1995 film Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊) in Pittsburgh as next installment of Satoshi Kon Fest, November 8 - 12.

The 1995 Japanese film Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊) will play in Pittsburgh November 8 - 12 as the next installment of a Satoshi Kon Fest playing nationally.

Anime Expo Cinema Nights invites you to return to the visually stunning and poignant classic GHOST IN THE SHELL. 2029: A female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of "The Puppet Master," a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together with her fellow agents from Section 9, Kusanagi embarks on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity. Director Mamoru Oshii's award-winning cyber-tech thriller, based on the comic book by Shirow Masamune, is lauded as one of the leading Japanese animation films of all time.

The first installment, Perfect Blue, plays locally September 6 - 10. Ghost in the Shell will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

2023 Japanese movie Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning (デジモンアドベンチャー02 THE BEGINNING) in Pittsburgh, November 8 and 9.

The 2023 Japanese movie Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning (デジモンアドベンチャー02 THE BEGINNING) will play in Pittsburgh on November 8 and 9.

It’s 2012, and ten years have passed since the adventure in the Digital World. Daisuke Motomiya is now twenty, and he and the rest of the DigiDestined seem to be changing bit by bit in terms of appearance and lifestyle. Then one day, a giant Digitama suddenly appears in the sky over Tokyo Tower. Daisuke and the others encounter a mysterious young man named Lui Ohwada, who informs them that he’s the first ever DigiDestined in the world… The feature will include an introduction from the director, Tomohisa Taguchi. PLUS, as a special bonus, the first 50 guests to arrive at each night’s screening will receive a complimentary Digimon Card Game Tamer Party Pack -THE BEGINNING- ver. 2.0, which includes 3 out of 14 possible cards from the new Digimon Card Game deck commemorating the film (while supplies last, first-come, first served).

Guests should check with the theater in advance to see if they are participating in the promotions. It is scheduled to play at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the AMC Classic Westmoreland, and the Cinemark Theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online; the November 8 shows are dubbed in English while the November 9 ones are in Japanese with English subtitles.

2019 documentary Geographies of Kinship at Pitt, November 10.

The 2019 documentary Geographies of Kinship will play at the University of Pittsburgh on November 10.

In honor of National Adoption Month, the Pitt Adoption Community for Education is screening Geographies of Kinship. The film follows four adult adoptees as they return to Korea, their country of birth, and recover the personal histories that were lost when they were adopted in the U.S. We'll have tea and cookies and open discussion after the film.

The Pitt Adoption Community for Education includes faculty from the English Department at the Oakland and Greensburg campuses.

It starts at 7:00 pm in 118E Mervis Hall (map).

2022 Japanese animated film The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口) in Pittsburgh, from November 2.

The 2022 Japanese animated film The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口) will play in Pittsburgh from November 2.

Kaoru finds himself standing in front of a mysterious tunnel and thinks of Karen, the sister he lost in an accident five years ago. Anzu Hanashiro, the new transfer student, follows him and promises to help him experiment with the tunnel.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online. Please note, some shows are in Japanese with English subtitles while others are dubbed in English.

"Did Fenollosa Save Traditional Japanese Art from Extinction? Fenollosa's Legacy in Japan, 1878-1890," November 1 at Pitt.

The Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh will host Hiroshi Nara and his colloquium "Did Fenollosa Save Traditional Japanese Art from Extinction? Fenollosa's Legacy in Japan, 1878-1890" on November 1.

Ernest F. Fenollosa (1853-1908) was an art theorist and administrator known to many in Japna today. His name is spoken in admiration for his work in rediscovering traditional Japanese art, saving it from extinction, and modernizing it. Without his intervention, Japanese painting (nihonga) would have died. So goes the received reputation of Fenollosa's work. In this talk, Nara will explore some aspects of the work of Fenollosa that directly pertain to this reputation, by first discussing the pivotal speech he made in 1882 that made him very famous in the world of Japanese art then analyzing how his revolutionary ideas were implemented. The talk will attempt to answer the question of whether his work saved Japanese art from extinction.

The talk starts at 12:00 pm in 1219 Cathedral of Learning.

2001 film Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) in Pittsburgh-area theaters, October 28 - November 1.

The 2001 film Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters from October 28 through November 1 as part of this year's Studio Ghibli Fest. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Winner of the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature, Hayao Miyazaki’s wondrous fantasy adventure is a dazzling masterpiece from one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animation.

Chihiro’s family is moving to a new house, but when they stop on the way to explore an abandoned village, her parents undergo a mysterious transformation and Chihiro is whisked into a world of fantastic spirits ruled over by the sorceress Yubaba. Put to work in a magical bathhouse for spirits and demons, Chihiro must use all her wits to survive in this strange new place, find a way to free her parents and return to the normal world. Overflowing with imaginative creatures and thrilling storytelling, Spirited Away became a worldwide smash hit, and is one of the most critically-acclaimed films of all time.

It plays locally at numerous theaters, including: the AMC Loews Waterfront, Waterworks Cinema, Cranberry Cinemas, Phoneix Luxury 14 in Bridgeville, and the Cinemarks in Robinson, Monroeville, Monaca, and McCandless. Tickets are available online; please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Kujira, serving sake and sushi, coming soon to Shadyside.

Kujira is set to open this winter in Shadyside. Signage recently went up at 736 Bellefonte St. (map) in the spot formerly occupied by The Yard, where Dr. Tea opened upstairs earlier this year. Kujira---Japanese for whale---has the same ownership team as Bubble Bee, which has opened a few bubble tea spots around the city recently.

Bubble tea place Meetcha to open in Oakland, too.

Yesterday we read about Meetcha and Kyo Matcha opening in Squirrel Hill, and it turns out Meetcha will also open a spot in Oakland. The bubble tea place will be located at 303 S. Craig St., in what was formerly Little Asia restaurant. It will be run by the same Little Asia and Bao 2 ownership, and will be across the street from Wushiland, another bubble tea chain that will open its first Pittsburgh location soon.

Korean BBQ (코리안 바베큐) in Oakland eyes January opening.

The new all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ place coming soon to Oakland is eyeing a January opening, according to ownership. The new restaurant will be called Korean BBQ (코리안 바베큐), and it has recently put up new signage at its 414 Semple St. (map) storefront. The menu will consist of Korean-style self-grill meats, along with various Korean, Chinese, and Japanese dishes available for take-out.

Dessert chain Kyo Matcha, bubble tea place Meetcha coming soon to Squirrel Hill.

Signage is up for Kyo Matcha in Squirrel Hill, at at 5864 Forbes Ave. (map) in the former Footers Cleaners spot. Kyo Matcha, according to its official site,

is an international chain of Matcha desserts dedicated to creating top-quality raw materials. Due to the influence of the Japanese-style matcha culture, the Kyoto Matcha is based on the brand mission of “Let the Tea Return to the Forest”, rooted in the traditional Japanese tea culture and dedicated to the promotion of Matcha culture.

Signage is also up for Meetcha, which will likely bring another bubble tea place to Squirrel Hill. Signage for something first went up in September, when plans for published for a restaurant/cafe in this spot. It will be one of several new Asian dessert places coming soon to the neighborhood, in addition to Meccha Matcha and Mango Mango/Tiger Sugar.

Footer's is owned by the same family who ran Lord Duncan Cleaners on Forward Avenue, which also closed earlier in 2023, and Sumi's Cakery.