2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0) to remain in Pittsburgh through (at least) April 7.

The 2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0), which opened in Pittsburgh on March 17, will remain here through at least April 7. From the distributor:

When they were children, Rika Orimoto was killed in a traffic accident right before the eyes of her close friend, Yuta Okkotsu. "It's a promise. When we both grow up, we'll get married." Rika became an apparition, and Yuta longed for his own death after suffering under her curse, but the greatest Jujutsu sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, welcomed him into Jujutsu High. There Yuta meets his classmates, Maki Zen'in, Toge Inumaki, and Panda, and finally finds his own determination. "I want the confidence to say it's okay that I'm alive! While I'm at Jujutsu High, I'll break Rika-chan's curse." Meanwhile, the vile curse user, Suguru Geto, who was expelled from the school for massacring ordinary people, appears before Yuta and the others. "This coming December 24th, we shall carry out the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons." While Geto advocates for creating a paradise for only jujutsu sorcerers, he unleashes a thousand curses upon Shinjuku and Kyoto to exterminate all non-sorcerers. Will Yuta be able to stop Geto in the end? And what will happen when breaking Rika's curse...?

It will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront, Cranberry Cinema, Hollywood Theater, Waterworks Cinema, and Moraine Point Cinemas on various days, tickets are available online. Please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Food delivery service Hungry Panda hiring Mandarin-speaking Business Development Specialist for Pittsburgh area.

Hungry Panda is again hiring a Mandarin-speaking Business Development Specialist for the Pittsburgh area. As PennsylvAsia noted in Summer 2020, more Chinese delivery options, like Fantuan and Chowbus, are making their way to Pittsburgh.

Job Requirements:

• Must be fluent in Mandarin and English
• Educational requirements: Bachelor’s degree and above
• Experience in business negotiation, sales and marketing management is preferred
• Working experience in Internet companies is preferred
• Strong time management and project management skills
• High sensitivity on market trend, high sensitivity on data
• Strong commercial acumen and a desire to work with restaurants, not afraid to be refused, have top-notch people skills
• Excellent teamwork ability, cooperate with different teams to promote business cooperation, and be able to efficiently complete business negotiations independently
• Have a valid driver licence and a vehicle

"Kawasaki, A City of Japan's Multicultural Vanguard" with Japan-American Society of Pennsylvania, April 28.

via @savvytokyo

The Japan-American Society of Pennsylvania will host Dr. Yoshihiro Yasuhara of Carnegie Mellon University and his talk "Kawasaki, A City of Japan's Multicultural Vanguard."

It has been long since the notion of multiculturalism (tabunka shugi or tabunka kyosei) emerged in the social and political discourses during the 1990s while the “myth of Japan’s homogeneity” was widely challenged by various scholars, thinkers, and business leaders in Japan and abroad since the 1980s. However, there are still issues regarding the diversity, equity and inclusion in Japan, a country where the population is declining and yet the number of foreign residents continue to grow. How is it possible for Japan to reinvent itself in response to the fast-paced global trend of multiculturalism?

To facilitate a discussion of multiculturalism in Japan today, this talk will introduce the case of Kawasaki, a city that “became the first municipality to pass an ordinance that makes hate speech a punishable offense”* and its repercussions.

The talk runs from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall on the CMU campus (map). Registration is required.

Oakland Plan for (re)development includes proposal for Global District, "an inclusive district on Fifth and Forbes Avenues where there is a strong market for global food and grocery types."

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Pittsburgh's Oakland Plan for the neighborhood surrounding and abutting the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC, Carnegie Mellon, and Carlow University includes a proposal for a Global District that would seek to encourage multicultural businesses, restaurants, and grocers. The Global District would aim to

Support and grow an inclusive district on Fifth and Forbes Avenues where there is a strong market for global food and grocery types. Proactively match spaces with businesses that reinforce and grow the multi-cultural nature of this corridor's business community.

Some of what drives the plan, according to the website: 

What we heard

• Need to capture additional economic value for the neighborhood from the growth of the city’s Innovation Economy including the spend of the workers and businesses. A vibrant street level experience typically requires active first floors, although not all of it needs to be commercially oriented to be successful.
• Given changes in retail, leasing first floors may prove to be difficult.
• A program is needed that can tie together the neighborhood’s desire for local businesses, create a pipeline of potential leaseholders, and provide the financial support to make this practical for property owners.
• How the program is developed and managed will influence the outcomes and who it benefits. The planning process has repeatedly identified broad community desires to benefit MWDBE entrepreneurs, particularly from the neighborhood, and immigrants.
• For Fifth and Forbes Avenues, a multi-cultural district could build on the existing base of immigrant owned businesses, recent minority-focused business incubation, and significant customer base of diverse University faculty, staff, and students.
• Interviews with Asian and Asian-American business owners showed that there was much higher demand for space than existed. The result was that restaurants and grocery stores that would have preferred to be located in Oakland moved to Squirrel Hill and Shadyside.
• The Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation also has data that shows Oakland is highly desirable location for Hispanic entrepreneurs and businesses.
• This confirmed was brokers reported during interviews for the Existing Conditions Report, that many businesses want to move into Oakland but can’t find the right space.
• Issues identified included the small nature of spaces in Oakland, that many needed significant investments to make them usable, the lack of programs to support façade improvements, and the lack of coordination and strategy between businesses that has often resulted in multiple businesses in the same area providing similar offerings and competing with each other.
• Interviews suggest that the high up front costs around restaurant and food service businesses resulted in a lack of innovation.
• Conversations in the Steering Committee noted the lack of African, European, and Latin-American food options in Oakland.
• Organizing effort under a coherent program with branding and marketing, could help this district become a regional attraction.

 Public comment is sought and available on the website through May 1.

jason chu, Alan Z, MC Tingbudong in Pittsburgh on April 16 as part of "Chinatown Tour."

jason chu, Alan Z, and MC Tingbudon will perform in Pittsburgh on April 16 as part of their "Chinatown Tour." The performance will be part of the Pittsburgh's Historic Chinatown public celebration on the 16h. A profile of the artists, from their publicists:

Rapper/activist jason chu has been recognized by the Mellon Foundation, OCA Greater Los Angeles, the LA City Department of Cultural Affairs, BBC, NBC Asian America, and more as a leading voice in Asian American culture. He tours extensively nationwide, centering empathy and storytelling in his work.

Rapper/singer Alan Z is a mainstay in the Atlanta hip-hop scene with a national audience earned from performing coast-to-coast, while building a dedicated online following. He’s been seen going viral on Instagram and TikTok with rap verses about Asian American history and social issues. Credits on Wu Assassins (Netflix), iZombie (The CW), Sony Music Entertainment.

Rapper, multimedia artist, and revolutionary Jamel Mims aka MC Tingbudong is on the front lines of resistance against mass incarceration. In 2008, Mims received a Fulbright Scholarship to compile a multimedia ethnography on the hip hop subculture in Beijing. He works as a Mandarin teacher and leads workshops for Chinese teachers on using hip hop pedagogy in the classroom. His work has been featured in the New York Times and on CBS.

The concert starts at 3:00 pm at 520 Third Ave. (map).

Lauren Yee's Young Americans coming to Pittsburgh, April-May 2023.

Pittsburgh Public Theater will present Lauren Yee's play Young Americans the O'Reilly Theater from April 26 through May 13, 2023.

WORLD PREMIERE BY ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST EXCITING NEW VOICES Journey between two eras and two generations as celebrated playwright Lauren Yee sets the stage for us to road trip there and back in her hilarious, heartfelt new play. On parallel treks, Joe drives from D.C. to Portland trying to win the heart of his unfamiliar new fiancé Jenny and, twenty years later, drives the same roads back to have one last adventure with their adopted daughter Lucy before delivering her to college. With some unexpected detours along the way, immigrants Jenny and Joe traverse the strange territory of their new country while their daughter Lucy pieces together their bittersweet family history in this beautiful new comedy about the lengths we will go for the people we love. A world premiere co-production with Portland Center Stage.

Tickets are now available online. The O'Reilly Theater is located at 621 Penn Ave. in downtown's Cultural District (map).

1997 film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) in Pittsburgh, April 3, 4, and 6.

The 1997 film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) will play in Pittsburgh on April 3, 4, and 6 as part of the 2022 Studio Ghibli Fest from GKIDS. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Inflicted with a deadly curse, the young warrior Ashitaka heads west in search of a cure. There, he stumbles into a bitter conflict between Lady Eboshi, the proud people of Iron Town, and the enigmatic Princess Mononoke, a young girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the humans from destroying her home and the forest spirits and animal gods who live there.

It plays locally at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monaca, Monroeville, and Robinson. The April 3 and 6 shows are dubbed in English while the April 4 show is in Japanese with English subtitles.

Korea's "Doodle POP!" to perform at Pittsburgh's Children's Theater Festival in May.

"Doodle POP!" from South Korea's BRUSH Theater will perform at Pittsburgh's Children's Theater Festival on May 14 and 15.

The mischievous Doodle POP! duo invites you into the delightful doodling world!

Join as they experience an exciting adventure in an ocean world they imagine and create on stage. What will happen to them in this beautiful but strange watery world? Will they be able to return a turtle doodle to the sea safely?

With live sound effects, animation, and theatrical imagination, this is a touching and exciting show for anyone ages 3+. This show is mostly visual and is played with limited words. The theater will be darkened at times during the show.

Age Recommendations: Best for ages 3-7
This Show Features: Music, Acting, Movement, Audience Participation, Science, Projection, Animation, Puppetry, Communication Skills, Teamwork

The duo was scheduled to perform here in 2020 but the festival was cancelled.

2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0) to remain in Pittsburgh through (at least) March 31.

The 2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0), which opened in Pittsburgh on March 17, will remain here through at least March 31. From the distributor:

When they were children, Rika Orimoto was killed in a traffic accident right before the eyes of her close friend, Yuta Okkotsu. "It's a promise. When we both grow up, we'll get married." Rika became an apparition, and Yuta longed for his own death after suffering under her curse, but the greatest Jujutsu sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, welcomed him into Jujutsu High. There Yuta meets his classmates, Maki Zen'in, Toge Inumaki, and Panda, and finally finds his own determination. "I want the confidence to say it's okay that I'm alive! While I'm at Jujutsu High, I'll break Rika-chan's curse." Meanwhile, the vile curse user, Suguru Geto, who was expelled from the school for massacring ordinary people, appears before Yuta and the others. "This coming December 24th, we shall carry out the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons." While Geto advocates for creating a paradise for only jujutsu sorcerers, he unleashes a thousand curses upon Shinjuku and Kyoto to exterminate all non-sorcerers. Will Yuta be able to stop Geto in the end? And what will happen when breaking Rika's curse...?

It is currently playing at the Waterworks Cinema, Cranberry Cinema, AMC Loews Waterfront, and Cinemark theaters on Monroeville and Monaca, and from the 25th will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront, Cranberry Cinema, Hollywood Theater, and Moraine Point Cinemas, tickets are available online. Please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) remains in Pittsburgh, March 24, 25, 28.

After its month-long run at the Harris Theater earlier this year and its return to Pittsburgh-area theaters earlier in March, the acclaimed 2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) will remain in Pittsburgh on March 24, 25, and 28. A brief synospis from a December 7 NPR review:

The story follows a middle-aged Tokyo stage actor named Kafuku, superbly played by Hidetoshi Nishijima. He's a calm, mild-mannered guy who's been married for two decades to a screenwriter named Oto. We get a sense of their mutual devotion when we see Kafuku driving around in his bright red Saab, rehearsing his lines by listening to audio tapes that Oto has painstakingly recorded for him.

But their relationship is more complicated than it appears. Years ago, Kafuku and Oto experienced an agonizing loss that has led her to find solace — and perhaps something more — in relationships with other men. Kafuku has deep compassion for his wife, which doesn't make her betrayal any less painful. And then another tragedy strikes when Oto dies suddenly.

It is scheduled to play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and Cinemark theaters in Robinson on March 24, and the AMC Loews Waterfront on March 25 and 28. The shows are in Japanese with English subtitles, and tickets are available online.