2008 Hayao Miyazaki film Ponyo ( 崖の上のポニョ) in Pittsburgh, May 15, 16, 18.

The 2008 Hayao Miyazaki film Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) will play in Pittsburgh on May 15, 16, and 18 as part of GKIDS Studio Ghibli Fest 2022. A synopsis, from the distributor:

When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online, but please note the May 15 and 18 shows are dubbed in English, while the May 16 shows are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Chinese Cemetery & Squirrel Hill Photo Tour with Leo Hsu & Lena Chen, May 21.

From Journey of the Hungry Ghost by Lena Chen.

Leo Hsu and Lena Chen will offer a Chinese Cemetery and Squirrel Hill Photo Tour on May 21, part of this spring's JADED public programming. This event is free and open to the public. It runs from 11:00 to 12:30, and those interested in joining should meet at the parklet at Murray and Darlington Aves. in Squirrel Hill (map).

"We Learn: Japanese Learning Circle" hybrid meetings continue at Carnegie Library in East Liberty (and online), Thursdays in May.

"Osaka, Japan" by Pedro Szekely (Creative Commons).

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branch in East Liberty, which resumed its Japanese classes in April with "We Learn: Japanese Learning Circle" meetings, will continue them Thursdays in June (and perhaps beyond). The events will be hybrid, both in-person and remote.

Join us for interactive Japanese language learning. We will cover basic, intermediate, and advanced topics based on students’ experience and interest. We are happy to share cultural knowledge from Japan as well. Register on the P2PU website: https://learningcircles.p2pu.org/en/signup/carnegie-library-of-pittsburgh-east-liberty-2006/

The classes run from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

2021 Japanese animated movie Eureka: Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution (交響詩篇エウレカセブン ハイエボリューション) in Pittsburgh, May 17 and 18.

The 2021 Japanese animated movie Eureka: Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution (交響詩篇エウレカセブン ハイエボリューション) will play in Pittsburgh on May 17 and 18.

Humans and Scub Coral (intelligent coral-like lifeforms) have been in conflict on Earth. The Scub Coral created Eureka, a humanoid Coralian, to help bring the two races together. Eureka becomes a combatant in the U.N.’s Acid unit and is ordered to protect a girl named Iris who has the ability to control scub coral. With the world in crisis, Eureka must find a way to protect Iris and the world.

It plays locally at the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online. The May 17 showing is dubbed in English, while the May 18 show is in Japanese with English subtitles.

Video release of Pittsburgh Opera's In A Grove, based on short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, May 15.

Pittsburgh Opera will present a video release of In A Grove, the opera based on short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa that played in Pittsburgh this February and March, on May 15.

If you missed our world premiere run this past February, this is your chance to see what onStage Pittsburgh calls "an all round, world-class collaboration," and what the Wall Street Journal dubs "alluring and dramatically hypnotic."

Music by Christopher Cerrone, libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann, based on the short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. Antony Walker conducts; Mary Birnbaum directs.

The video release will be 7:00 pm on the 15th, and registration is required.

Pitt hiring Mandarin-speaking Katz Corporate Engagement Support Specialist (temporary, part-time position).

The University of Pittsburgh is hiring a Mandarin-speaking Katz Corporate Engagement Support Specialist for a temporary, part-time position.

This position will support the Career Management and Corporate Engagement Team’s goal to develop strong relationships with local, national, and global employers that ultimately lead to improved employment/internship outcomes for the Katz student population. There will be two primary areas of support this employee will focus on: 1) improving job/internship identification and communication processes, and 2) developing methods for increasing relationships with employers in China. The types of tasks may include:

• Identify current relevant job and internship opportunities from public sources for distribution to advisors and students.
• Compile list of yearly masters development/rotational programs and potential recruiter or email contacts associated with these programs
• Create a calendar/plan for better engaging with employers in China that the Katz student population may be interested in obtaining roles in, as well as with alumni in the region.
• Develop marketing content highlighting Katz programs and talent for employers locally, nationally, and globally.

This role will be supervised by the Associate Director of Corporate Engagement and may include additional duties that come up related to the topics at hand above.

Bachelors/Masters Degree

Strategic Thinking

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Chinese (Mandarin) language skills

Knowledge of the Katz Graduate School of Business and general understanding of the recruitment processes in China preferred

More information is available on the job posting.

Homestay hosts needed for visiting Yasuda Women's University students, May 9 - September 13.

Via Yasuda Women's University.

Two groups are recruiting homestay hosts for visiting Yasuda Women's University students who will be here from May to September studying at Pitt's English Language Institute.

GLOBAL PITTSBURGH

GlobalPittsburgh is actively recruiting host families to welcome female Japanese students ages 19-21 participating in the University of Pittsburgh English Language Institute's intensive English program from May 9 - Sept. 13, 2022.

Host families would need to be located on a bus line, preferably, direct to Oakland, and be willing to include the student(s) in their family meals. Families can host one or more students if they are provided with separate bedrooms. Compensation for hosting is $780/month per student.

If you are interested in hosting one or more students or if you have any questions, please reach out to Nadya Kessler at 412-282-3815 or nkessler@globalpittsburgh.org.

Please help us spread the word about hosting among your friends, family, and networks by sharing my contact information and/or forwarding this message.

OvECS Ltd.

Interested in opening your home to Japanese exchange students attending Pitt? Host families have been enjoying AMAZING experiences year after year. Another group arrives in May and another in September and more host families are needed. You will be financially compensated AND you will likely make a new friend for life! Contact Elana at 724-630-8176 or pahomestay@hotmail.com to learn more about this rewarding experience.

2021 Japanese animated film Pompo: The Cinéphile (映画大好きポンポさん) remains in Pittsburgh through (at least) May 4.

The 2021 Japanese animated film Pompo: The Cinéphile (映画大好きポンポさん), which opened in Pittsburgh on April 27, will remain here through (at least) May 4. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Pompo is a talented and gutsy producer in “Nyallywood,” the movie-making capital of the world. Although she’s known for B-movies, one day Pompo tells her movie-loving but apprehensive assistant Gene that he will direct her next script: a delicate drama about a tormented artistic genius, starring the legendary and Brando-esque actor Martin Braddock, and a young actress seeking her first break. But when the production heads towards chaos, can Gene rise to Pompo’s challenge, and succeed as a first-time director?

Directed by veteran animator Takayuki Hirao and produced by brand-new animation studio CLAP, Pompo the Cinephile is a rollicking, exuberant ode to the power of the movies, and the joys and heartbreak of the creative process, as a new director and his team devote their lives to the pursuit of a “masterpiece.”

After the initial screenings on the 27th and 28th, it will play through (at least) May 4 at AMC Loews Waterfront, and tickets are available online.

Director's cut of 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル) at Row House Cinema, from May 20.

The director's cut of the 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル) will play at the Row House Cinema from May 20, part of its Y2K film series. A summary from Row House's 2019 Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival:

In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary “Battle Royale” act.

Battle Royale became a cultural phenomenon, and has been highly influential in global popular culture. Since the film’s release, the term “battle royale” has been used to refer to a fictional narrative genre and/or mode of entertainment inspired by the film, where a select group of people are instructed to kill each off until there is a triumphant survivor. It has inspired numerous media, including films, manga, anime, comics, visual novels, and video games; the battle royale game genre (including Fortnight), for example, is named after the film.

It plays from the 20th through 25th, and tickets are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

"Japanese-English Social Hour," May 24 at Pitt.

"Tokyo," by Marc Veraart.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host a "Japanese-English Social Hour" on May 24.

Japanese-English language social hour with students studying foreign language (English or Japanese)

The in-person event starts at 4:00 pm at the Global Hub on the first floor of Posvar Hall, and is open to the Pitt community.