16mm screening of 1953 Japanese film Ugetsu (雨月物語), July 24 in Oakland.

Pittsburgh Sound + Image and SCREENSHOT: Asia will present a 16mm screening of the 1953 Japanese film Ugetsu (雨月物語) on July 24 at the Melwood Screening Room in North Oakland.

Pittsburgh Sound + Image and SCREENSHOT: Asia reteam for a special 16mm screening of Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu.

Criterion writes, "By the time he made Ugetsu, Kenji Mizoguchi was already an elder statesman of Japanese cinema, fiercely revered by Akira Kurosawa and other directors of a younger generation. And with this exquisite ghost story, a fatalistic wartime tragedy derived from stories by Akinari Ueda and Guy de Maupassant, he created a touchstone of his art, his long takes and sweeping camera guiding the viewer through a delirious narrative about two villagers whose pursuit of fame and fortune leads them far astray from their loyal wives. Moving between the terrestrial and the otherworldly, Ugetsu reveals essential truths about the ravages of war, the plight of women, and the pride of men."

Doors open at 6:30 and the show starts at 7. Tickets are $10 for the general public, but free for Pittsburgh Sound + Image members and CMU or Pitt students, staff and faculty. The Melwood Screening Room is located at 477 Melwood Ave. (map).

R.F. Kuang's Yellowface at Riverstone Books' McCandless Book Club, July 28.

Riverstone Books' McCandless Book Club will feature R.F. Kuang's Yellowface on July 28.

White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American—in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R.F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel.

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

The free event runs from 7:00 to 8:00 pm and free registration can be completed online. Those intersted may purchase a copy of the book through the bookstore. Riverstone Books is located at 8850 Covenant Ave. in McCandless Crossing (map).

New restoration of 1949 Kurosawa film Stray Dog (野良犬) in Pittsburgh, July 24 - 26.

A new restoration of 1949 Kurosawa film Stray Dog (野良犬) will play in Pittsburgh on July 24 through 26, the first in a series of five classic Kurosawa films at the Harris Theater July through September.

A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo's sweltering streets for the "stray dog" whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami's own dark side. Starring Toshiro Mifune, as the rookie cop, and Takashi Shimura, as the seasoned detective who keeps him on the right side of the law, Stray Dog (Nora Inu) goes beyond a crime thriller, probing the squalid world of postwar Japan and the nature of the criminal mind.

Tickets for the film are available online. The Harris Theater is located at 809 Liberty Ave. in downtown's Cultural District (map).

2009 Japanese animated movie Summer Wars (サマーウォーズ) in Pittsburgh in 4K, July 27 - 29.

The 2009 Japanese animated movie Summer Wars (サマーウォーズ) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters in 4K from July 27 through 29.

Kenji is a shy, part-time moderator for OZ, the virtual reality world that powers everyday life, until pretty and popular Natsuki recruits him to be her fake boyfriend. While posing as an affluent suitor to Natsuki’s family, Kenji finds that a rogue A.I. program has stolen his online identity, and Kenji is accused of hacking OZ and causing real-world catastrophes. As the destruction in OZ throws Natsuki’s family into disarray, Kenji must unite his newfound connections to overcome an impending cyber apocalypse. Against a backdrop of stunning countryside vistas and virtual spaces bursting with color, Summer Wars is a timeless epic that explores life in the digital age from Academy Award®-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda (BELLE).

It is scheduled to play locally (so far) at the Cinemark in McCandless and Robinson. Tickets for the July 27 and 29 shows in Japanese with English subtitles and the July 28 show dubbed in English are available online.

Health Department shuts down newly-opened Enson Market and Ineffable Cà Phe.

The Health Department has shut down the new Enson Market and Ineffable Cà Phe, a large Asian grocery chain and Vietnamese coffee shop that soft-opened in Point Breeze on June 7, according to an article on the inspection report by Patch.

In a July 10 inspection, one dead mouse was discovered in the basement.

Too many large flies to count observed in the fish preparation room and in the vegetable prep area

in the rear hallway.

Red liquid was observed leaking from beef box pooling on floor of the walk-in freezer in between the

meat and fish prep areas.

The manager was observed scrubbing cooked pork snout and cheek with a stainless steel scrubber in the ware-washing sink in hot foods kitchen. Live and dead clams were observed commingled in a single tray at fresh fish counter.

Jay Som performing in Pittsburgh, December 12.

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jay Som will perform in Pittsburgh on December 12.

WHERE, YOU ARE ALMOST CERTAINLY ASKING, HAS JAY SOM BEEN? …six years ago, in 2019, Melina Duterte released Anak Ko, the expansive third album from the project that had quickly grown far beyond its so-called bedroom pop origins into something resembling an actual band. But when a shuttered touring industry scrapped Jay Som’s ambitious 2020 plans, Duterte realized she had long needed a reset from the road after several years of constant pivots between touring and writing. She decided to splurge on herself and her lifelong interest in recording, funneling her government stimulus check into a piece of dream gear—a vintage Neve console. She committed herself to manuals and online tutorials. Five years later, a Grammy for her work on The Record by boygenius, the band she subsequently joined as a touring member. Yes, Jay Som itself has been on a bit of a break; Duterte, however, has perhaps been busier than ever.

When Duterte reckoned the time had come to revisit Jay Som, she did not pretend to be hidebound by the project’s past. Instead, she let the half-decade of life she’d lived and work she’d done since releasing Anak Ko filter not only into her songs but also her process. But she also opened up her music to herself and her memories, writing songs that revisited the sounds of her youth with the benefit of her experiences as a musician, producer, and performer. She was neither shy about her influences nor limited about where they might lead her. And so no previous Jay Som album sounds quite like the new Belong, a gripping 11-song set about self-definition and, well, belonging, that floats between supercharged power-pop hits and hazy ballads, between electronic curiosities and lighters-up anthems. It is a map of the first 31 years of Duterte’s life, all leading to the present that is Belong.

Jay Som will perform at Spirit Lounge, 242 51st St in Lawrenceville (map). TIckets for the 21+ show are now available online.

Annual "Ihaw-Ihaw at Halo Halo & Bake Sale" fundraiser for Philippine-American Performing Arts of Greater Pittsburgh, August 10 at North Park.

The Philippine-American Performing Arts of Greater Pittsburgh will present its annual "Ihaw-Ihaw at Halo Halo & Bake Sale" fundraiser on August 10.

Taste authentic homemade Filipino cuisine! Join us with your familiy and friends, and don't forget to pick up delicious desserts from our bake sale!

It runs from 12 to 6 pm---or until food runs out---at the Rose Barn at North Park (map).

JJ Panda / Yoyo Panda reopens in Allison Park, this time led by Yotea & Yoka Kitchen team.

JJ Panda, which existed in Duncan Manor at various times the last couple years, reopened as JJ Panda / Yoyo Panda on July 9. This incarnation is run by the team behind Yotea & Yoka Kitchen in North Oakland. It is located at 1701 Duncan Ave. in Allison Park (map).

Comedian Fumi Abe at Bottlerocket Social Hall, July 18.

Japanese-American comedian Fumi Abe will perform at the Bottlerocket Social Hall on July 18.

Fumi Abe is a Japanese-American stand-up comedian/writer based in Los Angeles who recently made his TV debut on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

He has written for NPR’s “Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!”, was part of the 2020 Comedy Central Digital Creators Program, and is currently a staff writer on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

He produces and hosts a comedy podcast titled "Asian Not Asian", which was most recently included in Vulture’s Comedy Podcast Roundup as well as The AV Club’s Podcast series highlights.

The show starts at 8:00 pm and tickets are available online. Bottlerocket Social Hall is located at 1226 Arlington Ave. in the Allentown neighborhood (map).

US Translation Company hiring experienced Japanese-English interpreter for medical topics.

US Translation Company is hiring for a Japanese-English interpreter in the Pittsburgh area experienced in consecutive interpretation for medical topics. Those qualified and interested can contact Chloe at chloe@ustranslation.com or (801) 393-5300. Founded in 1995, US Translation Company (USTC)

is a leading provider of translation, interpretation, and localization services, helping organizations communicate effectively across global markets.