Gamera vs. Guiron with Onigiri (from Teppanyaki Kyoto), March 28 at Row House Cinema.

Row House Cinema will present Gamera vs. Guiron with Onigiri on March 28, featuring rice balls from Highland Park's Teppanyaki Kyoto to eat while watching the 1969 kaiju film.

Snack on some Onigiri — aka adorable and savory filled rice cakes (one salmon and one regular) — from Teppanyaki Kyoto while you watch this campy and fun 1960s outer space monster movie!

Two young boys sneak aboard a spaceship and find themselves whisked away to the mysterious planet Terra. There, they encounter Gamera’s old foe Gyaos and two female aliens with a taste for human brains. Gamera must save the children and battle the new monster Guiron, whose entire body is a deadly living weapon.

The movie starts at 7:15, and Gamera vs. Guiron with Onigiri is one of several events already announced for the 2023 Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Kpop Drop-in Class at Yanlai Dance Academy, March 4: TXT "Sugar Rush Ride."

Yanlai Dance Academy's next Kpop Drop-in Class will be on March 4th with TXT's "Sugar Rush Ride."

Join our studio for a new set of Kpop drop-in classes! Come learn at a single class or join our weekly Kpop dance classes!

March 4: TXT 'Sugar Rush Ride'

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Each class will start with a short warm up before proceeding to learn the chorus choreography for a popular Kpop dance.

Each class is $15 to be paid in person via Venmo, cash, or check.

No registration is necessary. Please come on time wearing clothes comfortable for dancing in. We recommend that you bring a water bottle.

The class runs from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on the 4th. Yanlai Dance Academy is located at 2260 Babcock Boulevard in the North Hills (map). 

In Person Reading & Conversation: "Dust Child" by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (w/ Cameron Barnett), April 8 at White Whale Books & Coffee.

White Whale Books & Coffee will present "In Person Reading & Conversation: 'Dust Child' by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (w/ Cameron Barnett)" on April 8.

We're BIG fans of award-winning Vietnamese poet and internationally bestselling novelist Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai—The Mountains Sing was one of our favorite books of 2020 (and one of our customers' faves, too!). And we're very excited to welcome her to Pittsburgh on her national tour for her latest novel, Dust Child (out 3/14). She'll be joined in conversation by Chatham University's Emerging Black Writer-In-Residence and local author Cameron Barnett (The Drowning Boy's Guide to Water, Autumn House Press). We're grateful to the Chatham University MFA in Creative Writing for co-sponsoring this event.

Quế Mai will do a short reading from the book, talk about her research and writing process and perform her poetry in Vietnamese and English. She will also take your questions. She can't wait to see you, and is happy to sign and personalize your books.

"Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai will win many more readers with her powerful and deeply empathetic second novel. From the horrors of war and its enduring afterlife for men and women, lovers and children, soldiers and civilians, she weaves a heartbreaking tale of lost ideals, human devotion, and hard-won redemption. Dust Child establishes Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai as one of our finest observers of the devastating consequences of war, and proves, once more, her ability to captivate readers and lure them into Viet Nam’s rich and poignant history."—Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Sympathizer and The Committed

11 films comprising Studio Ghibli Fest 2023 playing in Pittsburgh-area theaters, March through November.

The annual Studio Ghibli Fest from GKIDS returns in 2023 with 11 films that will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters from March through November: 

• My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) - March 25, 27, 29 (dubbed in English), March 26, 28 (in Japanese with English subtitles)

• Spirited Away: Live on Stage - April 23, April 27

• Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) - May 7, 10 (dubbed), May 8 (subtitles)

• Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) - June 11 (dubbed), June 12, 14 (subtitles)

• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ) - July 9 (dubbed), July 11 (subtitles)

• Castle in the Sky ( 天空の城ラピュタ) - July 10 (dubbed), July 12 (subtitles)

• Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) - August 5, 8 (dubbed), August 6, 7, 9 (subtitles)

• The Wind Rises (風立ちぬ) - August 21 (dubbed), August 23 (subtitles)

• Porco Rosso (紅の豚) - August 20 (dubbed), August 22 (subtitles) 

• Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) - September 23, 26 (dubbed), September 24, 25, 27 (subtitles)

• Spirited Away ( 千と千尋の神隠し) - October 29, 30, November 1 (dubbed), October 28, 30 (subtitles)

Showtimes and ticket information for local Cinemark theaters been posted at the links above, but others are likely to be announced later; Ghibli Fest films typically also play at the AMC theaters, the Waterworks Cinema, and in Cranberry, among others. 

"Innovation And Women’s Entrepreneurship In Japan And The U.S.," March 23.

The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania will present "Innovation And Women’s Entrepreneurship In Japan And The U.S." on March 23.

Join us in celebrating Women’s History Month at our upcoming program, Innovation and Women’s Entrepreneurship in Japan and the U.S.

 

Innovation is crucial to grow Pittsburgh into a vibrant, thriving city. Japanese companies are taking notice, investing in local businesses and forming research partnerships with educational institutions. In this interactive panel discussion, our expert speakers will discuss trends in entrepreneurship and innovation in both countries.

Pho and Roll Vietnamese Kitchen now open in East Liberty, in old Two Sisters spot.

Pho and Roll Vietnamese Kitchen has recently opened in East Liberty at 216 N. Highland Ave. (map), the spot most recently occupied by Two Sisters Vietnamese Kitchen until its closure on December 31. The menu is primarily pho, of course, with a selection of other sides and entrees, including a number of spring, summer, and egg rolls. Pho and Roll is run by Tnon (Simon) Atapan, who has owned and operated Thai restaurants and groceries in the Chicago area for the last several years.

Washington & Jefferson College hiring Adjunct Instructor of Chinese.

Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, PA, is hiring an Adjunct Instructor of Chinese.

Seeking a specialist in the instruction of Chinese language and culture for spring 2024.

Primary duties include teaching three in-person 4-credit Chinese language courses - a combination of different language-levels - and three office hours a week. Other responsibilities include mentoring students in the Chinese Program and collaboration with colleagues in Modern Languages.

Qualifications

Native or near-native proficiency and experience teaching college or university students preferred. Instructors must have at minimum an MA or be ABD in Chinese or a related field. Specialization in Second Language Acquisition and language-teaching methodology preferred. The candidate we seek has innovative language teaching skills, expertise in Chinese instruction at various levels, and familiarity with technologies that aid learning and communication, e.g., Zoom, Teams.

2003 movie Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (ゴジラ×モスラ×メカゴジラ 東京SOS) in Pittsburgh, March 22.

The 2003 movie Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (ゴジラ×モスラ×メカゴジラ 東京SOS) will play in Pittsburgh on March 22. A synopsis, from Toho Kingdom:

A year after the battle between Godzilla and Kiryu, Japan has begun repairs on the damaged mech. Work is focused on the damaged arm and chest areas, with weapon improvements planned. Meanwhile, Mothra's Shobijin meet with an old acquaintance, Doctor Shinichi Chujo. They warn that the dead should not be disturbed and the bones of the original Godzilla, which are inside Kiryu, should be returned. The message comes with a ray of hope: that Mothra will fight Godzilla on Japan's behalf if the request is met. However, if Japan ignores the request, then Mothra will once again become an enemy of humanity. Japan's government agrees that Kiryu's creation raises a moral question. They refuse to decommission it, though, feeling that it is the last hope against Godzilla. Meanwhile, the King of the Monsters first kills Kamoebas and then destroys a nuclear sub out at sea. Japan realizes Godzilla's arrival is imminent, raising into question who will fight who should Kiryu and then Mothra arrive...

Contending with Monsters of Our Own Making with Jade Song, April 1 with City of Asylum.

City of Asylum will present "Contending with Monsters of Our Own Making with Jade Song" on April 1.

In this reading, novelist, writer, and art director Jade Song shares her visceral debut novel, Chlorine. This chilling and addictive work blurs the line between a literary coming-of-age narrative and a dark unsettling horror tale, creating a shrewd commentary on the trials of growing up in a society that puts monstrous pressure on young women and their bodies.

The novel centers on Ren Yu, a zealous swimmer whose daily life starts and ends with the pool. Her teammates are her only friends. Her coach, her guiding light. She aches to be in the water, dreaming of chlorine and imagining the chemicalized liquid will turn her into a mermaid—the creature of her obsessions. Pressure heaps upon Ren from every direction, from the boundary pushing of her overbearing and inappropriate coach, to the insistence of her parents that she get a scholarship and attend an Ivy League school. She finds ways to cope, though they are each as destructive and debaucherous as the last, plummeting her into a world of body dysmorphia and horror. All the while, the dream of a mermaid’s life remains: a life of dragging and drowning, of bringing would-be colonizers to their doom. A life of freedom and control.

Filled to the brim with shudder-inducing and intoxicating prose, Chlorine is a powerful, relevant novel of immigration, sapphic longing, and fierce, defiant becoming.

You can purchase your own copy of Jade’s book, Chlorine, at City of Asylum Bookstore.

The talk runs from 3:00 to 4:30, both in person at Alphabet City on the North Side (map) and online. Registration is required.

Spirited Away: Live on Stage in Pittsburgh, April 23 and 27.

Spirited Away: Live on Stage will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters on April 23 and 27. From the distributor:

Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award®-winning animated feature film comes to life in this first-ever stage adaptation, full of dazzling sets, captivating musical numbers, and wondrous puppets of beloved characters. Adapted and directed by Tony Award®-winner John Caird (Les Misérables), two unique casts and performances were filmed during the show’s acclaimed 2022 run at Tokyo’s historic Imperial Theatre, featuring Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi as Chihiro.

It has been announced so far for the Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, and the North Hills, though more are likely to be announced later. Tickets are available online.