Sushi Kim 2 opening downtown in September.

Sushi Kim, which closed its famed Strip District sushi and Korean restaurant in late-2019, will open its Sushi Kim 2 downtown in September, according to the owner on Facebook. It will be located at 110 Smithfield St. (map). In 2020 it announced Sushi Kim 2 Go for N. Craig St. in Oakland, but the storefront there remains empty. The new restaurant boasts of a sushi bar and "traditional Korean kitchen," and has posted its menu on its new website:

Yanlai Dance Academy performance downtown, September 11.

The Yanlai Dance Academy will have a free performance downtown on September 11, part of Lights On!, a three-day celebration of the Pittsburgh Cultural District.

Yanlai Dance Academy will perform different styles of Chinese folk dance and classical dance. Performances will include colorful costumes and classic Chinese melody. Performers, ranging from kids to adults, will give you a glimpse of ancient China and many other ethnic groups.

The outdoor performance starts at 2:00 pm at the 8th Street Stage (map). Yanlai Dance Academy is located in the North Hills and offers a variety of modern and traditional dance classes.

Mini Trees in Pittsburgh, December 1 at Club Cafe.

Mini Trees will perform in Pittsburgh on December 1 at Club Cafe on the Southside (map). A July Beats Per Minute review describes a recent single "Carrying On":

“Carrying On” comes bounding out of the gates with a buoyant and propulsive bass line and strident drumming, which acts as a brilliant counterpoint to Vega’s more circuitous and uncertain words. It’s as if the instrumentation is the activity of the world rushing on all around, while Vega is stuck in the middle simply striving for a “sense of peace” and trying to keep troublesome ideas at bay, vividly describing her thought patterns in lines like “Colors paint my mistakes, it’s more than I can take.” The push-and-pull continues throughout “Carrying On”, resulting in a finale where one moment she’s quietly musing “I try to convince myself we’ll see it through” and the next she’s yelping “Is it over like that? Was it all a wash?” It’s a simple but effective reflection of our current mental dissonance, all wrapped up in a three-minute indie pop package.

Mongolian heavy metal band The Hu in Pittsburgh, September 17.

Mongolian heavy metal band The Hu will play the Carnegie Music Hall in Homestead on September 17.

In 2019, an NPR story put a spotlight on “a band from Mongolia that blends the screaming guitars of heavy metal and traditional Mongolian guttural singing,” accurately highlighting the cultural importance and unique musical identity of The HU. Founded in 2016 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, The HU, comprised of producer Dashka along with members Gala, Jaya, Temka, and Enkush, are a modern rock group rooted in the tradition of their homeland. The band’s name translates to the Mongolian root word for human being, and their unique approach blends instruments like the Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle), Tovshuur (Mongolian guitar), Tumur Khuur (jaw harp) and throat singing with contemporary sounds, creating a unique sonic profile that they call “Hunnu Rock.”

Tickets for the 8:00 pm show are available online from $32 (plus fees). The Carnegie Library Music Hall of Homestead is located at 510 E. 10th Ave. in Munhall (map).

OCA Pittsburgh Free Medical Clinic, October 18.

The Organization of Chinese Americans Pittsburgh has announced its annual Free Medical Clinic will be held on Monday, October 18. Further details will be available later, but the event typically provides Chinese-language support for basic medical services to Chinese-speakers in the Pittsburgh area.

New Japanese animated film Knights of Sidonia: Love Woven in the Stars (シドニアの騎士 あいつむぐほし) in Pittsburgh, September 13 and 14.

The 2021 Japanese animated film Knights of Sidonia: Love Woven in the Stars (シドニアの騎士 あいつむぐほし) will play in Pittsburgh on September 13 and 14. From the distributor:

It’s been nearly 10 years since ace pilot Nagate Tanikaze repelled the Gauna forces and saved Sidonia, humanity’s last home. And now, the Guardians are bringing the fight to them. In this final battle where annihilation looms and love blossoms unexpectedly, will humanity persevere or will the Gauna see domination?

It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online. 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.

"Four Evenings" discussion with Charles Yu and his 2020 novel Interior Chinatown, October 14 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Global Studies Center will host a discussion with novelist Charles Yu on October 14, part of the Center's "Four Evenings" series in collaboration with Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures. Yu will speak as part of the latter's "Ten Evenings" series on October 18.

The author of four books and numerous television scripts, Charles Yu won the 2020 National Book Award for Interior Chinatown, an ambitious satire about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping roles we are forced to play.

Willis Wu doesn’t perceive himself as the protagonist in his own life: he’s merely Generic Asian Man. Sometimes he gets to be Background Oriental Making a Weird Face or even Disgraced Son, but always he is relegated to a prop. Yet every day, he leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He’s a bit player here, too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy—the most respected role that anyone who looks like him can attain. Or is it?

The "Four Evenings" discussion with Yu will be led by Dr. Kirsten Strayer, Program Coordinator for the University of Pittsburgh's SCREENSHOT: Asia festival. The event starts at 6:00 pm and will be online; registration is required.

Japanese Student Association at Carnegie Mellon University seeks members, executive design chair.

The Japanese Student Association at Carnegie Mellon University is spreading words of the organization and looking for new members, as well as someone to fill the executive design chair vacancy. From an email to the Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh mailing list:

Hello!

We are JSA, the Japanese Student Association at Carnegie Mellon University. We are an organization dedicated to spreading awareness and passion for both traditional and modern Japanese culture throughout the community, offering connections to other Japanese students and professional entities.

Professional:

• Career Fair with Japanese companies looking for students abroad

Internal:

• Fundraising events

• Suikawari

• And so on!

If you are a Carnegie Mellon student and interested in joining our organization, please fill out the form below! 

https://forms.gle/2Ms1Rp1xNqCwzoVm7

In addition to this, we currently have the executive design chair position open. We would be happy to welcome anyone that has an interest in design and wants to help JSA out! The design chair will take on the roles of designing posters for events, creating logos, and other design related jobs.

If you have any questions or are interested in the open executive position, feel free to contact Kent (krshibat@andrew.cmu.edu).

Facebook: Japanese Student Association at Carnegie Mellon University | Facebook

Instagram: Japanese Student Association (@cmujsa)

Chinese program at Win-Win Kung Fu in Squirrel Hill, from September 11; free trial class on September 4.

Squirrel Hill's Win-Win Kung Fu Culture Center will resume its Chinese-language program from September 4.

A free trial class is given to kick the program off:

Date and time: Saturday September 4th at 2:40-3:30 pm

Starting Saturday September 11th, 2021, the class will be held every Saturday 2:40-3:30 pm, mixed with kids and adults.

Fees: $5 each class for current students, $10 for non-students.

Those interested can visit or contact the center. Win-Win Kung Fu is located at 2705-2707 Murray Ave. (map).