"Creating with Context: East Asian Printing and Bookbinding," September 17 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's University Library System will present "Creating with Context: East Asian Printing and Bookbinding" on September 17.

Discover the fascinating world of East Asian print culture in this hands-on workshop! Participants will explore traditional printing techniques used in China and Japan, from ancient woodblock printing to various book binding formats, some of them dating back to the 14th century! We will start by traveling back in time to examine rare prints and books from Archives & Special Collections at the University of Pittsburgh Library System, curated by Runxiao Zhu, Head of the East Asian Library, and Hiroyuki Good, Japanese Studies Librarian. The workshop will conclude with a hands-on activity where you'll create your own block print or mini book in the Text & conText Lab.

Curious to learn more about this topic? Check out the East Asian Print Culture exhibit on display in the Archives & Special Collections Gallery on Hillman Library’s 3rd Floor on display Fall-Spring 2024!

It runs from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in room 320 on the third floor and is free and open to both the Pitt community and the public. Registration is required and can be completed online. Hillman Library is located at in Oakland (map).

Chinese Kun Opera workshop and demonstration, September 19 at Pitt.

By Antonis SHEN - Peony Pavilion, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

The International Student Peer Network at the University of Pittsburgh will present a demonstration of Chinese Kun Opera on September 19.

Join the International Student Peer Network for a professional Chinese Kun Opera group performance, storytelling, open discussion, and the opportunity to try on traditional costumes and makeup.

It runs from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm in the Global Hub on the first floor of Posvar Hall (map).

Fantas-Tea, Pho Grill coming to Gibsonia.

Signage has gone up for two new places in a Gibsonia plaza: Fantas-Tea and Pho Grill. The former will be a bubble tea place and the latter will be a Vietnamese restaurant. Not much information is available about either, though records indicate both are operated by a Korean couple that operates a beauty salon in Murraysville, and an older website from last year points to a "PhoEverMore" planned for the spot with a catch-all menu featuring pho, fried rice, ramen, and various Asian appetizers. Fantas-Tea and Pho Grill will be located next to each other at the Walnut Creek Plaza, 5316 William Flinn Highway (Route 8) (map).

More signage up for Breakfast With Tiffany in Fox Chapel.

More signage has gone up at 1034 Freeport Road in Fox Chapel (map), where Breakfast With Tiffany will be coming soon. It is next in a long line of Thai places in this spot, and replaces The98 Contemporary Thai Cuisine, which occupied the location for a few months in 2023. It is from the same head chef as Squirrel Hill's Took Took 98, who also ran The98.

Ghost in the Shell (GHOST IN THE SHELL/攻殻機動隊), Neon Genesis Evangelion: 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), Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉), and 2024's DAN DA DAN: First Encounter comprise Row House Cinema's Anime Classics series, from September 13.

Ghost in the Shell (GHOST IN THE SHELL/攻殻機動隊), Neon Genesis Evangelion: 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), Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉), and 2024's DAN DA DAN: First Encounter will comprise the Anime Classics series at Row House Lawrenceville, from September 13. Tickets are available online; please note that not all films play all days. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Pittsburgh's first Tiger Sugar opening on Saturday, September 7.

Pittsburgh's first Tiger Sugar will open on Saturday, September 7, in Squirrel Hill. Tiger Sugar is an international Taiwanese bubble tea chain with locations around the US.

With humble beginnings in Taichung, Taiwan, in 2017, Tiger Sugar has grown into an undisputed cult brand of Boba worldwide. Our Tiger Sugar drinks not only taste good but tell our unique story with “tiger stripes” that are infused onto all our drinks with unique hand-poured syrups.

They say imitation is the best form of flattery. Many companies have tried to replicate our black sugar bubble tea, but our tried and proven methods stand the test of time.

We use a proprietary 8-hour method for cooking our syrups and tapioca pearls. This results in the perfect marriage of tea, milk, and syrup in every sip.

Our award-winning bubble tea brand is bold, and our unforgettable drink varieties are a testament to this.

It is next to Mango Mango, another international Asian dessert chain that opened its first Pittsburgh location in 2024. Tiger Sugar is located at 5847 Forbes Ave. (map).

Paris Baguette finally opens in Pittsburgh's The Block Northway.

After a last-minute cancellation of its initial September 4 grand opening plans, Pittsburgh's first Paris Baguette has finally opened in The Block Northway this morning. Paris Baguette is a chain of international Korean bakeries, with five planned for the Pittsburgh area. Hours at this location are 7:00 am to 9:00 pm; it's located on the ground floor next to Blaze Pizza.

DAN DA DAN: First Encounter in Pittsburgh, from September 13.

The new Japanese animated movie DAN DA DAN: First Encounter will play several Pittsburgh-area theaters from September 13. It was already announced for the Row House Lawerenceville's Anime Classics series, but a few other theaters were added as part of the nationwide premier. A synopsis, from the distributor:

DAN DA DAN follows Momo, a high school girl from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate Okarun, an occult freak. The two of them start talking after Momo rescues Okarun from getting bullied. However, an argument ensues between them – Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts. To make the mutual deniers believe in each other, Momo goes to an abandoned hospital known for its UFO sightings, and Okarun goes to a tunnel that is said to be haunted. In each place, they encounter overwhelming paranormal activity that transcends comprehension. Amid these predicaments, Momo awakens her hidden power and Okarun gains the power of a curse to challenge the paranormal forces! Their fateful love begins as well!?

The story of the occult battle and adolescence starts!

Based on the popular manga by Yukinobu Tatsu, DAN DA DAN is an electrifying, action-packed love letter to sci-fi and horror with the heart of a ruthlessly funny teen rom-com. The directorial debut from Fuga Yamashiro is the latest series from cutting-edge animation studio Science SARU (The Colors Within, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off) with pulse-pounding original music from kensuke ushio (Chainsaw Man).

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the Cinemark theater in Robinson, and the Row House Lawrenceville, and tickets are available online. 

RIIZE Fan-Con Tour 'RIIZING DAY' Finale in Cinemas in Pittsburgh, September 13.

The concert film RIIZE Fan-Con Tour 'RIIZING DAY' Finale in Cinemas will play in Pittsburgh on September 13.

The grand finale of K-pop boy band RIIZE's first world fan-concert tour, 2024 RIIZE FAN-CON 'RIIZING DAY' FINALE in SEOUL, will be broadcast live in cinemas! After touring through Seoul, Tokyo, Mexico City, L.A., Hong Kong, Taipei, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, and Jakarta in 2024, the first day of the FINALE in SEOUL will be presented live in cinemas across selected territories worldwide. Experience the magic of the 2024 RIIZE FAN-CON TOUR ‘RIIZING DAY’ FINALE IN CINEMA, featuring spectacular performances, including celebrated hits from their first mini album, RIIZING. On September 13th, BRIIZE can celebrate this unforgettable night together in cinemas. Don't miss out on the global celebration of RIIZE's 'RIIZING DAY' tour finale in Seoul on the big screen!

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

James Welker talks "Transfiguring Women in Late Twentieth-Century Japan," September 10 at Pitt.

The Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh will host James Welker and his talk "Transfiguring Women in Late Twentieth-Century Japan" on September 10.

Transfiguring Women in Late Twentieth-Century Japan demonstrates that the transfiguration of Western culture into something locally meaningful had tangible effects beyond newly (re)created texts, practices, images, and ideas within the ūman ribu, rezubian, and queer shōjo manga communities. The individuals and groups involved were themselves transformed. More broadly, their efforts forged new understandings of “women” in Japan, creating space for a greater number of public roles not bound to being a mother or a wife, as well as a greater diversity of gender and sexual expression that reached far beyond the Japanese border.

James Welker is a professor in the Department of Cross-Cultural Studies, Kanagawa University, Yokohama, Japan. His research focuses primarily on gender and sexuality in postwar and contemporary Japan, especially fan cultures, feminisms, and the LGBT(Q) community. He is the author of Transfigurations: Redefining Women in Late Twentieth-Century Japan (forthcoming).

The talk starts at 12:00 pm in 211 David Lawrence Hall (map).