Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing at Maridon Museum's August book club meeting, August 30.

This month's book club meeting at the Maridon Museum focuses on Marie Kondo's best-selling The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing . Her official site summarizes the author and organizer:

Enchanted with organizing since her childhood, Marie Kondo began her tidying consultant business as a 19-year-old university student in Tokyo. Today, Marie is a renowned tidying expert helping people around the world to transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity and inspiration. Her KonMari Method™, introduced in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (a global phenomenon that has sold more than ten million copies in over forty countries), is a way of life inspired by a single question: Does this item spark joy? The answer points the way to a life filled only with the items we truly cherish.

The meeting starts at 4:00 pm on August 30 and is free and open to the public. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP to 724-282-0123. The Maridon, an Asian art museum, is located at 322 North McKean St. in downtown Butler (map), roughly 40 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブルー) in Pittsburgh, September 6 and 10.

The 1997 film Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブルー) will play in the Pittsburgh area on September 6 and 10, followed by a run at the Row House Cinema later in the month. A 1999 Variety review summarizes:

Forsaking the usual anime fantasy terrain for a straight suspense plot that might easily have been executed in live-action form, director Satoshi Kon’s debut pic, “Perfect Blue,” is a psychological thriller that intrigues without quite hitting the bull’s-eye. Animated feature is currently getting limited U.S. release in an English-dubbed version.

The movie will play at Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters in Greensburg, Monroeville, and Robinson on September 6 (Japanese with English subtitles) and September 10 (dubbed in English). Tickets are available online. It will also play at the Row House Cinema from September 21 through 27 as part of an Anime film series.

Tickets now available for US premiere of Yabin Wang Dance's "Moon Opera," November 3 at Byham Theater.

Photo by Wang Ning, via Yabin Wang's Behance page.

Yabin Wang's "Moon Opera" will make its US premiere in Pittsburgh on November 3, and tickets went on sale today.

Yabin Wang is China’s superstar. One of the most promising and pioneering choreographers in contemporary dance in China, her work was commissioned by English National Ballet and was performed by the company at Sadler’s Wells for their prestigious She Said series. Westerns know her best for her incredible dance in the film House of Flying Daggers.

In her newest work, Moon Opera, she has collaborated with a multi-disciplinary team of award-winning designers and composers to unveil a dramatic modern-day story of an artist. Through the lens of Chinese culture, contemporary dance tells the story of a Peking Opera performer struggling between her dreams of artistic stardom and the harsh realities of maintaining her traditional role as a woman in society.

The Byham Theater is located at 101 6th Street in downtown's Cultural District (map).

2001's Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉) at Southside Works, August 15 and 16.

Funimation Films announced today that Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉) will play in Pittsburgh on August 15 and 16.

Caught up in a world of dreams, lost in the cruelty of reality.

What should have been an easy bounty turns into biological war after a terrorist gets ahold of a deadly virus. Drawn in by the pretty price on the mastermind’s head, Spike and the Bebop crew are ready to collect a much-needed reward. Unfortunately, the gang’s about to find themselves in more trouble than money when the terrorist threatens to unleash the virus on Halloween—effectively killing everyone on Mars. With little time and leads that seem more dreamy than helpful, they’ll have to use their own bag of tricks to stop a dangerous plot.

The August 15 show will be in Japanese with English subtitles, and the August 16 show will be dubbed in English. Tickets are not yet available for purchase at the time of this post. Southside Works Cinema is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the Southside, one block from the Hot Metal Bridge (map).

Pittsburgh Chinese School hiring Chinese teachers for upcoming school year.

The Pittsburgh Chinese School, which meets on Sundays at Taylor Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill, is hiring teachers for the upcoming school year.

The Pittsburgh Chinese School invites people who have the love and responsibility, have teaching experience, and have a work permit to join the teaching team.

Job Requirements:
1. Love Chinese culture and have a passion to spread Chinese culture.
2, like children, have love, patience, responsibility, and affinity.
3. The pronunciation standard of Mandarin is clear and the language expression ability is strong.
4. Have basic English communication skills.
5, have Chinese teaching experience, especially those with primary and secondary school teaching experience is preferred.
6. Education or Chinese-related qualifications are preferred.
7. The literary and art teacher has relevant academic qualifications or work experience is preferred .

Tomoko Omura’s Post Bop Gypsies, August 14 at City of Asylum.

via @tomokoomura

The City of Asylum will host Tomoko Omura’s Post Bop Gypsies, a jazz trio out of New York City fronted by violinist Tomoko Omura, on August 14.

Tomoko Omura’s Post Bop Gypsies are a modern take on the classic, violin, guitar and bass instrumentation.

The New York City based trio also features Alex Goodman on guitar and George DeLancey on bass. The band is on the road celebrating their self titled 2017 debut release (Inner Circle Music 2017).

The show runs from 8:00 to 10:00 pm; it's free, but online RSVP is required. The City of Asylum's Alphabet City is located at 40 N. West Ave. on the North Side (map).

Sichuan Gourmet voted Best Chinese by readers of Pittsburgh City-Paper this year.

via @sichuangourmet

Sichuan Gourmet was voted Best Chinese by readers of the Pittsburgh City-Paper in its 2018 readers' poll, unseating perennial winner Sesame Inn. Unfortunately, Nakama was still voted Best Japanese and Best Sushi by Pittsburghers who don't know anything about Japanese food and sushi.

Last Teen Kpop event of the summer in Shaler, August 11.

The final meeting of a monthly Teen Kpop group at the Shaler North Hills Library will be August 11.

Learn dances, watch music videos, play variety show games, and more!

Grades 7 and up.

It runs from 1:00 to 2:00 at the library, located at located at 1822 Mt. Royal Blvd. (map). Those interested in participating should RSVP online.

Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓) in Pittsburgh, August 12, 13, and 15.

The 1988 Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓) will play in the Pittsburgh area on August 12, 13, and 15 as part of this year's GKIDS Ghibli Fest. Afour-star Roger Ebert review calls the film "an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation," and the distributor provides a summary:

As the Empire of the Sun crumbles upon itself and a rain of firebombs falls upon Japan, the final death march of a nation is echoed in millions of smaller tragedies. This is the story of Seita and his younger sister Setsuko, two children born at the wrong time, in the wrong place, and now cast adrift in a world that lacks not the care to shelter them, but simply the resources. Forced to fend for themselves in the aftermath of fires that swept entire cities from the face of the earth, their doomed struggle is both a tribute to the human spirit and the stuff of nightmares. Beautiful, yet at times brutal and horrifying. Based on the retellings of survivor Nosaka Akiyuki and directed by Isao Takahata (co-founder, with Hayao Miyazaki, of Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli,) Grave Of The Fireflies has been universally hailed as an artistic and emotional tour de force. Now digitally remastered and restored, it is one of the rare films that truly deserves to be called a masterpiece.

The film will play at the Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. The August 12 and 15 screenings are dubbed in English, while the August 13 screening is in Japanese with English subtitles.

Library Orientation for new Chinese, Japanese, and Korean students at Pitt, from August 21.

via @匹茲堡大學.

Incoming University of Pittsburgh students from Japan, Korea, and Chinese-speaking countries are invited to attend Library Orientations in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, starting August 21.

Would you like to know...

• A librarian who speaks your native language?
• The difference between academic libraries in the U.S. and libraries in your home country?
• The many wonderful services that the library offers to help your area of study and research at Pitt?
• If so, please come to attend one of the library orientation sessions.

Library Orientation for New Chinese Students is scheduled for:

• August 21, 2:00 to 3:00 pm
• August 22, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
• August 23, 2:00 to 3:00 pm
• August 24, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm

Library Orientation for New Japanese Students is scheduled for:

• August 22, 2:00 to 3:00 pm

And Library Orientation for New Korean Students is scheduled for:

• August 23, 3:00 to 4:00 pm

All sessions will be held in G-74 of the Hillman Library (map). The information sessions are free, but registration is required and can be completed at the links above.