Hina Matsuri doll collection at Maridon Museum through May 3.

Hinamatsuri, by Rodrigo Verschae (Creative Commons).

Butler's Maridon Museum has a Hina Matsuri Doll Exhibit now through May 3rd, in addition to its regular exhibitions of Asian art. March 3rd is Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) in Japan, Girls' Day, and is commemorated by a series of dolls, says Wikipedia:

Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display a set of ornamental dolls (雛人形 hina-ningyō) representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period.

And the museum writes:

When a little girl is born in Japan they usually are gifted a set of Hina Matsuri dolls. These dolls are to be put up and taken down on March 3rd. If the dolls are not taken down at the end of the evening it could me bad luck for the little girls future.

This Festival is also called "Momo no sekku (Peach Festival)" because of the peach blossom season on the old lunar calendar.

The museum is located at 322 North McKean St in downtown Butler (map), and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Two talks by visiting short-term fellow Ruth Hung at Pitt, April 7 and 9.

Dr. Ruth Hung is a short-term fellow visiting the University of Pittsburgh from Hong Kong Baptist University, and will give two talks next week. A lecture, "Red Nostalgia: Commemorating Mao in Our Time", is scheduled for 5:00 pm on April 7, and a colloquium on April 9 at 12:30 "How Global Capitalism Transforms Deng Xiaoping". Dr. Hung presented on the former last year at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; here's the abstract:

This essay departs from the figure of exoticism and argues that twenty-first century chinoiserie needs to address the reality of a new context surrounding the creation of the “orient.” The paper focuses on the cult of posthumous Mao that became fervent in the 1990s and has become, since the turn of the millennium, a nexus in which global capitalism and “effective authoritarianism” negotiate conflicting interests and, together, create a line of development in their search for a global modernity. I argue that, on the one hand, twenty-first century chinoiserie accepts revolutionary China as a source of unlimited possibilities, treating its relics with special care, and puffing it with so much capitalist money, creativity, and productivity that it allows its protagonist Mao Zedong to live an afterlife hardly any other historical leader has enjoyed. On the other hand, the new chinoiserie in the age of global capital continues to construct China from within the hegemonic framework of capitalism precisely in its attempt at liberating and depoliticizing Red China. Despite its narrow focus on the market, it even lends power to a new authoritarianism that has ceaselessly been inventing, reconstructing, and staging China’s revolutionary past as no more than a spectacle or amusement park in which the party-state allows and contains social discontents. The rise and fall of Bo Xilai, the party boss in Chongqing before his arrest, along with his Chongqing Model—a grand example of “Red Culture” resurrected, is a case in point. Ultimately, I am less interested in the extent to which twenty-first century chinoiserie actually exists outside of the Chinese community. In some way, the commodity industry of posthumous Mao nowadays witnesses chinoiserie’s transformation from a western China craze into a policed imagination--a chinoiserie with Chinese characteristics.

The latter is the subject of a forthcoming article in the Summer 2014 issue of Boundary 2, published by Duke University Press. Both events will be held in room 602 on the sixth floor of the Cathedral of Learning.

Breakfast menu coming to Tân Lạc Viên.

Signage at Tân Lạc Viên in Squirrel Hill says a breakfast menu is coming soon. The Vietnamese restaurant on Murray Ave. (map) is currently open from 11:30 to 10:00 pm Sunday through Thursday, and until 11 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Here's a look at how a Vietnamese restaurant in Seattle does breakfast.

Talks on bilingual education in Indonesia, disaster management in China, at 2014 IISE Symposium at Pitt, April 2.

The University of Pittsburgh's Institute for International Studies in Education will host two Asia-related presentations as part of its 2014 IISE Symposium Series on April 2.

* Anis Sundushiyah: Builingual Instruction in Indonesia's "Internationalized" Schools: Goals and Consequences
* Yuchi Song: The Policy Development of Disaster Management and Education in China: A Comparison between Policy Expectations and Actual Implementations in Earthquake Preparation Demonstration Schools (EPDS)

The presentations will be held in 5604 Posvar Hall (map). Both speakers are part of the Spring 2014 Asia Over Lunch series through the Asian Studies Center; Anis Sundusiya's March 20 talk was cancelled, though, and Yuchi Song's is scheduled for April 3 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in 4130 Posvar.

April 5: Pittsburgh Sakura Project, Tomodachi Festival, and Origami Spring Social.

The Pittsburgh Sakura Project will hold its annual Spring Planting Day on April 5 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm near the North Park Boathouse (map). The Pittsburgh Sakura Project has been planting sakura (cherry blossom trees) and other trees at North Park since 2009, and will plant 37 next weekend. More details on the events of the day, via the group's website:

To start us off, there will be a little music, provided by Mr. Koichiro Suzuki, of the River City Brass Band, a speech, and a planting demonstration. There will also be a raffle, including a $500 discount coupon for roundtrip to Japan through Chicago courtesy of ANA (All Nippon Airways) and the Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh.

Besides planting, we will spread mulch, water trees, and install deer-protection fences, so we can use volunteers of all strengths!

From 2:00 to 4:00, the Carnegie Library in Oakland (map) will host the third annual Tomodachi Festival, which serves as an introduction to Japanese culture for local children.

Tomodachi is a Japanese word meaning "friends." Help us celebrate the spirit of friendship through activities, art and treats that showcase Japan, its people and its rich history. Activities include kumihomo-making, origami, kamishibai theater, music, and kimono try-on.

And from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm in room 527 of the William Pitt Union, the origami clubs from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University will hold an Origami Spring Social. The William Pitt Union is on the Pitt campus, one block west of the Carnegie Library in Oakland.

Rally for Taiwanese democracy, March 30 at CMU.

To coincide with rallies for Taiwanese democracy around the world, Taiwanese students at Carnegie Mellon University will be demonstrating at the CMU Fence at 1:00 pm on March 30. From a press release posted by organizer Sylvia Lin on the event's Facebook page:

On March 30, the Taiwanese community in Pittsburgh will join people from 17 countries and more than 49 cities around the world and assemble at Carnegie Mellon University to condemn state violence and defend Taiwan’s democracy while supporting those protesting at the Legislature in Taiwan.

The “Occupy Parliament” student movement in Taiwan is a protest in response to the democracy crisis surrounding the controversial Cross-Strait Services Trade Agreement between Taiwan and China. Protesters have peacefully occupied the main chamber of the Legislative Yuan since March 18. Tens of thousands of people have participated in a peaceful sit-in. On March 23, some protesters occupied the executive building and riot police evicted them with brutal violence, beating unarmed students and citizens with batons and shields, after the police evicted media from the scene.

Supporters of Taiwan’s democracy will gather at Margaret Morrison A14 Lecture Hall of Carnegie Mellon University from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to condemn the state violence against peaceful protesters in Taiwan. We demand that (1) President Ma refrain from the use of police brutality; (2) the Cross-Strait Supervisory Agreement be enacted; and (3) civil society be included in dialogue regarding further actions by the government..

Please note the event has moved from Margaret Morrison to The Fence (next to item 7 on the campus map). According to the invitation that accompanied this release on the Facebook page, attendees are asked to observe the following:

Please wear in BLACK.
Please bring a sunflower or Taiwan's flag if you have one.
Please discuss and behavior in rational manner.
Please be on time (space is limited) and bring your own water.

"Voices of Asian Modernities: Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Asian Popular Music" Conference at Pitt, April 4 - 6.

From April 4 through April 6, the University of Pittsburgh will host the "Voices of Asian Modernities: Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Asian Popular Music" Conference. A brief summary from the conference website:

This conference aims to demonstrate how female entertainers, positioned at the margins of different intersecting fields of activities, created something hitherto unknown: they were artistic pioneers of new music, new cinema, new forms of dance and theater, and new behavior and morals. They moved from the margins to the mainstream and in their wake Asian pop cultures now have followed. These female performers were not merely symbols of times that were rapidly changing. Nor were they merely the personification of global historical changes. They were active agents in the creation of local performance cultures, of the newly emerging mass culture, and the rise of a region-wide and globally oriented entertainment industry. 

This interdisciplinary conference will bring together a group of scholars from a range of fields including Music, Literature, History, Anthropology, Film Studies, Cultural Studies, Women’s Studies, Performance Studies, and Asian Studies to properly historicize the artistic sounds, lyrical texts, visual images, and social lives of female performers in Asian popular music of the 20th century.

Several items are of particular relevance to this blog, including

* The documentary Kim Loo Sisters: Portrait in Four-Part Harmony and discussion with the director on April 4
* Kookmin University's Hee-sook Kim of Kookmin University presenting "From Female Dance Divas to K-pop Girl Groups: Gender, Sexuality, and the Body in Popular Music of South Korea from the 1980s to the 2000s".
* "Female Passivity or Musical Democracy?: Making Music with Hatsune Miku" by Jennifer Milioto Matsue of Union College.
* The University of Toronto's Joshua D. Pilzer presenting "The 'Comfort Women' and the Voice of East Asian Modernity".
* "The Acoustic Ladies: Remediating 'Chinese' Femininity and (Inter)nationality in Early Talkies" by Yimin Wang of UC-Santa Cruz.

A complete conference program is available online, and the film and the presentations are free and open to the public.

Short Peace (ショート・ピース) at Hollywood Theater, May 3 and 4.

The 2013 Japanese animated anthology film, Short Peace (ショート・ピース), is coming to the Hollywood Theater in Dormont (map) in May, and tickets for the two showings, May 3 at 1:00 pm and May 4 at 7:00 pm, are now available online.

This omnibus film called Short Peace, which consists of 4 short animated films. One of the films from Short Peace was nominated for this year's Academy Awards. Short Peace is also from the creator of AKIRA, Katsuhiro Otomo. in Japanse language with English subtitles

That nominee, Possessions, was in Pittsburgh earlier in the year. The complete film will have a nationwide release from April 18.

The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont, and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

2014 Silk Screen Asian-American Film Festival schedule posted.

The 2014 Silk Screen Asian-American Film Festival schedule was posted today, with times and locations on the Silk Screen website. The annual festival runs from April 26 through May 4, with screenings at four local theaters. Here's a quick look at the movies and short films of relevance to this blog:






A Time in Quchi (暑假作业), Taiwan; Bunta, China; Cheong, South Korea; Confession of Murder (내가 살인범이다), South Korea; The Garden of Words (言の葉の庭), Japan; Hide and Seek (숨바꼭질), South Korea; Mourning Recipe (四十九日のレシピ), Japan; Norte, End of History (Norte, hangganan ng kasaysayan); Philippines; Touch of the Light (逆光飛翔), Taiwan; Trap Street, China; Unforgiven (許されざる者), Japan; Why Don't You Play in Hell? (地獄でなぜ悪い), Japan.

Short Peace (ショート・ピース) coming in May.

Short Peace (ショート・ピース), a four-part anime anthology by four directors, is coming to Dormont's Hollywood Theater the first weekend of May, writes its Facebook page. The 2013 film will be released nationwide from April 18, according to the distributor's website.

The Hollywood Theater frequently shows newish Japanese animated films on or near their US release date, including in recent memory: the Madoka Magica series, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, and Tiger & Bunny: The Rising.

Night Market at Pitt, March 28.

The Night Market presented by the Chinese American Students Association is back at the University of Pittsburgh this Friday, March 28, at 10:00 pm in room 548 of the William Pitt Union (map). From the event's Facebook page:

Join us for an awesome night filled with fun games, activities/crafts, prizes, and FREE food! Get to room 548 of the William Pitt Union as quickly as you can - you especially do not want to miss out on FREE CHINESE FOOD and BUBBLE TEA from Rose Tea Cafe!!!

Also, come out this Friday night to pie the current president Timothy Lee or current Public Relations Chair Jacky Chen! It will be $1 to pie either of them and the money will go towards fundraising for the ASA & Global Ties Formal!!

Miracle in Cell No. 7 (7번방의 선물) at Pitt, March 26.

The comedic drama Miracle in Cell No. 7 (7번방의 선물) is the final of two films in 2014's Korean Film Festival held at the University of Pittsburgh, now in its 11th year. Wikipedia provides a brief synopsis:

Lee Yong-gu is a mentally challenged man with the intelligence of a 6-year-old, which is actually the age of his own daughter Ye-sung who is much smarter than her peers. The two of them lead a happy life while Yong-gu makes a living by working as a parking attendant at a local supermarket. But one day, when the police commissioner's young daughter dies in a strange accident, Yong-gu is the one who happens to find her. He is falsely accused and sentenced to death for abduction, sexual assault, and murder of a minor. Ye-sung is sent to a childcare institution and Yong-gu gets imprisoned and assigned to Cell No. 7, the harshest cell in a maximum security prison.

Also according to Wikipedia, Miracle in Cell No. 7 is the third-highest grossing film in Korean history, one spot ahead of Masquerade.

It will be shown at 4:00 pm in 4430 Posvar Hall (map), and is free and open to the public. The festival has been presented by the Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures, the Asian Studies Center, and the East Asian Library.

"What Abenomics Means for the United States" lecture, March 27.

Seats are still available for a free lecture on March 27 downtown, "What Abenomics Means for the United States".

After a generation of stagnation, the Nikkei has rebounded, the yen has plummeted, and Japan's pernicious deflation seems to be ending. Is Asia's second largest economy finally addressing long-ignored problems? Or is this just competitive devaluation by a different name? Bill Adams gives his assessment of Japan's latest reform plans and their implications for American businesses and investors.

The lecture is by Bill Adams of The PNC Financial Services Group, and is part of the ongoing MEPPI Japan Lecture Series, presented by Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. and the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania. It's from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the Allegheny HYP Club (map), and includes light refreshments. Registration is required and can be completed on the JASP website.

Night Market at CMU, March 29.

Keelung Night Market, Taiwan by Shenghun Lin (Creative Commons).

Two Carnegie Mellon University student organizations, Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture (ARCC) and Taiwanese Students Association (TSA), will present their annual Night Market on March 29. Says the event's Facebook page:

It will be a night full of awesome food and games (including karaoke!). Every year many of CMU's multicultural organizations come together in this celebration of food, snacks, and games from all over the world. The event is an homage to street "night markets" that are popular in Asia.

It starts at 10:00 pm and is held in Kirr Commons in the University Student Center (number 30 on the campus map).

At the Japanese Garden in Shadyside.

A few photos in the Japanese Healing Garden at Shadyside Hospital earlier this month. Reads a plaque at the entrance:

This garden is a gift from Dr. Kazuo Kodera in honor of nurses. It is a place for health care providers to think about our friends around the world and to reflect on the meaning of our work, which i to care for one another. It is a place to find new friendships, to find new hope, and to find peace.

We hope you enjoy your time here.

September 2005

Pittsburgh Taiko Spring Concert, March 23.

Pittsburgh Taiko will hold its Spring Concert on March 23 at 2:00 pm at the University of Pittsburgh's Bellefield Hall (map).

Pittsburgh Taiko performs wadaiko, a form of Japanese group drumming. We use Japanese drums and play regional arrangements from both Japan and the US, as well as original compositions!

Admission is once again free for university (Pitt, CMU, etc.) students! Bring all your friends! Invite all your friends! Tell everyone you know! Tell strangers!

For non-students there is a recommended donation of $5. This money goes to support us for future concerts, as well as for lectures and workshops to teach people about wadaiko.

"The Myth of Homogeneity: Immigration and Ethnicity in Twentieth-Century Japan" lecture, March 18.

The second installment of the "Japan in the Broader Context of Asia" lecture series is "The Myth of Homogeneity: Immigration and Ethnicity in Twentieth-Century Japan”, by David Kenley of Elizabethtown College. The presentation begins at 6:00 pm in room 4217 Posvar Hall (map), and is followed by light refreshments and a networking reception.

Masquerade (광해: 왕이 된 남자), Miracle in Cell No. 7 (7번방의 선물) at Pitt's 2014 Korean Film Festival, starting March 19.

The historical drama Masquerade (광해: 왕이 된 남자) and the comedic drama Miracle in Cell No. 7 (7번방의 선물) comprise this year's Korean Film Festival held at the University of Pittsburgh, now in its 11th year. Masquerade will play on March 19, and Miracle in Cell No. 7 on March 26.

Matsuri at Carnegie Mellon University, March 28.

Matsuri, the annual spring festival hosted by Carnegie Mellon University's Japanese Student Association and Japan@CMU Alliance, will be held this year on Friday, March 28. An overview from the event's Facebook page:

Japanese Student Association is proud to announce its biggest event of the year: Matsuri. Join us in celebrating aspects of Japanese food, culture and society. We will be hosting the event at Merson Courtyard outside of the University Center on Friday March 28th, from 4:30 to 8:30 PM. While you enjoy these acts, traditional Japanese decorations and festival games, feel free to eat a variety of foods from our Food Booths such as Yakisoba, Okonomiyaki, Karaage and a variety of other Japanese foods! Small carnival games will be available, and J@CMU's origami and cooking groups will also be in attendance to further promote Japanese culture at CMU.

All profits go to recovery efforts for the Minato Middle School in Japan which is still suffering from the earthquake and tsunami two years ago. You contribution is valuable and we hope to send a sizable amount of supplies this year, as we did last year. For more information regarding donations please go to this site: http://matsuri.cmu-jsa.com/cause.html

Thank you for your time and we hope to see you there!

Last year the event raised $3,027 for the school completely destroyed in 2011.

As the logo above shows, it runs from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm and is held at the CMU University Center and Merson Courtyard (campus map). Food and games require tickets, which can be purchased in advance online or in Merson Courtyard. Additional information is available on the festival's website.

Akira Kurosawa film Ran (乱) at Maridon Museum, March 20.

The Maridon Museum will show the 1985 Akira Kurosawa film Ran (乱) on March 20 as part of its 2014 Spring Film Series.

"Bilingual Education in Indonesia's International Schools" lecture at Pitt, March 20.

The Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh will host Anis Sundusiyah of the School of Education and her lecture "Bilingual Education in Indonesia's International Schools" on March 20 as part of the Asia Over Lunch lecture series. It takes place at 12:00 pm in room 4130 Posvar Hall (campus map) and is free. Information about past and upcoming lectures in the series this term are printed on the flyer above.