One Japanese, one Thai film at 2012 Three Rivers Film Festival in November.

The lineup for Pittsburgh's 2012 Three Rivers Film Festival, released today, features two movies from Asia: Japan's The Makioka Sisters and Thailand's Mekong Hotel. At first glance I thought those pickings pretty slim, but last year's festival had just two Asian films, too.

The Makioka Sisters (細雪 Sasame Yuki) is a series of movies based on a well-known book, and the one playing here is the third and final installment. From the film festival website:

Presented in a new, restored 35mm print, this rich, lyrical film centers on the lives of four sisters who have taken on their family’s kimono manufacturing business. Shot in rich, vivid colors, and set in the years leading up to the Pacific War, it's a graceful study of a family at a turning point in history – a poignant evocation of changing times and fading customs. The two oldest sisters are married and according to tradition, the rebellious youngest sister cannot wed until the third, who's terribly shy, finds a husband. Don't miss this gorgeous film on the big screen.

The English-subtitled trailer from the 1983 film:



It will play at the Regent Square Theater on Sunday, November 4th at 7:30 pm, with tickets available both online and at the door.

On November 8th and 10th is a 59-minute film out of Thailand, Mekong Hotel:

Recently featured in Toronto Film Festival's “wavelength” sidebar of experimental art films, it is the gifted director's follow-up to Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. This unique film explores the theme of reincarnation as it shifts between fact and fiction in a calming rhythm of ebb and flow. In a hotel situated along the Mekong River, on the border of Thailand and Laos, a filmmaker rehearses a movie expressing the bonds between a vampire-like mother and daughter.

Both screenings are at the Harris Theater, downtown, with tickets available both online and in person.

The Three Rivers Film Festival runs from November 2 through November 17, with the 62 domestic and international movies showing at three theaters: the Harris Theater downtown (map), the Melwood Screening Room in Oakland (map), and the Regent Square Theater in that East End neighborhood (map).

"The Melodrama of Mobility, Continued: South Korea's Fragile Cosmopolitan" talk by Dr. Nancy Abelmann, October 26.

Dr. Nancy Abelmann will be giving a talk on Friday, October 26, at the University of Pittsburgh titled "The Melodrama of Mobility, Continued: South Korea's Fragile Cosmopolitans". The summary of her talk, from the Asian Studies Center:

In this talk I think about the changing aesthetics of desire and social mobility. I consider the porous boundary between the radically normative and potentially transgressive in South Korea today. I tune into the adult lives of the now adult children of women featured in my earlier work on South Korea’s developmentalist mothers; as well as memoirs written by early study abroad mothers. I also take up several cultural texts, including blockbuster novel, Please Take Care of My Mother; and the 2004 film, My Mother the Mermaid.

That's rather vague, though you can read some of her previous work on her webpage. I would be interested to read the source materials, the memoirs written by early study abroad mothers, as well as finding some treatment of how the fathers---left behind to work in Korea while their families go abroad, and often neglected in scholarship---cope with the demands this quest for social mobility places on them.

The title of the talk is in reference to her 2003 book The Melodrama of Mobility, and you can learn more about it at the library or through this 2004 review from Anthropology Quarterly (.pdf).

The talk will be held at Posvar Hall (map) from 4:00 to 5:30.

Information session at Pitt on teaching English in East Asia, October 24.

If you are in Pittsburgh and would like to learn more about teaching English in East Asia (Japan, Korea, China), the University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will hold an information session on October 24th from 4:30 to 7:00 pm. From the Asian Studies Center Facebook page:

The Asian Studies Center and the Consulate General of Japan in NYC will be hosting a “Teach in Asia” and “Japan Exchange and Teaching Program” information session on Wednesday, October 24th, from 4:30-7:00 PM in 4130 Wesley W. Posvar Hall. Anyone interested in applying to teach English in China, South Korea, or Japan, or work in local government in Japan is welcome to attend – the session is free and requires no registration.

Teach in Asia Information Session – China, South Korea, and Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program
Wednesday, October 24th from 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm
4130 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh


4:30 – 5:15: Teach in China and South Korea information session
5:15 – 6:00: JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program information session
6:00-7:00: JET Program alumni panel Q&A

Students and local residents who are interested in teaching English in Asia are welcome to attend this information session! The session begins with information on teaching in China and South Korea through various opportunities, including the TaLK and EPiK programs, and continues with the official JET Program information kit and alumni panel. Stop by for a short time or stay for the entire session – we will answer your questions and help you decide which option is right for you and how to get started!

The JET program attracts a lot of Pitt students and can be quite competitive---and perplexing for those who don't get in---but it's only one of many avenues for teaching in Japan. There are dozens of job boards for teaching in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and elsewhere in Asia, and there are open positions in just about every capacity: kindergardens, pubilc schools, private schools, cram schools, adult conversation schools, colleges, companies, and summer camps, to name eight. Those looking outside of Tokyo or Seoul will face less competition and less race- and age-based discrimination.

There are likewise several resources for learning about teaching in Asia, though this panel looks particularly useful. There are thousands of blogs (use Google for a few and peruse the sidebars for the rest) and several big messageboards (Waygook.org for Korea, Gaijinpot for Japan, Forumosa for Taiwan) to give perspective on daily life, adjustment issues, visa questions, classroom management, and, yes, a lot of gripes. Blogs and messageboards tend to be generally negative, largely because their authors are young, abroad for the first time, encountering prejudice and discrimination (implied and institutionalised both) for the first time, and coming to grips with how others see them and their respective countries. The outpouring of negativity might be a Western thing, too, stemming from the idea we've cultivated that everyone is special and everyone is entitled to an opinion, and opinions are meant to be voiced, whether they're mature thoughts or not.

But there are certainly challenges in and around the classroom, too. People who go abroad to teach and gain experience, or those who already have advanced training, may grow cynical to find they are more in the edutainer / pronunciation machine / English monkey business. Likewise, coming to terms with what "native speaker" means in these countries is a challenge, too, for schools and coworkers often have certain expectations of how a native English speaker should act, how he or she should look, and how he or she should relate to their new country. Nonetheless it behooves new and prospective teachers to remain open, curious, and mindful of the reasons why they got interested in teaching and in Asia in the first place.

Nakama voted Best Japanese in Pittsburgh by City-Paper readers again.

The Pittsburgh City-Paper this week released its "Best of Pittsburgh 2012" readers' poll results, with Nakama Japanese Steakhouse being voted the Best Japanese restaurant in the city. Same as 2008, 2009, and 2011.

Table-side cooking from animated — and at times knife-wielding — chefs is the draw, but so are the extensive sushi and cocktail menus.

Tamari was voted best sushi, Nicky's Thai Kitchen the best Thai place, and Sesame Inn best Chinese, to round out the Asian selections. Nakama benefits from being in a neighborhood that's a destination for food and drink, and that people are going out not just for the food is evidenced by "cocktails" getting mentioned in the write-ups for top Japanese and Chinese restaurants. Among Japanese, though, the most popular Japanese places are Chaya in Squirrel Hill and Teppanyaki Kyoto in Highland Park (here's a write-up from June), and are definitely worth visits if you can find parking.

More 7-Elevens coming to PA.

Raise your hand if you knew 7-Eleven is a Japanese company. Japan Today writes:

7-Eleven Inc announced Monday two acquisitions, expanding its U.S. store portfolio. The company has closed deals with EZ Energy USA, Inc to purchase 67 retail locations in the Cleveland, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pa, markets and with its licensee, Handee Marts Inc, to acquire 58 7-Eleven convenience stores in those same markets as well as locations in northern West Virginia and western Maryland.

. . .

The EZ Energy purchase includes Easy Trip and BP convenience stores and the wholesale fuel-supply business that supports 20 of EZ Energy’s dealer-operators. EZ Energy locations offer mostly BP- and Marathon-branded gasoline.

Handee Marts has 38 stores offering gasoline under a variety of brands, including Exxon, Gulf, BP, Valero and Sunoco.

That report plagiarizes the 7-Eleven press release almost completely; the latter continues:

7-Eleven Inc. will add its proprietary retail information system and technology for enhanced product-ordering capabilities. The retailer's 7-Select private brand and other well-known proprietary products like 7-Eleven coffee, Slurpee(r) and Big Gulp(r) drinks, grill products plus standard convenience-store items will be offered. The company will soon offer money orders and accept food stamps.

The additional service and menu items are necessary to complete with Sheetz and Get-Go, the two local convenience stores that come close to approximating what you'll find at Japanese combini.

Peace Banners: Japan + Pittsburgh at Children's Museum, October 20 - 21.

From the Remembering Hiroshima, Imagining Peace Facebook page comes news of an event next weekend at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (map):

Create a giant collaborative banner about peace, just like children have done all over Asia with visiting artist and teacher Dr. Ronni Alexander from Hiroshima, Japan. Learn about Dr. Alexander's inspiring art therapy work with Japanese children after the 2011 tsunami in Japan and see an exhibition of peace banners those children have made. Do it yourself as we create a peace banner from Pittsburgh, representing peace, hope and international friendship!

Click here to learn more about Dr. Alexander's international peace work with children and her beloved character, Popoki the Cat. Since 2008, the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh has worked with Dr. Alexander and the local group Remembering Hiroshima, Imagining Peace to increase understanding between people in Pittsburgh and Japan and to encourage a shared vision of a peaceful future through age-appropriate programs for families.

The banner-making will take place from 1:30 to 2:00 pm on the 20th and 21st. The museum hosted "Experience the Arts of the Silk Road" this afternoon, though I didn't hear about it until a few minutes ago. So, um, I hope you had a good time.

On a somewhat-related topic, remember Squirrel Hill's Taylor Allderdice High School will host 24 students from Hitachi Dai Ni High School on November 7 through 10 as part of the Kizuna Project, "to share the real stories of their lives . . . at a presentation about their experiences and recovery efforts in the area" heavily damaged by the March 11, 2011 tsunami and earthquake.

Rose Tea Cafe coming to Oakland.

Signage has gone up on 414 S. Craig St. (map) in one of the last remaining empty storefronts there for what will be a new Rose Tea Cafe. Rose Tea Cafe currently has a location in Squirrel Hill on Forbes Ave., and is a good, authentic Taiwanese restaurant that will be a welcome addition to that side of Oakland. I first read about the new restaurant in July, and heard about it on the bus some time before that, so it's been a while in the making, or building.

Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings at Silk Scream Asian Horror Film Fest, October 25 and 26.

This year's installment of the Silk Scream Asian Horror Film Fest will show Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings, a 2011 film out of the Philippines. The Silk Scream website calls it "An amalgam of high camp, satire, and horror", and the website for the Seattle International Film Festival---where it played this spring---summarizes:

Remington has found his first love in his new neighbor, Hannah. She’s not equally entranced—at least not until he starts to compliment her mother, tell better jokes, and wear clothing that’s way more hip. Is it his attempts to impress her, or something more sinister that’s beyond his control? For when Remington was a child, he insulted a drag queen in a graveyard. In response, a powerful spell was cast: that Remington would someday turn into a homosexual! Meanwhile, the town's most fabulous gays are turning up dead, covered in mysterious green goo. If Remington doesn't escape the effects of the curse, he may be the killer's next target. And of course, there are the Zombadings, the most fabulous zombies you've ever seen! This unlikely satire pokes fun at homophobia, camp and the zombie horror genre while telling a touching story friendship and family.

Bit of an odd movie for a horror film fest, considering the more frightening selections from South Korea (Night Fishing and Tale of Two Sisters) and China (The Matrimony) shown the past two years. But with zombies all the rage four years agonow, I guess they felt campiness a safe choice.

The movies start at 7:00 pm both days and play at Point Park University's GRW Auditorium on 414 Wood St. downtown (map). Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for students.

Camp Konnichiwa at Oakland's Carnegie Library this fall.

For the kids:



Camp Konnichiwa at the Carnegie Library Oakland branch this fall, for five Saturday mornings (October 13, 20, 27, and November 3 and 10) from 10:30 to 11:00 am.

This program offers fun content that helps children to learn Japanese. Konnichiwa is a popular greeting in Japanese. Please join this five week camp!

Registration can be done by phone or by the form on the library's website.

Pitt Night Market (匹大夜市), October 20 postponed.

Update [10/8, 22:09] The Night Market has been postponed until the Spring 2013 term.

The Chinese American Student Association at Pitt brings news of this fall's annual Pitt Night Market on Saturday, October 20th from 3 to 10 pm in room 548 of the William Pitt Union.

Time to bring back the infamous NIGHT MARKET!

Culturally dominant in Chinese cities, night markets are a pivotal aspect of urban life in Taiwan and China. Tonight we will be bringing you a glimpse of just what its like to be at a night market. There will be free games and prizes, as well as traditional night market foods and drinks (i.e. scallion pancake, bubble milk tea, etc). Better not miss it!

10月20日2012年 (六)
匹大夜市
地點: WPU 548
時間: 15:00 – 22:00

夜市是在中國大陸與台灣的都市生活不得不有的一個不分。今晚我們要讓大家感受到一點點夜市的氣氛。會有免費的遊戲與獎品更會有經點小吃飲料（蔥油餅，珍珠奶茶，等等）。千萬不能錯過的活動喔！

No word yet on the availability of stinky tofu, but this will definitely be awesome. Though Pittsburgh hypes the Strip District as something of a market---and it's a fine destination in its own right---the city doesn't have anything that matches the activity, the variety, and the mass of humanity of Asian cities a Taiwanese or Chinese night market.


Taiwan night market, by luces. Hard to find photographs under a Creative Commons license, but you can browse more in this Flickr group.