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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie (美少女戦士セーラームーンSuper Sスーパーズ セーラー9戦士集結!ブラック・ドリーム・ホールの奇跡) in Pittsburgh, August 4 and 6.



The final installment of a Sailor Moon movie series, Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie (美少女戦士セーラームーンSuper Sスーパーズ セーラー9戦士集結!ブラック・ドリーム・ホールの奇跡), will play around Pittsburgh on August 4 and 6. A 2004 Animerica review says of the movie:
The Super S movie makes use of many of the same themes as the Super S TV series: the fairy-tale background, the emphasis on dreams, a wicked queen out to conquer Earth, Rini's sort-of romance with an otherworldly dream guardian. Unlike the TV series, however, the focus is still more or less on Sailor Moon rather than on Rini. Besides all that, the theatrical-quality animation is a treat.
It will play in Japanese on August 4 and dubbed in English on August 6 at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online.

Sunday, July 29, 2018

Pittsburgh-Shanghai charter flights could usher in regular commercial non-stops to China. airport official says.


by sama093 (Creative Commons)

Charter flights between Pittsburgh and Shanghai are set to begin next week, and could be the start of commercial direct flights to China. The USA Today spoke to the Pittsburgh International Airport CEO ahead of the August 3 start.
Airports typically try to prove demand already exists when courting airlines to add a new route. But, in Pittsburgh, an effort is underway to actually help create the demand that could one day help the city secure lucrative non-stop flights to China.

That most tangible step comes next Friday (Aug. 3), when a 316-seat China Eastern Airlines Boeing 777-300ER is scheduled to arrive at the airport on a flight from Shanghai. It’s the first of two round-trip flights China Eastern will fly to Pittsburgh, both charters on which seats are being sold by tour operators.

It’s a modest start, but it’s one Pittsburgh officials see as the start of something bigger.

“It’s two round-trips, which might not seem like much,” acknowledges Christina Cassotis, the Pittsburgh International Airport CEO who is entering her third year in that role. “But when you consider that that’s hundreds of Chinese visitors who have never been to Pittsburgh – who are excited to come to the U.S. and see all sorts of things in Pittsburgh and beyond – we think that this is a great way of short-cutting an awareness campaign.”

Friday, July 27, 2018

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."
In the waning days of World War II, American bombers drop napalm canisters on Japanese cities, creating fire storms. These bombs, longer than a tin can but about as big around, fall to earth trailing cloth tails that flutter behind them; they are almost a beautiful sight. After they hit, there is a moment’s silence, and then they detonate, spraying their surroundings with flames. In a Japanese residential neighborhood, made of flimsy wood and paper houses, there is no way to fight the fires.

“Grave of the Fireflies” (1988) is an animated film telling the story of two children from the port city of Kobe, made homeless by the bombs. Seita is a young teenager, and his sister Setsuko is about 5. Their father is serving in the Japanese navy, and their mother is a bomb victim; Seita kneels beside her body, covered with burns, in an emergency hospital. Their home, neighbors, schools are all gone. For a time an aunt takes them in, but she’s cruel about the need to feed them, and eventually Seita finds a hillside cave where they can live. He does what he can to find food, and to answer Setsuko’s questions about their parents. The first shot of the film shows Seita dead in a subway station, and so we can guess Setsuko’s fate; we are accompanied through flashbacks by the boy’s spirit.
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.

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Pittsburgh welcomes dignitaries from Saitama to reaffirm Sister City relationship.


via @CityPGH, July 24.

City of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto welcomed a delegation from Saitama, Japan, on Tuesday and Wednesday to reaffirm the Sister City relationship established in 1998. The visitors, including the mayor of Saitama, are in town from July 23 through 27.


via @CityPGH, July 24.

Parts 1 and 2 of Laughing Under the Clouds Gaiden (曇天に笑う外伝) trilogy at Row House Cinema, September 1 and 2.



The Row House Cinema will screen parts 1 and 2 of the Laughing Under the Clouds Gaiden trilogy on September 1 and 2. Anime News Network provides a synopsis:
The manga includes stories not told in the original manga, including some from the past and some from the future. The original manga's story takes place in the 11th year of the Meiji era, when the number of people in Japan who feel dissatisfaction toward the government are increasing due to the increasing speed of Westernization and the ban on samurai. In order to curb the increased rate of crime, the government opens a new prison. The three brothers of the Kumo family are entrusted with the duty of transporting these criminals to the new prison, but adventures await them on the way.
The trilogy's third installment opens in Japan on September 1. The movies will play for two shows only, and ticket information is forthcoming. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Mobile Suit Gundam - Part 1 added to Row House Cinema's Anime series, September 21 - 27.



The Row House Cinema recently added Mobile Suit Gundam - Part 1 as the fourth film in this September's Anime series. It joins Akira (アキラ), Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉), and Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブルー) in an annual festival that will run this year from September 21 to 27. Ticket information is forthcoming; the single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).


2017 documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda at Southside Works, July 31.



The 2017 documentary on composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda, will play in Pittsburgh on July 31 at the Southside Works Cinema. A July 6 Variety review provides a summary:
Admirers of the highly respected Japanese musician (and occasional actor) will enjoy “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda,” a leisurely look at a multi-talent best known in the west for composing memorable original scores for directors from Bertolucci and Oshima to Inarritu and Miike. Stephen Nomura Schible shot this documentary over a five-year span, during which Sakamoto survived a serious cancer scare. That lends some drama to a tastefully elegiac portrait that otherwise demurs from any discussion of its protagonist’s personal life or background.
Tickets for the 7:30 pm show are available online. The theater is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the Southside, one block from the Hot Metal Bridge (map).

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Sailor Moon R and Sailor Moon S movies in Pittsburgh, from July 28.



Two 1990s Sailor Moon movies will play in the Pittsburgh area, Sailor Moon R (劇場版 美少女戦士セーラームーンR) and Sailor Moon S (劇場版 美少女戦士セーラームーンS), from July 28. A note from the distributor:
Sailor Moon, the beloved Guardian of Love and Justice, returns to the big screen for a special theatrical event! Following an encore presentation of the first movie (SAILOR MOON R- THE MOVIE), the Sailor Guardians unite once more to battle their chilliest adversary yet (SAILOR MOON S- THE MOVIE). The second week of showings will feature the classic anime's third movie (SAILOR MOON SUPERS- THE MOVIE) along with never-before seen in theaters short, "Ami's First Love." All features are presented uncut and true to the original Japanese version, with English dubbed and subtitled showings available.
Sailor Moon R will be screened in Japanese on July 28 and dubbed in English on July 30. Sailor Moon Super S will be screened in Japanese on August 4 and dubbed in English on August 6. The movies will play at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. Tickets are currently available online.

Monday, July 23, 2018

Akira, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Perfect Blue part of Anime Series at Row House Cinema in September.



The Row House Cinema will show Akira (アキラ), Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉), Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブルー), and one more to-be-announced film as part of its annual Anime series from September 21 through 27. Tickets and showtime information will be available later. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Friday, July 20, 2018

Phipps hiring Display Horticulturist, Bonsai and Japanese Courtyard Garden.


Via Phipps Conservatory.

Last month Doug Oster wrote about the efforts to refurbish the Japanese courtyard garden at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden:
Designed in 1991 by famed Japanese landscape designer Hoichi Kurisu, the outdoor garden is a hidden gem, as not every visitor discovers the space. Those who do are rewarded with a secluded space where koi rise to the surface of a pond under branches and deep red leaves of Japanese maples. Kuriso returned to the garden for the first time last December to meet with the horticulture team at the conservatory in an effort to refresh the space as part of the year-long 125th anniversary celebration of Phipps.
Today Phipps is hiring a display horticulturalist to work with that space.
Phipps is seeking a full-time Display Horticulturist to be responsible for the day-to-day care of the Bonsai and Japanese Courtyard Garden, assuring exceptional horticulture and immaculate maintenance at all times. The Display Horticulturist will take a lead role in designing the annual tropical bonsai exhibit and other displays involving the bonsai collection. In addition to horticultural responsibilities, this position will develop and present bonsai classes and related educational programs, as well as write articles and represent Phipps in relation to bonsai. The Display Horticulturist will also assist with installation, maintenance and teardown of flower shows, special exhibits, display rooms, and other areas of the Conservatory as needed.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Shonen Knife tickets to go on sale Friday, July 20.



Tickets for the September 4 Shonen Knife show in Pittsburgh will go on sale Friday, July 20. Shonen Knife, a seminal Japanese pop punk band formed in 1981, will play Spirit Hall in Lawrenceville as part of its 2018 US tour.
Boasting a nearly 40 year career, these three luminaries of rock & roll have wielded fun and food-centered bops that earned them the love and respect of music goliaths like Nirvana andSonic Youth. They’ve made their way from their home of Osaka, Japan to the United States many times, but this year they’re putting their personal affection for each and every city on display. Following the release of their tenacious live DVD/CD ALIVE! In Osaka (Released onRobby Takac of THE GOO GOO DOLLS’ Good Charamel Records), Shonen Knife have prepared to deliver that same hometown energy from Buffalo on August 28th to Brooklyn on August 31st, Chicago on September 9th, Los Angeles on October 5th, and so much more. Each city will have its own personalized and limited edition artwork available at the show, because for Shonen Knife, home is where the fans are.

Shonen Knife frontwoman Naoko comments, “Our first live album Live in Osaka was released in 2006, and was recorded at the same venue as this new one. After the first live album, we toured, released music constantly, grew as a band and improved. This year we would like to bring the fever from ALIVE! in Osaka on our US tour. Not only will we play songs from the record, but we are also preparing special rarely played songs from earlier albums to the present. Let’s have a fun time together!”
Tickets for the 21-and-over show will be available online from 12:00 am on the 20th, and in person at Juke Records in Bloomfield, Jerry's Recoords in Squirrel Hill, Dave's Music Mine in the south Side, and Caliban Books in Oakland. They're $16 in advance and $20 at the door. Spirit is located at 242 51st St. in Lawrenceville (map).

2018 animated film Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (さよならの朝に約束の花をかざろう) in Pittsburgh, July 18, 21, and 22.



The 2018 Japanese film Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (さよならの朝に約束の花をかざろう), originally scheduled to play in Pittsburgh on July 22 only, will now play today, the 21st, and 22nd. The Anime News Network provides a summary:
Maquia is from a clan where all the members stop aging in their mid teens. She has no parents and, although her days are peaceful, she feels lonely. Their peace is shattered when an army invades, seeking the secret to her people's immortality. Leilia, the most beautiful girl in her clan, is taken away, and the boy Maquia has secret feelings for disappears. Maquia is able to escape, but she loses her friends and her home. Wandering alone in the forest, she finds Erial, a baby boy who has lost his parents. The story follows the changing relationship between the two as Erial grows up and Maquia does not.
The movie premiered in Japan on February 24 and was the fifth-highest-grossing movie in the country its opening weekend. Tickets for the three days' shows, in Japanese with English subtitles, are available online. The theater is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the Southside, one block from the Hot Metal Bridge (map).

Picnic with visiting Saitama delegation, July 25.


"15 yr Sister City dedication w/ Saitama Mayor Shizmu & Chairman Hagiwara in Pittsburgh Council Chambers" - @billpeduto in 2013.

The Pittsburgh Saitama Sister City Committee is holding a picnic for a visiting delegation from Saitama on July 25 at North Park.
Saitama City, Pittsburgh's sister city in Japan, will be sending a delegation including the Mayor, his staff, and city council members to renew their friendship with us this month!
今月の23日から27日までピッツバーグの姉妹都市である埼玉市から、市長、市議会議員を含めた代表団が姉妹都市の友好関係を深めるために訪問する予定です。

Since sister cities are about people-to-people ties, please join us for an informal picnic at the Point Shelter in North Park, from 5:30 to 8:00 PM on Wednesday, July 25th to welcome them.
姉妹都市は人と人のつながりが大切ですので、7月25日水曜日の午後5時30分から午後8時までノースパークのPoint Shelterでピクニックを行います。是非ご参加ください!

The Pittsburgh Saitama Sister City Committee will provide hamburgers, chicken, cutlery, and soft drinks. Please bring a dish (approximately 20 servings) to share!
ピッツバーグ埼玉姉妹都市委員会は、ハンバーガー、チキン、ソフトドリンク等を提供致します。 他のシェアーできるおかず類(約20人分)などを持って来てください!
Registration is required and can be completed online.

Monday, July 16, 2018

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).

Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) around Pittsburgh for Studio Ghibli Fest, July 22, 23, and 25.



The 1997 film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) will play at Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters on July 22, 23, and 25 as part of this year's Studio Ghibli Fest. A 1999 Roger Ebert four-star review summarizes:
Hayao Miyazaki is a great animator, and his "Princess Mononoke" is a great film. Do not allow conventional thoughts about animation to prevent you from seeing it. It tells an epic story set in medieval Japan, at the dawn of the Iron Age, when some men still lived in harmony with nature and others were trying to tame and defeat it. It is not a simplistic tale of good and evil, but the story of how humans, forest animals and nature gods all fight for their share of the new emerging order. It is one of the most visually inventive films I have ever seen.
The July 22 and 25 screenings will be dubbed in English, and the July 23 screening will have English subtitles. It will play at the Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online.

"Storytime: Japanese and English" at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, July 17.

The next installment of the monthly program "Storytime: Japanese and English" will take place on July 17 at the Carnegie Library in East Liberty.
Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Japanese for children and their parents or caregivers. For children age birth – 5 and their caregivers.
It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

Michael Kors at Tanger Outlets hiring Mandarin-speaking sales associate.

The Michael Kors store at Tanger Outlets, an outlet mall roughly 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, is hiring a Mandarin-speaking sales associate.

Hiossen Implant hiring bilingual Korean-English sales trainee.

Hiossen Implant, a subsidiary of a Korean dental implant company, has an opening for a bilingual Korean-English Branch Manager Sales Trainee. The job posting, via Indeed and a staffing agency:

Friday, July 13, 2018

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).

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Seminal Japanese pop punk band Shonen Knife back in Pittsburgh, September 4.



The Japanese pop punk band Shonen Knife (少年ナイフ) will return to Pittsburgh on September 4 as part of their 2018 US tour, the band announced today. According to a press release:
Boasting a nearly 40 year career, these three luminaries of rock & roll have wielded fun and food-centered bops that earned them the love and respect of music goliaths like Nirvana andSonic Youth. They’ve made their way from their home of Osaka, Japan to the United States many times, but this year they’re putting their personal affection for each and every city on display. Following the release of their tenacious live DVD/CD ALIVE! In Osaka (Released onRobby Takac of THE GOO GOO DOLLS’ Good Charamel Records), Shonen Knife have prepared to deliver that same hometown energy from Buffalo on August 28th to Brooklyn on August 31st, Chicago on September 9th, Los Angeles on October 5th, and so much more. Each city will have its own personalized and limited edition artwork available at the show, because for Shonen Knife, home is where the fans are.

Shonen Knife frontwoman Naoko comments, “Our first live album Live in Osaka was released in 2006, and was recorded at the same venue as this new one. After the first live album, we toured, released music constantly, grew as a band and improved. This year we would like to bring the fever from ALIVE! in Osaka on our US tour. Not only will we play songs from the record, but we are also preparing special rarely played songs from earlier albums to the present. Let’s have a fun time together!”
Tickets for the show at Spirit Lounge are not yet available. The band played in Pittsburgh previously in 2016 and 2011.

SAP Ariba hiring for bilingual Mandarin-English Procurement Operations Specialist positions in Pittsburgh.



SAP Ariba, "the world’s business commerce network," is again hiring for bilingual Mandarin-English Procurement Operations Specialist positions in Pittsburgh. The job posting, via a staffing agency:
The Big Picture – Top Skills You Should Possess:
  • Full Mandarin and English Bilingual must be able to write and speak both fluently
  • Superior communication and telephone skills.

What You’ll Be Doing:
  • Provides inbound application and functional support for all relevant Company applications, both internally and externally, by way of chat, web form and phone.
  • Resolves 80% of issues without escalation.
  • Respond to customer inquiries in a timely manner and within service level objectives.
  • Help our customers maximize the benefits of solutions to facilitate a global exchange of goods and services in the world’s largest business to business trading community.

What You Need to Bring to the Table:
  • Full Mandarin and English Bilingual must be able to write and speak both fluently
  • Bachelor’s degree or 2-year Technical school degree preferred.
  • Minimum of 1 year work experience preferred

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

2017 documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda at Southside Works, July 31.



The 2017 documentary on composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda, will play in Pittsburgh on July 31 at the Southside Works Cinema. A July 6 Variety review provides a summary:
Admirers of the highly respected Japanese musician (and occasional actor) will enjoy “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda,” a leisurely look at a multi-talent best known in the west for composing memorable original scores for directors from Bertolucci and Oshima to Inarritu and Miike. Stephen Nomura Schible shot this documentary over a five-year span, during which Sakamoto survived a serious cancer scare. That lends some drama to a tastefully elegiac portrait that otherwise demurs from any discussion of its protagonist’s personal life or background.
Tickets for the 7:30 pm show are now available online. The theater is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the Southside, one block from the Hot Metal Bridge (map).

Pittsburgh Korean School now enrolling for the fall semester.



The Pittsburgh Korean School (피츠버그 중앙한국학교) is now enrolling students ages 3 to 14 for the fall semester. The school meets every Saturday at the Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh in Shadyside from 12:30 to 3:30 pm from September 1 through December 1 (no class on November 24). The cost is $200 and payment is made by check to PKS. Volunteer instructors are being sought as well. Registration closes on August 26.

Lisa Ko's The Leavers at Smithfield Critics Book Discussion Group, July 18 downtown.



Lisa Ko's The Leavers will be the topic of discussion with the Smithfield Critics Book Discussion Group at the downtown branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
One morning, Deming’s mother, Polly, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, goes to her job at a nail salon and never comes home. With his mother gone, eleven-year-old Deming is left mystified and bereft. Eventually adopted by a pair of well-meaning white professors, Deming is moved from the Bronx to a small town upstate and renamed Daniel Wilkinson. Far from all he’s ever known, Daniel struggles to reconcile his adoptive parents’ desire that he assimilate with his memories of his mother and the community he left behind.
The group meets from 12:00 to 1:00 pm, and the library is located at 612 Smithfield St. (map).

Shutaro Noguchi playing at Howlers, July 12.



Japanese musician Shutaro Noguchi (currently based in Louisville, Kentucky) will play at Howlers on July 12. A Forced Exposure review describes his forthcoming LP thus:
[T]he sound is wonderfully hybridized. At times its merger of prog, pop, fusionism and complexity make me think of a collision between the Glenn Phillips Band and Todd Rundgren's Utopia with Terje Rypdal sittin' in. I know I'm making it sound like a crazy quilt, and I suppose if sort of is, but only in the sense that it avoids the monochromaticism of so much contemporary music. Shutaro does not grab a single schtick and just shake it until his arm is tired. He mixes up of ballads and thunder (sometimes in a single song) in a way that strikes me as somehow very Japanese. But mostly it just strikes me about the head. In the most pleasant of ways. Take off your helmet and give it a try. You'll never know what hit you.
The show starts at 8:00 pm and tickets are $10. Howlers is located at 4509 Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield (map).

Friday, July 6, 2018

Manila Killa at Spirit Hall, September 28.


via @manilakilla.

EDM artist Manila Killa will play at Spirit Hall on September 28, opening for Whethan. Ones to Watch profiled him back in January:
[Chris] Gavino is known around the world as future bass producer Manila Killa, half of indie-dance and house duo Hotel Garuda, and founding member of the internet-born music collective Moving Castle. All things considered, these notable achievements would prove impressive for anyone in the world of electronic music and are even more astounding when viewed in context.

Gavino managed to achieve these monumental feats all while still attending college full-time, where he was studying business management. Balancing both college and an ever-growing music career where he was asked to play shows across the country, Gavino chose the path most artists rarely do. The rising producer fully committed himself to both worlds, succeeding in further honing and developing his craft without sacrificing his academic pursuits.
Tickets are $23 in advance or $25 at the door. The all-ages show starts at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:00). Spirit is located at 242 51st Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Pitt's GSPIA hiring bilingual Mandarin-English student for "math camp" support.

Dr. Sera Lenardi in Pitt's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs is hiring a bilingual Mandarin-English student for its preparatory math camp for incoming students this summer.
Applicants must also be proficient in IT setup including helping new students set up their internet access and install software in both English and Chinese language operating systems.

The Student Assistant must be proficient in working with mathematical equations in LaTeX, programming Qualtrics survey, and good in explaining introductory statistical concepts. Must have participated both days in either the 2016 or 2017 GSPIA Math Camp.

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Japanese-English Reading Circle in Shadyside continues from July 7.



The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania's Japanese-English Reading Circle will begin again with a new series of four meetings from July 7 at Kenmawr Apartments in Shadyside.
Join us for the Japanese-English Reading Circle.

Mission: to promote language learning through reading and language exchange. We aim to keep positivity and motivation high while developing reading fluency, vocabulary, content discussion, and reading strategies in a fun, collaborative environment.

Meetings: will consist of icebreaker language games, discussions about book topics, questions about language, formation of reading goals, and reading strategy sharing/reflection

Who can join: Japanese learners of English or English-speaking learners of Japanese. Any proficiency level is okay, although it would help to have at least beginner level knowledge of the second language you are studying. You can also sign up for the Facebook group or Google group for reminders.
The meetings are held every other Saturday in July and August (and at many other times throughout the year) from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. The apartment complex at 401 Shady Ave. (map) has a large number of Japanese residents who work and study in the city, and often hosts cultural events for its international residents.

He Xiangyu part of "River Separates Water" exhibition at Wood Street Galleries, July 6 through August 26.



Chinese artist He Xiangyu will be one of three artists whose work comprises a "River Separates Water" exhibition at the Wood Street Galleries downtown from July 6 through August 26. He's 2017 film The Swim documents his attempt to swim across the Yalu River from China to North Korea. From a February Elephant profile:
What gave him the idea for The Swim? “I married my wife in 2012,” he says, “and we moved from Beijing to Pittsburgh. When I revisited my hometown (Kuandian) for the first time in two years, I asked my parents what was going on, what the people were doing, and I got a very strange, distant feeling like I didn’t know it anymore. I had been creating a series of drawings called the Palate Project in America and I was interested in the feeling of being in a foreign place and also more general feelings of the body. After I got that strange feeling at home I wanted to explore what was going on here in a very personal, physical way, in touch with the elements of the town: the water. That river is very familiar to me from childhood. Though as a child I wasn’t quite aware of the North Koreans, my parents are doctors and know the local people, as well as some of the defectors. Most of them weren’t happy to talk about their experience because they are trying to remain hidden. But my parents helped me get in touch.”
The gallery is open four days a week at 601 Wood Street downtown (map).

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

"Let's Learn Chinese," July 5 (and every Thursday) at Carnegie Library in Oakland.



The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's main branch in Oakland hosts "Let's Learn Chinese" each Thursday evening.
Experience Chinese language and culture through books, storytelling, songs, games and more!
It runs from 6:30 to 7:30 pm each Thursday in the Children's Department. The library is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map) and is accessible by buses 28X, 54, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71A, 71B, 71C, 71D, and 93.

Attack on Titan Season 2 the Movie: The Roar of Awakening (進撃の巨人 ~覚醒の咆哮~) in Pittsburgh, July 10 and 11.


The 2018 movie Attack on Titan Season 2 the Movie: The Roar of Awakening (進撃の巨人 ~覚醒の咆哮~) will play at the Southside Works Cinema on July 10 and 11.

Monday, July 2, 2018

Masaaki Yuasa's The Night is Short, Walk On Girl (夜は短し歩けよ乙女) in Pittsburgh, August 21 and 22.



Tickets recently went on sale for Masaaki Yuasa's The Night is Short, Walk On Girl (夜は短し歩けよ乙女) in the Pittsburgh area on August 21 and 22. A summary from the distributor:
Acclaimed anime director Masaaki Yuasa, took a decade off directing feature animation only to return with two remarkable features in the same year – both selections in the festival, alongside his midnight classic Mind Game.

Night is Short, Walk on Girl takes place over the course of one strange night as a nameless young woman, known only as “the girl with black hair,” walks the streets of Kyoto and experiences a series of surreal encounters and odd characters, drinking middle-aged salarymen under the table, exploring an all-night used bookstore with a bird goblin, helping a guerilla theater company express their feelings… all the while unaware of the romantic longings of Senpai, a fellow student who has been creating increasingly fantastic and contrived reasons to run into her, in an effort to win her heart. The perfect “I guess it’s romantic?” comedy for the modern age, Night is Short is a celebration of the unconventional, confusing routes that love and life can take.
The movie will play at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and Pittsburgh Mills, and tickets are now available online. The movie will play in Japanese with English subtitles.

Another local Asian buffet closes: "Sushi Bomb" to replace York Buffet / Sushi Cho in Robinson.



A number of Asian buffets in the Pittsburgh region have closed recently, among them Old Town Buffet (formerly Misaki) on Route 51 and TJ Buffet (formerly Tokyo Sushi Buffet) on McKnight Road. A permit recently went up at 6302 Robinson Centre Drive (map) for "Sushi Bomb," to replace what was formerly (and briefly) Cho Buffet and, before that, York Buffet.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

HCL America has new job openings for bilingual Thai-English, Vietnamese-English, and Japanese-English positions onsite at Google.

HCL America has posted three new openings for Bilingual Thai Product Classification Analyst, Bilingual Vietnamese Product Classification Analyst, and Bilingual Japanese Product Analyst positions onsite at Google in Larimer. A summary of the Bilingual Product Classification Analyst positions:
This position enhances users’ online shopping experience by performing in-depth research, determining product taxonomy expansion, and improving machine learning classification using highly technical internal tools and processes. It is part of a fast-paced environment, partnering closely with operations and engineering teams.
And a summary of the Bilingual Japanese Product Analyst:
This position requires entrepreneurial drive to contribute to the long-term growth of online shopping by performing in-depth research, analyzing product specification data, using highly technical internal tools and processes to manage and enhance a large repository of knowledge about products. It is part of a fast-paced environment, partnering closely with operations and engineering teams.

Japanese-American film Oh Lucy! in Pittsburgh for one more week.



The 2017 Japanese-American film Oh Lucy!, which opened here on June 15, will will play in Pittsburgh for one more week through July 5. A Variety review summarizes the film, starring Shinobu Terajima and Josh Hartnett.
Set in some of the least picturesque corners of Tokyo, “Oh Lucy!” is a character study about a character rarely seen on film: a quietly miserable, single, middle-aged Japanese wage-slave. Setsuko (Shinobu Terajima) is a woman with few obvious qualities, and even fewer opportunities, friends, lovers, or interests. A withdrawn, chain-smoking loner in an office culture built on forced displays of camaraderie, her workday begins when she witnesses a suicide on the subway, and continues as she watches an aging employee on the verge of retirement soak up the condescending affection of her coworkers, all of whom are quick to make fun of her once she leaves the room. The subway jumper, the lonely old pensioner – it’s clear that Setsuko sees these as her two most likely options.