Matsuri 2018, April 10 at Carnegie Mellon University.

The Carnegie Mellon University Japanese Student Association will present its 8th annual Matsuri, "a celebration of Japanese culture and diversity," on April 10.

Enjoy a variety of foods from our food booths, and performances by student groups and members of the Pittsburgh community, while immersed in traditional Japanese decorations and festival games! Matsuri is the biggest event hosted by JSA. Last year, more than 600 people showed up to the celebration.

The event runs from 3:30 to 8:00 pm in Wiegand Gym of the Cohon University Center (map), and is free and open to the public.

Top two movies in China, Operation Red Sea (红海行动) and Detective Chinatown 2 (唐人街·探案2) , continue in Pittsburgh through March 7 (at least).

The top two movies currently playing in China, Operation Red Sea (红海行动) and Detective Chinatown 2 (唐人街·探案2), will continue in Pittsburgh through March 7.

Tickets now available for Shaw Brothers Kung Fu Cinema series at Row House Cinema, March 9 - 15.

Four classic kung fu movies will play at the Row House Cinema in March, part of its Shaw Brothers Kung Fu Cinema series that highlights the legendary Hong Kong production company. The lineup includes 1966's Come Drink With Me (大醉俠), 1978's Five Deadly Venoms (五毒), 1982's Legendary Weapons of China (十八般武艺), and 1978's The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (少林三十六房). The series runs from March 9 to 15.

Intersections of Colonialism and Medicine in East Asia, March 10 and 11 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host the Intersections of Colonialism and Medicine in East Asia conference on March 10 and 11.

King Hu's Legend of the Mountain (山中传奇) at Regent Square Theater, Sundays in March.

Pittsburgh Filmmakers and the Silk Screen Asian Arts & Cultural Organization are showing a different classic Asian film each month in 2018, with King Hu's 1979 movie Legend of the Mountain (山中传奇) featured in March. A February 1 New York Times review provides an introduction:

A magical mystery marathon, King Hu’s “Legend of the Mountain” takes place (maybe, as the narrator waggishly says) in the 11th century during the Song dynasty. It tells of a cheerful, underemployed scholar, Ho Yunqing (Shih Chun), who makes a meager living as a copyist. Soon after the movie opens, he is entrusted to copy a Buddhist sutra (a dialogue or sermon) that can liberate souls stuck in limbo. Ho isn’t a believer, but he needs the money and so enthusiastically heads out on a seemingly simple mission, one that eventually leads to an isolated outpost where curious and curiouser things occur.

Filled with lovely natural landscapes that have been meticulously framed and photographed, “Legend of the Mountain” is often a visual ravishment. (It was shot in the South Korean countryside.) There’s a mesmerizing appeal to many of its panoramas, with their variegated colors, dense vegetation and drifting, swirling white mist. And while King Hu certainly likes to move the camera — it sweeps, swoops and sometime breaks into a near-run — he also likes to linger on images as if encouraging you to admire their compositional harmony. You can get lost in these pictorial reveries as you trace the rays of light piercing the trees, brightening the dark waters and the reality-softening haze.

All shows start at 6:00 pm at the Regent Square Theater (map), and tickets are only available for purchase at the door.

2017 documentary The Departure, on punk-turned-priest Ittetsu Nemoto, at CMU International Film Festival, March 30.

The Carnegie Mellon University International Film Festival recently announced its full lineup for this spring's Faces of Inequality iteration, and it includes the 2017 documentary The Departure. Its subject is Ittestsu Nemoto,

a former punk-turned-Buddhist-priest in Japan, has made a career out of helping suicidal people find reasons to live. But this work has come increasingly at the cost of his own family and health, as he refuses to draw lines between his patients and himself. The Departure captures Nemoto at a crossroads, when his growing self-destructive tendencies lead him to confront the same question his patients ask him: what makes life worth living?

Tickets for the March 30 screening of The Departure are now available online. It will play at McConomy Auditorium (map) from 7:00 pm, and the evening also includes a discussion panel.

2017 Taiwanese dark comedy The Great Buddha+ (大佛普拉斯) in Pittsburgh, March 2 through 8.

The 2017 Taiwanese film The Great Buddha+ (大佛普拉斯) will play at the Regent Square Theater from March 2 through 8. A November South China Morning Post review has a summary:

The debut feature from Taiwanese documentarian Huang Hsin-yao is an acerbic satire of small-town corruption that has earned awards attention, including 10 nominations (one for best picture) at this month’s Golden Horse Awards. The Great Buddha+ follows a pair of frustrated labourers who find themselves surrounded by businessmen and local officials throwing around more money than they could accumulate in a lifetime.

Pickle (Cres Chuang I-tseng) is a middle-aged security guard at a factory that makes bronze Buddha statues. Living with his ailing mother, his only pleasure comes from best friend Belly Button (Bamboo Chen Chu-sheng), a recycler who brings him leftover food each night and, if he’s lucky, an old porno magazine to help wile away the small hours.

One night, they decide to watch footage from the dash-cam in the Mercedes of Pickle’s wealthy boss, Kevin (Leon Dai Li-ren). In among numerous steamy encounters and grovelling phone calls, they uncover a dark secret that could change all of their lives.

Showtimes are available online, though tickets are only available for purchase at the door. The Regent Square Theater is located at 1035 S. Braddock Ave. (map) in the neighborhood of the same name.

AT&T store in Waterfront hiring part-time bilingual Mandarin-English sales associate.

The AT&T retail store at the Waterfront is hiring a part-time bilingual Mandarin-English sales associate.

Traveling to Japan, March 1 at Northland Public Library.

"Osaka, Japan" by Pedro Szekely (Creative Commons).

Kana Komaki, who hosted "Journey to Japan" on February 18 in Oakland, will present "Traveling to Japan" at Northland Public Library on March 1.

Whether you are traveling to Japan for business or pleasure, you will be fascinated by the beauty and culture of this ancient country. This presentation will explore the delectable cuisine, breathtaking landscapes, and unique business etiquette of one of the most influential places in the world. Join Japan native Kana Komaki as she shares original stories as well as insights and recommendations that are not found online or in a standard travel guide.

Registration is required for this adult program. Everyone attending will have access to two free Japanese language lessons with local language center T&L Global.

Registration is required for this adult program and begins on February 1st. You may register online, in person at the adult reference desk or by calling 412-366-8100, extension 113.

The event runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. The library is located at 300 Cumberland Road in the North Hills (map).

The Slow Way Home, a documentary on "how a society intent on keeping streets safe for kids made them walkable for everyone," at Pitt on April 3.

A 2016 documentary The Slow Way Home, followed by a discussion with the producer, will play at the University of Pittsburgh on April 3.

The way children travel to school structures daily life for families around the world—but differs dramatically. In Japan, 98 percent of children walk to school every day, unaccompanied by a parent. In the United States, just 13 percent of children walk or bike to school, and most are driven to school by a parent.