Big Asian festivals in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus in May.

Ohio is doing Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month a little better than western Pennsylvania, with three large festivals that look worth weekend trips.

Japanese film I Wish in Erie, May 10.

The Japanese film I Wish (奇跡) is part of 2013's Maria J. Langer Film Series at Mercyhurst University, and will be playing on May 10th. There are two showtimes---2:15 and 7:15 pm---and it's playing at the Taylor Little Theater on 38th street, on the northern edge of campus (map). The movie's played in Pittsburgh a few times in recent memory; the Pittsburgh Filmmakers' site summarized on one of those occasions:

The adventure begins with 12-year-old Koichi, whose parents are divorced, and who desperately wants to reunite his family. We see his sullen gaze on the active volcano that touches everything in his new town where he lives with his mother. His younger brother lives with his father. When he learns that a new bullet train line will open, linking the two towns, he starts to believe that a miracle will take place the moment the trains first pass each other at top speed. Features wonderful, natural performances from the kids.

Kitschy, kawaii tote bags at Giant Eagle.

Cute bags by Blue Q being sold at the Market District in East Liberty (map).



Similar kawaii designs for bags and coin purses are available on the Blue Q website.

Reminder: Kennywood Asian Heritage Day, May 12.

Kennywood Pagoda, copyright Kurt Miller.

Now that it's May and our weather is showing it, it's a better time to think about spring festivities. Asian Day leads off the community day season at Kennywood amusement park on Sunday, May 12, with events scheduled between 12:30 and 4:30. Details are still scant beyond just a generic "there will be food and performances", though Win-Win Kung Fu and the Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh Dance Troupe are two of the groups scheduled to perform. Call 412-498-8411 for ticket information.

Kennywood's Asian Heritage Day and the Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival comprise Pittsburgh's two big events for Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month.

2013 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival, Pittsburgh, May 10 - 19.

The schedule for the annual Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival is out, with 31 full-length films playing from May 10th through May 19th. Posters for the 15 most relevant to this blog are shown above, which include four from Korea, three from Japan, and two from China. The movies will show at three venues around the city: The Melwood Screening Room in Oakland, the Harris Theater downtown, and the eponymous Regent Square Theater.

For plot summaries, trailers, and ticket information, visit the Silk Screen website. And we'll have reminders over here throughout the festival.

Miyuki's candy art in Aspinwall, May 2 and 3.

From her official site.

According to Teppanyaki Kyoto Restaurant's Facebook page, Japanese candy artist Miyuki will be at Bella Christie and Lil Z's Sweet Boutique in Aspinwall (map) from 4:00 to 7:00 pm on May 2nd and 3rd.

Build yourself a Sungnyemun.

I was surprised to see this at Barnes & Noble today: a Lego model of Sungnyemun, one of Seoul's gates and better known in Korea and abroad as Namdaemun until it burned down in 2008. The iconic structure is being rebuilt, and you can play along at home. This particular model in the Lego Architecture series was retired earlier in the year, though, is no longer available on the Lego website. It's also listed as a product for girls, so apparently it was off-limits to half the population who might be interested in building a South Korean landmark. However, they still have a couple at the Cranberry location selling for the suggested retail price of $34.99.

If you're interested in building Korean models, you'll find more variety on G-Market, one of South Korea's online shopping portals. Browsing plastic collectibles turns up dragon ships and other old boats, traditional houses, the Blue House, and a whole Royal Palace Series, for starters.


A Sungnyemun plastic model, and the 12-item Royal Palace Series, and the Blue House, available from G-Market. It's the English website, and many of these models are available for international shipping, but the pages are often in Korean.

Cantoy shoots music video in Pittsburgh (it survives).

If it's extremely rare for an Asian band to play Pittsburgh, it's unimaginably so for one to shoot a music video here. Cantoy did both in April: playing Tekkoshocon and hanging around Strip District back alleys for "Ranka".

Find performers on the Japan Artists Information Directory.

Every so often I get questions about where to find a Japanese artist or performer for a cultural event (usually right before said cultural event). One potential resource is the Japan Artists Information Directory, compiled by the Five Colleges Consortium in western Massachusetts. There you can find a directory of performers organized by name, genre, and region. Western Pennsylvania is rather quiet so far, with only three performers, but it has the potential to be a valuable resource. And considering the demand for artists and performers in classrooms, at on-campus events, and at seasonal festivals, if you specialize in a type of Japanese dance, song, or skill, it might behoove you to list yourself on the JAID if you are interested in more work.

2013 Korean Food Bazaar, May 4th in Shadyside.

New posters for the 18th annual Korean Food Bazaar (바자회) went online last week. The festival is scheduled for May 4th from 10:30 to 4:00 at the Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh (피츠버그한인중앙교회) in Shadyside (map). We went last year; it was good.

Naya Restaurant to replace Aseoma on Murray Ave.

This sign just went up at 2018 Murray Ave., announcing that Naya Restaurant is coming soon.

"One Night in Beijing" at CMU, April 27.

Carnegie Mellon University's Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture (ARCC) will host its annual "One Night in Beijing" on April 27. The event's Facebook page says:

The show boasts a wide variety of performances, including traditional Chinese dances, hip-hop dances, a cappella, Chinese yo-yo, and much much more!

This year's theme is The White Serpent. Come experience an amazing display of talent and culture while following a classic legend of romance and courage.

The show will be held in UC Rangos from 7 pm to 9 pm (campus map). Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door.

The Art of Akira Returns through April 28.

A reminder that Toonseum: Pittsburgh Museum of Cartoon Art will continue to host The Art of Akira Returns through April 28. It opened on February 5, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Anime Film Series and its showing of Akira, which Toonseum writes, "single-handedly saved the Japanese film industry and changed the way the world viewed animation art forever". The museum's profile of the exhibit continues:

The historic and artistic significance of AKIRA cannot be denied; it was the pinnacle of cel animation. Complete with a definitive orchestral score and professional voice actors, AKIRA was the most expensive animated film ever made when it was released in 1988. The film is a document of many animation firsts but is especially noteworthy for being one of the last completely hand-drawn cel-animated features produced before the rise of digital technology. A collaboration of thousands of artists and thirteen Japanese production companies, this staggering adaptation has become one of the most universally praised films of all time and has inspired a revolution in animation still apparent over 20 years after its release. The Art Of AKIRA celebrates these incredible achievements by giving viewers a fascinating tour of the making of this landmark film.

Toonseum is located at 945 Liberty Ave. in Pittsburgh's Cultural District (map), and is open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm every day but Tuesday.

Clones of D.C. cherry blossoms sent to Pittsburgh.

A line in an April 10th PBS blog post about "cloning the original cherry blossoms" sent to Washington D.C. by Japan caught my eye:

[Horticulturist Dave] Kidwell-Slak says the Arboretum has sent clippings of the gift trees to Pittsburgh and North Carolina for cities to plant.

And a March 22nd AP article says:

More recently, the arboretum and the park service sent 120 clones of the original trees back to Japan so scientists there can also retain the genetic line. Another set of trees has been sent to Pittsburgh to be planted in parks there.

An email to Dr. Kidwell-Slak hasn't received a reply yet, so it's not known yet where the clippings were sent or under whose supervision they will be. I'm pulling for Schenley Park.

Tekkoshocon renamed Tekko.

On the Tekkoshocon Inc's President's blog, the author writes on the decision to formally shorten the name of Pittsburgh's largest anime convention from Tekkoshocon to Tekko. The biggest reasons for the official change---to what fans already call it---are mispronunciation among locals and confusion among Japanese.

The name is difficult to pronounce and I have encountered a number of Pittsburgh businesses that avoid using our name because they forget how to pronounce it. I cannot count the number of times I went into a restaurant over Tekkoshocon X-2 and heard “You’re with that anime convention; I cannot remember what it’s called, something tekk something like.” That is really bad. How do you expect people to remember you if they cannot remember the name.

Give it a read. Actually, a lot of the entries on that blog are thought-provoking and forthcoming, and not only for people interested specifically in anime conventions.

The poster for the 18th annual Korean Food Bazaar (바자회) went online on Wednesday. It's scheduled for May 4th from 10:30 to 4:00 at the Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh (피츠버그한인중앙교회) in Shadyside (map). We went last year; it was good.

Pittsburgh Sakura Project photo contest.

A rainy March day in 2012.

The Pittsburgh Sakura Project, which has been planting cherry blossoms and other trees around North Park's boathouse the past few years, is holding a photo contest. The group

seek[s] photos showing the scenery in North Park that convey the beauty of the cherry trees the Pittsburgh Sakura Project has planted. Photos may also show people and pets enjoying the trees.

More information can be found on the Pittsburgh Sakura Project's webpage. Because, unfortunately, the cherry blossoms don't frame the boathouse or the nearby picnic groves particularly well, it will be a time to get creative with angles, subjects, and poses. The top three photographers will win gift certificates to Chaya Japanese Restaurant in Squirrel Hill.

Also according to an April 17th post on the website, the blossoms there are in full bloom.

Part three of Pitt student's spring break in North Korea.

A kindergarten performance, from the Young Pioneer Tours Facebook page.

The Citizen-Standard, a paper serving three eastern Pennsylvania counties, has been running a series of columns by Evan Terwilliger, a Pitt senior who spent his spring break in North Korea. Here is an excerpt from the final of three installments:

Much of the information we see in our media about the DPRK has been comprised of primarily values-based critiques. I urge you to be very wary of the pitfalls of these types of judgments. A values-based critique occurs when one uses his/her own values as a perspective to evaluate something else. They are not conducive for understanding others and they tend to oversimplify others (particularly negatively). They lead to evaluation before understanding. Lastly, values-based critiques require no skill in perspective thinking. There is only one perspective, which creates no productive discourse. We get into very dangerous situations like we see at the present by arguing "I'm right! You're wrong! We're better! You're flawed! I'm still right! You're still wrong, ignorant, and dangerous!" We can, of course, be angry and feel disgusted about issues. What is not okay is to simply dismiss the people on the other side. We must engage.

Tomodachi Festival at Carnegie Library Oakland, April 20.

The Carnegie Library in Oakland (map) will host the 2nd annual Tomodachi Festival on April 20 from 2:00 to 4:30. Promoted as a "celebration of Japan and Japanese culture" and aimed toward the little ones, the library website invites families to

[j]oin us for Kamishibai storytelling, singing and dancing, kimono try-ons, origami art and more. Cookies will be served.

The cookies will be provided by Yummyholic, and the event is put on by the library and the Japan-American Society of Pennsylvania.

People interested in this may also want to check out "Camp Konnichiwa", offered at the library again this spring. There are two sessions left of "this four-week camp offering fun activities to help children learn Japanese": April 27 and May 6. Registration is required, and can be done so at the events' webpages or by calling 412-622-3122.

Cherry blossoms in Philadelphia.

We had a great time at the 2013 Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia over the weekend. We were lucky enough to wander around the day before Sakura Sunday and see the sakura in fuller bloom. Highlights included dancers and taiko drummers from Tamagawa University, tours of Shofuso Japanese House & Garden nearby, and perfect weather. It's definitely worth a drive next year.

"Of borders and ball pits"; second installment of Pitt student's spring break in North Korea.

Ball pit in North Korea, via Young Pioneers Tours Facebook Page.

Last week was the first installment by Evan Terwilliger on his trip to North Korea in March. Terwilliger is a Pitt student who spent spring break there and who is writing about it for the Citizen-Standard, which serves three eastern PA counties. Yesterday brought us the second of three installments. An excerpt:

[W]e traveled to the balcony of Panmungak (that big building you see in the pictures opposite South Korea's House of Freedom). We could wave, smile, laugh, point, and take pictures of whatever we wanted (including soldiers). We even got our picture with the First Lieutenant that was showing us around. When we arrived back at the outer perimeter again, I found some common ground with our KPA escort. We agreed that as normal people we would not want to hurt each other. He claimed that I was a nice guy and everything, but that I would be shooting at him if I was fighting for my country. I told him that I never hope it comes to that. Oh, and we also agreed that we love potatoes. Isn't that a start to peace?

It's always a treat to find such things in small, out of the way newspapers.