Love Tea (by Bubble Bee) closes in Oakland, ending a run of Asian businesses in a building now owned by Pitt.

Signage went up recently on 229 Atwood St. to say that Love Tea by Bubble Bee has closed and to direct customers to its newish Shadyside location. The property was purchased by the University of Pittsburgh in 2021 and was home to a run of Asian businesses over the last decade, including Love Tea, Love Ramen, and Love Yogurt, a bellwether of Asian food trends in what was formerly a convenience store circa 2014. Love Tea became Love Tea by Bubble Bee last year. Bubble Bee is a small local chain with locations in Shadyside, Ross Park Mall, and South Hills Village Mall; the owner also operates Look Eye Care, which itself has locations in Ross Park Mall and Squirrel Hill.

1997 Japanese animated film The End of Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン劇場版 Air/まごころを、君に) in Pittsburgh, March 17 and 20.

The 1997 Japanese animated film The End of Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン劇場版 Air/まごころを、君に) will play in Pittsburgh on March 17 and 20.

This final movie version was created as an alternative ending to the NEON GENESIS EVANGELION TV series, remaking the final two episodes from the series. SEELE plans an attack on NERV after failing to create a man-made Third Impact. After reaffirming both her own and her mother’s existence in a state of despair, Asuka returns and begins the counterattack. However, new enemies descend from the heavens. Meanwhile, Shinji witnesses the horrifying wreckage of Asuka’s EVA-02 while piloting EVA-01. Mass production models surround EVA-01 and perform a solemn ceremony. What does it mean to complete a human heart?

It is scheduled to play (so far) at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and Robinson, and tickets are available online.

Susuwatari II: a shakuhachi recital, February 24 at Pitt.

devon osamu tipp will present "Susuwatari II: a shakuhachi recital" on February 24 at the Frick Fine Arts buildilng in Oakland.

Please join me for an evening of contemporary music for shakuhachi written by composers Juhani Nuorvala, Jason Belcher, Samantha Kochis, Ramteen Sazegari, Ritwik Banerji and myself!
also making a guest appearance on this show is Christopher J Staley!
asking for suggested donations of 10 dollars
hope you can join us!

The performance will start at 5:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium on the University of Pittsburgh campus (map). The event is free for students and has a suggested $10 for all others.

"Far-East and “Far-Europe” – Japanese and Portuguese semiperipheries through the eyes of Wenceslau de Moraes," February 21 at Pitt.

The Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will present Dr. Olivia Holloway and her talk "'Far-East and “Far-Europe'” – Japanese and Portuguese semiperipheries through the eyes of Wenceslau de Moraes" on February 21.

Japanese-Brazilian relations, though thoroughly researched, do not always consider the possible influence of Portuguese diplomacy on policies facilitating Japanese immigration to Brazil. This presentation will focus on Wenceslau José de Souza Moraes, a pioneer of Lusophone diplomacy in Japan. Moraes’s writings reveal a fascination with the concept of self-sacrifice and an emphasis on commonalities between Portugal and Japan. His exemplars of self-sacrifice, especially by women, will be explored on moral and practical levels to elucidate the author’s reverent, albeit complicated, perspective toward women.

It starts at 11:00 am in 501 Cathedral of Learning (map) and is free and open to the public.

1998 film After Life (ワンダフルライフ) at Maridon Museum in Butler, February 23.

THe 1998 film After Life (ワンダフルライフ) will play at the Maridon Museum in Butler on February 23, the first installment in this spring's Japanese Film Series at the museum.

A mid-20th Century social service structure serves as a way station between life and death. Every Monday, deceased individuals check in and social workers prompt them to select a single memory to carry into the afterlife. They have only a few days to choose their happiest memory, which is then designed, staged, and filmed by the workers. This allows souls to relive this moment for eternity, forgetting the rest of their lives and residing within their happiest memory.

The film will be presented by Dr. William Covey, Director of the Slippery Rock University Film & Media Studies program. The movies in the series are free and open to the public, but registration is required and can be made by calling 724.282.0123. The Maridon Museum is located at 322 North Mckean St. in Butler (map).

Korea's Brush Theater returns to Pittsburgh's Children's Theater Festival with "Poli POP!" May 17 - 19.

South Korea's Brush Theater will once again appear as part of Pittsburgh's Children's Theater Festival with "Poli POP!" from May 17 - 19.

Poli and Pola don't want to go to sleep. The siblings start off playing with toys in their bedroom, competing against each other to be the leader of the room, but then their imagination takes them on a surreal dreamlike journey full of surprise and joy. BRUSH Theatre uses incredible technology and special effects to transform the set from an empty room to far away islands, roaring seas, the Egyptian desert, busy cities, dance parties, and more! But the duo don’t know there’s something else lurking in the shadows… a ferocious alien monster! What will they do?

A wonderful follow up to BRUSH's recent Doodle POP, this colorful and playful new theater production uses live musicians who perform the accompanying score and sound effects, stunning interactive animations and painted projection mapping, and an abundance of theatrical imagination.

The duo performed "Doodle POP" here in 2022. The performances are at the Pittsburgh Playhouse on the Point Park University campus downtown (map), and tickets are available online.

More films added to March's Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival lineup.

The Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival, running March 15 through 28 at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville, added two new films to its lineup: 2022's Lonely Castle in the Mirror (かがみの孤城) and 1979's Future Boy Conan (未来少年コナン).

The full roster of 18 feature-length films, with links to tickets, is available on the festival website. The Row House is a single-screen theater located at 4115 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map).

Screening of Untold Herstory (流麻溝十五號) in Lawrenceville with Cafe Philo, March 2.

Cafe Philo will present a screening of the 2022 film Untold Herstory (流麻溝十五號) on March 2.

在228事件的77年後，臺灣解嚴後的第37年，匹茲堡哲學星期五想邀請大家一起來反思、認識當年的沒能開口的故事 —「流麻溝十五號」；其實，我們距離那個年代並沒有那麼遙遠。

The screening and discussions will be in Mandarin, though the movie has English subtitles, and the event runs from 1:30 to 4:00 pm at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville. Registration can be made online.

Win-Win Kung Fu Culture Center 2024 Summer Intensive Program for kids' fitness, culture, and language training, now accepting applications; $30 discount with registration by April 30.

Win-Win Kung Fu Culture Center in Squirrel Hill is now accepting registration for its 2024 Summer Intensive Program, with a $30 discount on weekly tuition for registrations made by April 30. Registration can be made by contacting the school at 412-336-8898 or masters at winwinkungfu.com.

Benefits of Win-Win Kung Fu Summer Intensive Program

 

Major

 

• Learn Kung Fu, free style Chinese kickboxing (sanda) and other forms of Chinese martial arts and Chinese language daily, with strong emphasis on the basics.
• Focus greatly on exercise and conditioning and gain skills needed for other sports and activities as well.
• Improve your concentration and focus with authentic Chinese martial arts training.
• Boot camp for beginners
• Intensive training for intermediate and advanced Wushu as well as a boot camp for beginners.

China Star, bad inspections, and weird poetry.

Signage went up on the door to China Star in Greenfield on Valentine's Day, alerting consumers of a closure by the county health department on the 14th due to a shocking amount of food safety violations. Restaurants have occupied the space for decades, dating back to the Yangtze Restaurant in 1984, Dragon Palace in 1987, Yen's Gourmet in the early 1990s, and finally China Star sometime in the late 00s. New ownership took over in 2021, which seems to correspond to decreasing food safety and increasingly bad reviews.