Telling the Multiple Histories of Island Taiwan: The Case of the National Museum of Taiwan History, March 28 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Hillman Library will host "Telling the Multiple Histories of Island Taiwan: The Case of the National Museum of Taiwan History" on March 28.

This presentation will focus on the exhibitions and publications of the National Taiwan Museum of History as key examples, exploring contemporary Taiwan's collective memory and public discourse featuring Dr. Lung-chih Chang 張隆志, Director of National Museum of Taiwan History. Dr. Lung-chih Chang 張隆志 specializes in Social & cultural history of Taiwan, ethnic relations, comparative colonialism, and Taiwanese historiography.

This event is sponsored by Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies and the University of Pittsburgh Library System's East Asian Library.

It runs from 3:30 to 5:00 pm in the 3rd floor Archives & Special Collections Instruction Room (map), and is free and open to the public.

Joe Hisaishi Conducts the PSO, September 13 and 14.

Japanese conductor and composter Joe Hisaishi will conduct the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) on September 13 and 14.

Globally renowned award-winning composer, musical director, conductor and pianist, Joe Hisaishi, make his long-awaited debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Hisaishi, who is best known for his epic concert works as well as enchanting film scores, takes to the podium to conduct his own compositions including a new concert version of music from the 2023 Golden-Globe winning Studio Ghibli Film, “The Boy and the Heron,” and the US Premiere of Hisaishi’s work, The End of the World. The PSO will be joined onstage by the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh.

The suite The End of the World by Joe Hisaishi was inspired by his visit to New York in the fall of 2007. He began composing the work in 2008. The suite explores the theme of "anxiety and chaos" resulting from the collapse of world order and values caused by the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Joe Hisaishi says : “I am honored to join Pittsburgh Symphony this Fall for the first time. The centre of the concert, my End of the World Suite was written for the people of the USA and I’m excited to make the US premiere of this work in Pittsburgh alongside pieces that reflect on this mood as well as new music which I hope this audience will enjoy”

The performances will be September 13 at 7:30 pm and September 14 at 2:30 pm at Heinz Hall in downtown's Cultural District (map). Tickets are available online.

Concert film SEVENTEEN [RIGHT HERE] WORLD TOUR IN CINEMAS in Pittsburgh, April 2 and 5.

The upcoming concert film SEVENTEEN [RIGHT HERE] WORLD TOUR IN CINEMAS will play in Pittsburgh on April 2 and 5.

SEVENTEEN RIGHT HERE! Experience the unforgettable moments of SEVENTEEN [RIGHT HERE] WORLD TOUR on the big screen, starting with the electrifying kickoff concert in Goyang! From the special concert version of "Fear" to exclusive live performances of "LOVE, MONEY, FAME (feat. DJ Khaled)" and "Ash", the full setlist—available only at the concert—will be screened in its entirety! Get ready to be immersed in the dynamic charm of SEVENTEEN’s three iconic units—Hip-hop Unit, Performance Unit, and Vocal Unit—as well as a thrilling relay of their biggest title tracks, showcasing SEVENTEEN’s A to Z! A legendary moment, created by SEVENTEEN, for SEVENTEEN, and with SEVENTEEN, comes to life once again!

It is scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

Taste of Asia Asian Food Festival, May 11 at Heinz History Center.

The third annual Taste of Asia Asian Food Festival will take place on May 11 at the Heinz History Center. The three-hour festival will feature food from 15 restaurants plus cultural performances and other attractions. The restaurant and vendor line-up includes, so far: Bombay & Burgh, Chengdu Gourmet, Hungry Panda, HK Dim Sum, Kung Fu Chicken 2, Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings, Pho Van, Szechuan Spice House, Sushi Fuku, Tous les Jours, Yujian Bao, and 1:11 Juice Bar, with a few others set to be announced soon.

The event runs from 12:00 to 3:00 pm, and the Heinz History Center is located at 1212 Smallman St. in the Strip District (map).

Pittsburgh Japanese School looks to relocate after Shady Side Academy building sold to Aviary.

Ceremony for the first day of school in April. 

The Pittsburgh Japanese School in Fox Chapel is scouting new locations as work nears completion on the new Middle School campus and after news of the current grounds' impending sale. In February it was reported the National Aviary had purchased the campus; Shady Side Academy and PJS students will discontinue use of the building in December.

The Pittsburgh Japanese School was established in 1977 and offers education in the Japanese curriculum for Japanese and Japanese-American children from pre-kindergarten through high school.

Located on the beautiful campus of Shady Side Academy, PJS is one of the three supplementary Japanese schools in Pennsylvania. We offer Japanese instruction for grades Pre-K - 12th in accordance with the guidelines and curriculum set by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan.

The primary purpose of PJS is to provide a Japanese curriculum for children of Japanese families who have relocated to the Pittsburgh area so that their children may make a smooth transition back to the rigorous Japanese educational system upon their eventual return. The secondary purpose of PJS is to provide children who are fluent or proficient in Japanese with the opportunity to receive instruction in Japanese and to participate in the cultural traditions of Japan while residing in the Pittsburgh area on a long term basis.

The Pittsburgh Japanese School is grateful to the Japanese government and the Office of the Consulate General of Japan in New York for providing us with funding, invaluable advice, textbooks, and other educational materials which allow us to deliver quality education to our students. We are equally grateful for the continued support of our warm community, our dedicated teachers and staff, and our friends and families who all generously donate their time and energy into making our school a truly unique “home away from home”.

As detailed on its website, the Pittsburgh Japanese School has moved to increasingly large spaces after its formation, including Fox Chapel Area High School in 1994, before finally moving to Shady Side Academy in 2006. The present location offers classroom space for each grade level, a cafeteria, a Japanese-language library, a gymnasium, and outdoor spaces for classes and an annual sports day (運動会).

Those with potential leads on viable school campuses may contact the PJS office at office [at] pittsburghjapaneseschool.org.

Japanese ambassador and consul general Shinichi Nishimiya visits a pre-kindergarten class in August 2009, ahead of the G-20 summit. (Photo via August 31, 2009 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)

Concert film ZEROBASEONE The First Tour: Timeless World in Pittsburgh, from March 28.

The concert film ZEROBASEONE The First Tour: Timeless World will play in Pittsburgh March 28, 29, and 30.

ZEROBASEONE's first world tour concert movie is coming to cinemas worldwide! Achieving significant milestones in their first year of debut and captivating 140,000 fans across 8 cities on their first world tour, ZEROBASEONE’s journey with ZEROSE takes center stage on the big screen. From iconic songs such as "In Bloom", "Feel the POP", and "GOOD SO BAD" to “Say My Name” and “Here I Am” from the show Boys Planet, behind-the-scenes footage that can only be found in the movie, to intimate interviews brimming with heartfelt feelings for ZEROSE. ZEROBASEONE’s groundbreaking performance is coming to the big screen. The time ZEROBASEONE spent with ZEROSE that will forever be remembered as the best day ZEROBASEONE THE FIRST TOUR [TIMELESS WORLD] IN CINEMAS.

It it scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theater in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

2025 Japanese animated movie Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing (劇場版プロジェクトセカイ 壊れたセカイと歌えないミク) in Pittsburgh, from April 17.

The 2025 Japanese animated movie Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing (劇場版プロジェクトセカイ 壊れたセカイと歌えないミク) will play in Pittsburgh from April 17.

COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing is an animation film by studio P.A.WORKS featuring an all-new Hatsune Miku and the first film with the iconic Virtual Singer. Based on HATSUNE MIKU: COLORFUL STAGE!, a game about high school students finding their true feelings through music in an alternate world called “SEKAI" with the help of Hatsune Miku. Ichika is a high school musician who can enter a mysterious place called “SEKAI,” where she and her friends express their innermost emotions through music alongside Hatsune Miku. One day after giving a live performance, Ichika meets a new Miku that she has never seen before. No matter how hard this new Miku tries to sing, she struggles connecting with the hearts of her listeners. Miku must rely on the help of others to find a way to sing again.

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

Japanese animated movie Kaiju no 8: Mission Recon, largely a compilation film of season one, in Pittsburgh, April 13, 14, and 16.

The Japanese animated movie Kaiju no 8: Mission Recon, a recap of the anime's season one combined with a new episode, will play in Pittsburgh on April 13, 14, and 16.

In a Kaiju-filled Japan, Kafka Hibino works in monster disposal. After reuniting with his childhood friend Mina Ashiro, a rising star in the anti-Kaiju Defense Force, he decides to pursue his abandoned dream of joining the Force, when he suddenly transforms into the powerful "Kaiju No. 8."

It plays locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

Dang Poke & Boba Tea opening in Cranberry in April.

via its Facebook page

Dang Poke & Boba Tea will be opening soon in Cranberry. "Proudly family owned and operated since 2025," Dang Poke & Boba Tea will have eight varieties of poke bowls, a build-your-own-bowl menu, a selection of Asian appetizers---spring rolls, tempura, edamame, among others---and an assortment of drinks and bubble teas. It is located at 20018 US-19 Suite 500, in the Oak Tree Plaza next to Jimmy John's (map).

"Visiting Artist Lecture Series: Joan Kee," April 15 at CMU School of Art.

The Carnegie Mellon University School of Art will host Joan Kee on April 15, parts of its Visiting Artist Lecture Series.

Joan Kee is Judy and Michael Steinhardt Director of the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. A specialist in modern and contemporary art, her books include Contemporary Korean Art: Tansaekhwa and the Urgency of Method (2013), Models of Integrity: Art and Law in Post-Sixties America (2019), and The Geometries of Afro Asia: Art beyond Solidarity (2023) which was awarded the 2024 Robert Motherwell Book Award for a publication in the history and criticism of modernism in the arts. A contributing editor to Artforum and an editor-at-large for the Brooklyn Rail, Kee’s work has appeared in numerous venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, LACMA, and the Guggenheim Museum.

The talk runs from 5:30 to 7:00 pm in Kresge Theatre (map).