University of Pittsburgh Japanese Student Association Matsuri, March 24.

The University of Pittsburgh Japanese Student Association will host its spring Matsuri on March 24, from 4:00 to 9:00 pm in the William Pitt Union's Lower Lounge (map).

🧺🌸 PITT JSA MATSURI 🌸🧺

Join us for Pitt JSA’s annual spring festival! From delicious food 🍙 to awesome vendors like Origami PGH and amazing live performances 🎤 including guest performer Mei Semones 💕You won’t want to miss out!

Matsuri will take place on March 24th from 4-9PM in WPU lower lounge, so bring your friends and join us for an unforgettable experience — hope to see you there!! 🌸

In the meantime keep an eye out for our Matsuri countdown 👀🙌🏼

Tickets now available for Studio Ghibli Fest 2024, bringing 14 animated Japanese films to Pittsburgh April through December.

Dates and Pittsburgh-area showtimes were recently announced for the 2024 Studio Ghibli Fest, running from April through December nationwide. Many of the films are ones that routinely play here, while others selections almost never do: 

• Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) - April 27-May 1
• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ) - May 19, 21
• Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ) - May 20, 22
• The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) - June 9, 11
• When Marnie Was There (思い出のマーニー) - June 10, 12
• Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) - July 13-17
• Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ)- August 3-7
• Whisper of the Heart (耳をすませば) - August 25, 27
• The Cat Returns (猫の恩返し) - August 26, 28
• Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) - September 26-October 3
• Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) - October 26-30
• Pom Poko (平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ) - November 24, 26
• The Tale of Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) - November 25, 27
• My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) - December 7-11

Among films that seem to play here multiple times a year are others that rarely do. Pom Poko played here in 2010 and 2018, Arietty in 2016 and 2019, Whisper of the Heart in 2019, and When Marnie Was There in 2015.

Tickets are now available online for the movies that will typically play at the AMC Loews Waterfront; the AMC Classic Westmoreland; the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monaca, Monroeville, and Robinson; and though not announced yet, they are also likely to play at the Waterworks Cinema. Some screenings are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

SUGA | Agust D Tour 'D-Day' The Movie in Pittsburgh-area theaters, from April 10.

The upcoming concert film SUGA | Agust D Tour 'D-Day' The Movie, with Suga of Korean pop gropu BTS, will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters from April 10.

The eagerly awaited film of BTS SUGA’s Encore Concert bursts onto the big screen worldwide! As the grand finale of the world tour, “SUGA | Agust D TOUR ‘D-DAY’ THE FINAL” marked the culmination of 25 concerts held in 10 cities, which captivated a total audience of 290,000 throughout its run. Experience the pulsating energy and excitement of “D-DAY’ THE FINAL” on screen, everything from the exquisite sounds traversing the boundary between “21st Century Pop Icon” BTS member SUGA and solo artist Agust D, electrifying performance, explosive energy, to special duet stages featuring fellow BTS members RM, Jimin, and Jung Kook.

It plays locally on April 10, 11, 12, and 13 at---on varying days---the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, and Robinson, and tickets are available online.

Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival opens today at Row House Lawrenceville, with special focus on Japanese horror.

The Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival opens today at the Row House Lawrenceville, with nearly 20 feature films plus a lengthy list of collaborations and special events. This year's special focus is Japanese horror, but the lineup also includes anime, drama, and classic films. The festival runs through the 28th, and the single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler St. (map).

After another slight delay, Wei Lai set to open March 18 in the North Hills, serving dim sum, bubble tea, and other Chinese dishes.

Wei Lai has just announced a March 18 soft opening, a slight delay from its originally-announced date of March 12 and its second date of March 16. It's a restaurant serving dim sum, bubble tea, and other Chinese dishes coming to the spot formerly occupied by Ting's Kitchen in McIntyre Square just off McKnight Road (map). Its Instagram page has been active the last month in promoting is upcoming menu items.

2024 Chinese film YOLO (热辣滚烫) continues in Pittsburgh through March 20.

The 2024 Chinese film YOLO (热辣滚烫), which opened in Pittsburgh on March 7, will remain here through at least March 20.

Le Ying (played by Jia Ling) has been staying at home for many years, doing nothing in particular. After graduating from college and working for a while, Le Ying chooses to withdraw from society, closing herself off from social circles, which she believes is the best way to "reconcile" with herself. One day, after several twists of fate, she decides to live life in a different way. In cautiously venturing into the outside world, Le Ying meets boxing coach Hao Kun (played by Lei Jia-Yin). Just when she thinks life is about to take a positive turn, the challenges that follow far exceed her imagination, and her vibrant life is just beginning..

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

Screening of 1929 silent film Piccadilly, starring Anna May Wong, April 16 at Pitt.

Silent Asia, part of the Screenshot: Asia programming organization at the University of Pittsburgh, will present a screening of the 1929 silent film Piccadilly, accompanied by musicians AppalAsia and Tom Roberts performing the original soundtrack.

A screening of E.A. Dupont's 1929 silent film Piccadilly, starring Asian American icon Anna May Wong. The screening will be musically accompanied by local musicians, Appalasia and Tom Roberts. Come immerse yourself in their original score and experience one of early Hollywood's finest stars at her finest.

The event starts at 6:30 pm in 125 Frick Fine Arts (map).

Asia Pop Lecture Series: Dr. Thomas Baudinette, March 20 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Thomas Baudinette for the next installment of its Asia Pop Lecture Series on March 20.

Dr. Thomas Baudinette is Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies and International Studies at Macquarie University. A cultural anthropologist, his research primarily explores how popular media and fandom culture inform knowledge about gender and sexuality across East and Southeast Asia. He is the author of Regimes of Desire: Young Gay Men, Media, Masculinity in Tokyo (University of Michigan Press, 2021) and Boys Love Media in Thailand: Celebrity, Fans, and Transnational Asian Queer Popular Culture (Bloomsbury, 2023). He i currently working on his third book, tentatively titled Queer Fantasies of Asia: Japanese and Korean Media Fandom in the Philippines.

The event starts at 6:00 pm in 202 Frick Fine Arts (map).

"We Learn" Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Korean classes resume at Carnegie Library in Oakland, Saturdays from March 16 through May 18.

via the Republic of Korea's Flickr page.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branch in Oakland will resume its free "We Learn" Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Korean classes Saturdays from March 16. 

K-pop event | Random Play Dance with FRESA and Yanlai Dance Academy, March 23 at University of Pittsburgh.

Fresh Entertainment by Student Artists (FRESA at Pitt) and Yanlai Dance Academy will team up for the next Random Play Dance at the University of Pittsburgh on March 23. 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the William Pitt Union patio and all are welcome.