Pitt signs MOU with Indonesian College of Performing Arts.

The University of Pittsburgh today announced a collaboration with the Indonesian College of Performing Arts,

launching a partnership designed to further the two schools' common objectives of research and study in the field of Indonesian music and culture.

From the university release:

Department of Music Chair Andrew Weintraub, who has collaborated on projects with the Indonesian College for 30 years, says the partnership will bring about an exchange of students and creative artists and will enhance the exploration and understanding of Sundanese culture and performing arts, a core strength of Pitt's ethnomusicology program.

"Stronger relationships lead to better understanding of cultural diversity, and vice versa," he said. "A formal agreement between Pitt and the Indonesian College will facilitate better communication between the two schools. Our goal is to generate collaborative research projects, a student exchange at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and, eventually, the development of a Pitt in Indonesia study abroad program."

Expect a post here shortly on the October 11 performance "Music and Dance of West Java: The Past, Present, and Future of Sundanese Performing Arts" at Pitt, hosted by the Department of Music.

Korean Conversation Club at IUP, Tuesday afternoons.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania now hosts a weekly Korean Conversation Club. "Learn Korean Through K-Pop, K-Drama, and More" said the department release that advertised the first meeting on September 23.

The Korean Conversation Club meets every Tuesday afternoon. The club is open to beginners as well as to the public.

The next meeting is October 7. The class runs from 4:00 to 5:00 pm in 103 Wallwork Hall (map). Korean is currently offered at IUP as a Critical Language, in less-formal tutoring sessions led by graduate students or other native Korean speakers.

Japanese short "The Great Rabbit (グレートラビット )" part of Ann Arbor Film Festival tour stop in Oakland, October 3 and 4.

Trailer.

The seven-and-a-half minute short "The Great Rabbit (グレートラビット )" by Atsushi Wada is among the short films that comprise the Ann Arbor Film Festival, which makes a stop in Pittsburgh on October 3 and 4.

Once we called the noble, profound and mysterious existence The Great. We have moved with the time, our thought and consciousness has changed. And yet what makes us still keep calling it The Great?

The short films will be shown at the Melwood Screening Room in Oakland (map) as part of Pittsburgh's RADical Days. "The Great Rabbit" is part of Program B, which runs on Friday the 3rd at 9:15 pm and Saturday the 4th at 7:30 pm. Admission is free.

Chinese film Shower (洗澡) at Maridon Museum, October 9.

The Maridon Museum will show the 1999 Chinese film Shower (洗澡) on October 9. A 2000 Robert Ebert review summarizes:

The customers of the bathhouse in "Shower" hardly seem to spend any time anywhere else. The old men are there from morning to night, bathing, soaking, being rubbed, playing cards and staging fights to the death with their pet crickets (one feeds ant eggs to his champion; his opponent accuses him of using "steroids"). Master Liu has run this bathhouse since time immemorial and brushes off his son's suggestions that he retire: "I've done this all of my life and I like doing it!" The son is Da Ming, a successful businessman who lives in a distant city, but has returned because of an alarming postcard he received from his retarded brother Er Ming. The postcards seem to indicate that old Liu is dead or dying, but in fact Liu is presiding, as he has for decades, over the closed world of the bathhouse, where steam and ancient customs wall out the changing ways of modern Beijing.

The movie starts at 6:00 pm and is presented by Dr. Armand Policicchio, an Associate Professor of Asian Studies at Slippery Rock University. The Maridon, an Asian art museum that periodically shows Asian movies, is located at 322 North McKean St in downtown Butler (map), roughly 40 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Fukuda closing on September 28.

Fukuda announced Thursday that it will be closing its doors on Sunday, September 28.

I’ll keep this fairly short: We opened almost exactly two years ago, heart and soul full of promise and excitement with a singular mission – To bring the most authentic sushi experience to Pittsburgh.

I’m proud to admit that we’ve achieved that, and more.

I can’t thank everyone enough who came into our doors over the past two years, supporting our mission and philosophy. I’m grateful to our staff, our team of dedicated chefs and front of house, and to all who’ve contributed in a meaningful way.

However, Fukuda will close its doors this Sunday, 9/28/14. So join us this weekend! On Sunday, we’ll have free beer, and will remain open until we sell out of fish.

Fukuda may re-open in the coming months ahead in another location, so we’ll keep everyone updated on a potential new location as it develops.

Fukuda is one of the best, most authentic Japanese and sushi restaurants in Pittsburgh; the closing is a big loss.

Pittsburgh Taiko at Carnegie Library in Oakland, September 28.

As part of the World Kaleidoscope series, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Main branch in Oakland will host Pittsburgh Taiko on Sunday, September 28.

Pittsburgh Taiko is dedicated to bringing Japanese group taiko drumming (kumidaiko) to the city of Pittsburgh. Open to anyone interested in learning about the art form, we seek to educate members of the community about taiko and about Japanese culture through performances and outreach activities.

The presentation will take place from 2 to 3 pm in the First Floor Quiet Reading Room.

Mochi Making at CMU, September 26.

Carnegie Mellon University's Japanese Student Association presents Mochi Making on Friday, September 26.

"Mochi" is a type of traditional Japanese rice cake, made from the traditional short-grain rice "Mochigome", and typically prepared in a ceremony called "Mochitsuki". This year, the JSA will be teaching students how to make their own Mochi, and holding a competition to see who can make the best batch.

Please note that this event is open to all people, whether or not you are in the JSA, or even a member of the Carnegie Mellon Community, so if you are interested, make sure to be there!

It'll be held in 5409 Wean Hall (campus map) and will start at 4:30 pm.

Pitt lecturer named Resident Director of Year-in-Japan program at Konan University from 2015.

The University of Pittsburgh Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures writes that lecturer Stephen Luft will head the Year-in-Japan program at Konan University in Kobe, Japan, from next year.

Lecturer Stephen Luft has been named resident director of the Konan-Illinois Year-in-Japan program. His appointment will begin in July 2015. Known as the Konan Program at Pitt, it is a full-year residential program in Kobe for students from consortium universities in the U.S. As resident director, he will teach one course per semester and oversee all aspects of this study abroad program.

The University of Pittsburgh has been a charter member of the Year-in-Japan program at Konan University for decades; the May 1983 Pitt magazine profiled several Pitt students who participated.

Korean film Poetry (시) at Maridon Museum, September 26.

The Maridon Museum will show the 2010 Korean film Poetry (시) on September 26. A Korea Times review gives a plot summary:

Yun [Jeong-hie] plays the role of a grandmother who lives in the suburbs with her teenage grandson. Though in her 60s, she is still naïve, curious and charming like a little girl, and one day becomes immersed in the world of poetry. She begins to explore the beauty of the small things in everyday life as she builds her craft, but when a terrible, unexpected incident occurs she discovers the dark side to things.

The movie starts at 6:00 pm and is presented by Dr. Bill Covey of Slippery Rock University's Department of English. The Asian art museum is located at 322 North McKean St in downtown Butler (map), roughly 40 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Lecture "Design Thinking: Japanese Style" at Pitt, September 25.

The University of Pittsburgh Asian Studies Center and International Business Center will present "Design Thinking: Japanese Style", a lecture and book-launch tour stop by Dr. Robert Tobin, on September 25. An overview, from the University Center for International Studies:

What are the elements of Japanese aesthetics and design?
How is the Japanese approach to creativity different from the American approach? How can you apply these principles to your daily life?

Dr. Robert "Bob" Tobin, emeritus professor from the Faculty of Business and Commerce at Keio University in Japan, and former director of the Program on Creativity and Change will be speaking on the Japanese approach to creativity and design. Dr. Tobin has over 20 years of experience in organizational consulting and training with global business leaders. His presentation style is strongly focused on audience participation and designed to help participants change their world view and spark their creativity.

The talk is from 12:30 to 2:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (campus map).