2025 Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival coming March 14 - 27.

The 2025 Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival will run March 14 through 27 at the Row House Lawrenceville. This year's iteration of the annual festival will focus samurai films in its selections and programming.

The Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival is one of the most prominent Asian film festivals in the Rust Belt — featuring new and classic films coming out of Japan’s innovative and prolific film industry.

Hosted each spring at Row House Cinema in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, the festival features films from a wide variety of genres and popular events throughout its two-week run.
The 2025 festival will put a special focus on the Samurai genre through film selections and special events. Stay tuned for film selections and event announcements!

Superfan and Weekly ticket passes are now available for purchase, but individual tickets and the film and event lineups will be coming later. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler St. (map).

Lunar New Year Celebration, February 1 at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel.

The Cooper-Siegel Community Library will host a Lunar New Year Celebration on February 1.

Celebrate and learn about the Lunar New Year! This annual celebration organized by the Asian community of the Fox Chapel area features a wide variety of different festival activities. Final plans are still being made, but previous years have included: traditional Chinese music performed by Dorseyville Middle School students, taekwondo performed by the Young Brothers Taekwondo School students, a dragon parade, storytelling, crafts, as well as treats and gifts.

All ages are welcome.

The event runs from 2:00 to 3:30 pm. Registration is required and can be completed online. The Cooper-Siegel Community Library is located at 403 Fox Chapel Rd. (map).

Call for panelists for discussion about women’s roles in tech, video games, manga, anime, and comic books ahead of Madama Butterfly, March 13.

Photo credit: Philip Groshon, Cincinnati Opera

Pittsburgh Opera shares a call for panelists for an upcoming discussion on wmen’s roles in tech, video games, manga, anime, and comic books on March 13.

Pittsburgh Opera and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh are partnering on a panel discussion about women’s roles in tech, video games, manga, anime, and comic books as Pittsburgh Opera prepares for its mainstage production of Madama Butterfly. If you are a subject area expert in any of these areas that would be open to participating on the panel on the evening March 13th at the East Liberty Branch please email Rebekah Diaz at rdiaz@pittsburghopera.org. Pittsburgh Opera would love for your insights to be shared during this discussion that is free and open to the public!

Work progresses on Running Dish, a revolving sushi and all-you-can-eat hot pot and Korean BBQ place from the Sushi Bomb team, coming to the Waterfront.

Running Dish, a revolving sushi and all-you-can-eat hot pot and Korean BBQ place, will be among the newest revolving sushi and all-you-can-eat hot pot and Korean BBQ places in the Pittsburgh area. It was first announced for the Waterfront in September, and the shopping center now lists it on the directory as going into the spot across from Starbucks formerly occupied by Versona, Charming Charlie, and American Eagle.

Running Dish recently opened a location in Sterling, Virginia, a spot run by the ownership behind the Sushi Bomb in Robinson.

Conveyer belt sushi and all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and hot pot are two well-established concepts to come to Pittsburgh relatively recently. The international chain Kura Sushi opened here in September 2023, and Sushi Atarashi opened its revolving sushi restaurant in Robinson in October 2024. At least six all-you-can-eat BBQ and hot pot places have been announced as "coming soon" to the Pittsburgh area, but only Hong BBQ on McKnight Road has opened (though Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill is eyeing a January opening).

Four-week introductory class with Pittsburgh Taiko, starting February 2.

The next set of introductory taiko classes with Pittsburgh Taiko will begin February 2.

Learn taiko drumming with Pittsburgh Taiko!

On Sunday mornings starting February 2, Pittsburgh Taiko will hold a four-week introductory class. This class is for people who are interested in joining our performing group or anyone who wants to just give taiko a try.

Taiko combines energetic hits with calm focus, balances group unity with individual expression, and requires both power and subtlety.  

Chinese New Year’s Eve Social, January 28 at Carnegie Mellon.

Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics' Chinese Studies program will host a Chinese New Year's Eve Social on Tuesday, January 28.

Free and open to the public, all are welcome to join us for CMU's Chinese New Year's Eve Social.

It runs from 12:30 to 3:30 pm in the Rangos Ballroom on the second floor of the Cohon University Center (map).

Pirates sign Korean prospect Hyun-Seung Lee (이현승).

Baseball America reports the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed Korean infield prospect Hyun-Seung Lee (이현승) as one of their eight international free agents on January 15. Lee is a 16-year-old from Seoul, standing 6'1" and weighing 178 pounds. Baseball America, via Yonhap, notes his promising bat speed and power.

The Pirates have had a somewhat active scouting presence in South Korea for over 25 years, but have not made many notable high school signings. In 2023 the team did sign Shim Jun-seok, who was considered among the best Korean high school prospects at the time, but traded him to the Miami Marlins last season for Bryan de la Cruz (who has since left for the Atlanta Braves).

Sailor Moon musical Sailor Moon: The Super Live in Pittsburgh, March 12.

A Sailor Moon musical Sailor Moon: The Super Live will play in Pittsburgh on March 12 as the first stop in this year's North American tour.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live, the groundbreaking 2.5D musical, is bringing the iconic “Sailor Moon” world to life across North America like never before. This stunning stage adaptation—based on the legendary manga and anime—transports audiences into a dazzling world of magic, friendship and justice with its electrifying performances, unforgettable choreography and show-stopping music.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust provides more detail:

Producers Makoto Matsuda (appare) and Kumiko Yoshii (Gorgeous Entertainment) announced that following its sensational month-long engagement in London, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live, the world-wide smash hit 2.5D musical sensation based on the wildly popular manga (comic book), will launch a North American tour this March with technical rehearsals and previews held in Pittsburgh, PA and an official opening on March 15 in Austin, TX and in partnership with SXSW (South by SouthWest). www.sailormoonsuperlive.com. With book, lyrics and direction by Kaori Miura (Musical: The Prince of Tennis, Tokyo Revengers The Musical), choreography by Satomi Toma, and music by Go Sakabe and KYOHEI, the visually stunning show follows the stories of Usagi Tsukino, a teenage girl who transforms into the heroic Sailor Moon. Together, with her fellow Sailor Guardians, she battles many dark forces to protect the Earth from evil.

With a mix of action, heartfelt moments, and iconic music, this production sees the manga characters brought to life on stage, in an epic story-telling live show experience guaranteed to wow audiences night after night, creating an unforgettable experience for fans and newcomers alike. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live will be performed in Japanese with English subtitles.

“At its very basic, ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon’ is about 5 girlfriends banding together to fight for what they believe in... that’s timely,” said writer and director Kaori Miura. “Sailor Moon and her fellow guardians are equipped with powers that help them defeat evil and the characters are imbued with the self-determination to have agency and make their own confident decisions. In short, they are the ultimate example of ‘girl power.’”

It will play at the Byham Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map) and tickets will go on sale January 31 at 10:00 am EST.

2024 Japanese animated film The Colors Within (きみの色) in Pittsburgh, from January 23.

The 2024 Japanese animated film The Colors Within (きみの色) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters from January 23.

Totsuko is a high school student with the ability to see the ‘colors’ of others. Colors of bliss, excitement, and serenity, plus a color she treasures as her favorite. Kimi, a classmate at her school, gives off the most beautiful color of all. Although she doesn’t play an instrument, Totsuko forms a band with Kimi and Rui, a quiet music enthusiast they meet at a used bookstore in a far corner of town. As they practice at an old church on a remote island, music brings them together, forming friendships and stirring affections. Will they discover their true 'colors'?

It is scheduled to play locally at the Cinemark theater in Robinson through the 29th, and tickets for shows dubbed in English and in Japanese with English subtitles are available online.

2025 Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Gala, January 25.

The Pittsburgh Chinese Culture Center (PCCC) will hold its annual Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Gala on January 25 at the PNC Theater downtown.

Lunar New Year is the most important holiday celebrated by many international communities around the world. This year, the Pittsburgh Chinese Culture Center (PCCC) is once again partnering with the Pittsburgh Playhouse to present the annual Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Gala, celebrating the Year of the Snake.

For the first time, the Gala will feature an exciting new theme, “CivilizASIAN”, highlighting a remarkable fusion of Eastern and Western artistic elements. The event promises a spectacular gathering of top-tier talent, thanks to the visionary direction of Mr. Xiang Gao, a renowned large-scale arts event planner and producer, who has been appointed as the chief planner and director of the 2025 Lunar New Year Gala.

PCCC’s own Performing Arts Group, together with Yanlai Dance Academy, Xiaobo Waist Drum Dance Group, School of Oom Yung Doe, Carnegie Mellon University and Pittsburgh Chinese School will share the stage at the Gala as well.

Join us for FREE cultural activities starting at 1 pm, featuring street food samples, games, cultural demonstrations, and much more!

Tickets are available online. PNC Theater is the performing arts venue of Point Park University, located at 350 Forbes Ave. downtown (map).