Sushi I, a new sushi place coming soon to downtown Pittsburgh from the Hong Kong Dim Sum, aims to open on April 25 according to the ownership team. It will be located at 245 4th Ave., a short distance from Market Square in the former Harris Grill (map). The development team sent a few photos earlier this month: 
Makoto is a typical teenage girl who spends most of her days slacking off with friends. One day while rushing to meet her aunt, she nearly gets hit by a train, but at the last second, finds herself jumping backwards in time to before the accident. She immediately makes use of her newfound ability to re-do every minor inconvenience– from poor exam results to awkward confessions of love. However, when faced with the consequences of tampering with time, Makoto must do everything she can to avoid a dire future that can’t be reversed. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a beloved early film from Mamoru Hosoda, the Academy Award-nominated director behind BELLE, Wolf Children, Summer Wars, and more. Hosoda weaves together the timeless, breathtaking visuals he is known for with a tender-hearted story of a girl navigating first love, time travel, and the perilous choices that come with both.It is scheduled to play locally (so far) at the Cinemark in McCandless, though other theaters are likely to be announced later. Tickets for the September 28 and 30 shows in Japanese with English subtitles and the September 29 show dubbed in English are available online.
Celebrate the beauty of tradition and individuality at this special Story Time at The Maridon Museum!
We’ll be reading Suki’s Kimono by Chieri Uegaki, the heartwarming story of a young girl who proudly wears her beloved kimono to school, sharing its memories and meaning with her classmates. This inspiring tale encourages children to embrace what makes them unique.
After the story, children will enjoy a hands-on art project inspired by the story’s themes, and have the chance to explore the museum’s exhibits.
Event Details:
- Ages 3–8 (adult must accompany child)
- Free admission (donations welcome)
- Reservations required: Call 724.282.0123
- Location: The Maridon Museum, 322 N. McKean Street, Butler, PA 16001 (map)
The event runs from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm.
While defending his village from a demonic boar-god, young warrior Ashitaka becomes afflicted with a deadly curse that grants him super-human power in battle but eventually will take his life. Traveling west to find a cure and meet his destiny, he journeys deep into sacred depths of the Great Forest where he meets San (aka Princess Mononoke), a girl raised by wolf-gods. Mononoke is a force of nature, riding bareback on a great white wolf and terrorizing the human outpost of Iron Town on the edge of the forest.It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.
- Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) - May 17 - 21
- The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) - June 22 - 24
- My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) - July 19 - 23
- Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓) - August 10 - 12
- Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) - August 23 - 27
- Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) - September 20 - 24
- Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) - October 18 - 22
- The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか) - November 15 - 19
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, though other theaters are likely to be announced later. Tickets for the July 27 and 29 shows in Japanese with English subtitles and the July 28 show dubbed in English are available online.
As Artistic Director, Yoko Shioya has carried out the Japan Society’s Performing Arts Program mission of presenting works inspired by the arts and culture of Japan in New York City and beyond. Her award-winning curation of about 200 programs of Japanese theater, dance, and music spans the very traditional to the most cutting edge. In this year of special programming celebrating her accomplishments over the past twenty years, Yoko will join us in Pittsburgh to share an update on her perspective of the evolutions in the field to ways in which artists are innovating and keeping traditions alive.
Join the JASP on April 17, 2025 for a lecture about the performing arts landscape inside and outside of Japan. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided.
Yoko Shioya became head of Japan Society’s Performing Arts program in 2004 and Artistic Director in 2006. Her many contributions including increasing commissions for new non-Japanese works about Japanese culture, expanded North American tours, readings for contemporary plays in English, and the JAPAN CUTS film festival. Shioya received BAs in musicology and dance history from Tokyo University of the Arts. In Japan, she is known as a writer and researcher on the arts, presenting at various symposia, TV programs, cultural institutions, and as a writer for the Asahi Newspaper.
College student Hana falls in love with a “wolf man” and together they have two half-human, half-wolf children, Ame and Yuki. The young family’s happy but humble life comes to an abrupt end when the father is tragically killed during a hunt. After struggling to raise her children in the busy city, Hana boldly decides to move to a dilapidated house in the countryside, in hopes that her children may one day decide their own path to happiness – whether “human” or “wolf.” This heart-wrenching modern fairy tale is a staggering work of beauty and emotion from Academy Award®-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda. Rich with gorgeous animation and set to a poignant musical score, Wolf Children is a sweeping tale about self-discovery and the bonds of family.It is scheduled to play locally (so far) at the Cinemark in McCandless, though other theaters are likely to be announced later. Tickets for the May 11 and May 13 shows in Japanese with English subtitles and the May 12 show dubbed in English are available online.
Adapted from Amy Tan’s best selling novel, Wayne Wang’s film artfully illustrates generational divides and universal truths through the stories of four Chinese women born in America and their respective mothers born in feudal China.Tickets and showtimes are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler St. (map).
From Director Andrew Ahn comes a joyful comedy of errors about a chosen family navigating cultural identity, queerness, and family expectations. Frustrated with his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris and running out of time, Min makes a proposal: a green-card marriage with their friend Angela in exchange for her partner Lee's expensive IVF. Elopement plans are upended, however, when Min's grandmother surprises them with an extravagant Korean wedding banquet. Starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung, The Wedding Banquet is a poignant and heartfelt reminder that being part of a family means learning to both accept and forgive.It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the Cinemark theater in Robinson, and tickets are available online.
COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing is an animation film by studio P.A.WORKS featuring an all-new Hatsune Miku and the first film with the iconic Virtual Singer. Based on HATSUNE MIKU: COLORFUL STAGE!, a game about high school students finding their true feelings through music in an alternate world called “SEKAI" with the help of Hatsune Miku. Ichika is a high school musician who can enter a mysterious place called “SEKAI,” where she and her friends express their innermost emotions through music alongside Hatsune Miku. One day after giving a live performance, Ichika meets a new Miku that she has never seen before. No matter how hard this new Miku tries to sing, she struggles connecting with the hearts of her listeners. Miku must rely on the help of others to find a way to sing again.It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the AMC Westmoreland in Greensburg, and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online.
Following on the heels of the hit productions in London and Hong Kong, PICT is thrilled to stage the AMERICAN PREMIERE of this brilliant adaptation of August Strindberg’s classic play by acclaimed playwright Amy Ng.There are three additional events surrounding the production:
It’s Chinese New Year in post-World War II Hong Kong. Julie is the daughter of the island’s former British governor newly released from the Japanese internment camp. When her father is away for the holiday weekend, Miss Julie, who was raised in British colonial Hong Kong, comes downstairs to join the servants as they party initiating a sexually charged power game with her father’s Chinese chauffeur who is engaged to the kitchen servant Christine. What starts as a lark descends into a fight for survival as sex, power, money and race collide on a hot night in the Pearl River Delta.
Tickets for the show and the events are available online. The performances are held at the Carnegie Stage at 25 West Main Street in Carngie (map).
- Asian Cultural Celebration - April 23
- Pre-theatre dinner with Amy Ng - April 26
- Film Screening and Adaptations Discussion - April 30
While defending his village from a demonic boar-god, young warrior Ashitaka becomes afflicted with a deadly curse that grants him super-human power in battle but eventually will take his life. Traveling west to find a cure and meet his destiny, he journeys deep into sacred depths of the Great Forest where he meets San (aka Princess Mononoke), a girl raised by wolf-gods. Mononoke is a force of nature, riding bareback on a great white wolf and terrorizing the human outpost of Iron Town on the edge of the forest.It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.
China's recent achievements in artificial intelligence, exemplified by DeepSeek's breakthrough LLM, represent more than just technological advancement - they signal a fundamental shift in global innovation dynamics. While Chinese companies have demonstrated remarkable capabilities in areas from EVs to social media to AI, U.S. responses continue to follow a predictable pattern: disbelief, anger, accusations of theft, and blame. This recurring cycle reveals both China's evolved capacity for coordinated technological development and deep-seated American anxieties about what this means for U.S. technological primacy. Drawing on his extensive experience analyzing both societies, Sinica Podcast host Kaiser Kuo explores how China's innovation ecosystem has matured, why its successes continue to surprise Western observers, and what this tells us about the structural, cultural, and epistemic barriers to understanding China's technological transformation. The talk examines how China's rise has challenged core assumptions about the relationship between political systems and innovation, market economies and state guidance, and ultimately, about American exceptionalism itself — and whether it can accommodate China's own brand of exceptionalism."China’s 'Second Generation Ethnic Policies' in Historical and Comparative Contexts, LIVE Podcast Recording" will run from 12:00 to 2:00 pm at the University of Pittsburgh, 252 Cathedral of Learning.
A weekly podcast about current affairs in China, hosted by Kaiser Kuo and featuring in-depth conversations about books, ideas, new research, intellectual currents, and cultural trends that can help us better understand what’s happening in China. A conversation between Sinica Podcast host and co-founder Kaiser Kuo and Professor Benno Weiner.
Kaiser Kuo is the host and co-founder of the Sinica Podcast, a weekly discussion of current affairs in China that has run since April 2010 — for its first six years from Beijing, and since 2016 from the U.S. as part of SupChina. The show features in-depth conversations with scholars, journalists, diplomats, analysts, and others who work to better understand China in all its complexity.
The Pittsburgh Sakura Project has rescheduled its annual Hanami for April 12 at North Park, after its April 5 event was rained out. Location: North Park, Harmony Shelter (near the Boathouse)Participation fee: FreeActivities: Do as you like, enjoy the cherry blossoms in bloom. We will provide a cherry blossom site tour, a tree care demonstration, drinks and snacks (while available).Any updated information will also be provided through the Pittsburgh Sakura Project Google Group, so if you are interested, we recommend that you subscribe.
The event will run from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, weather permitting.
To our valued customers:Gold Ladle is located at 4219 Murray Ave. in Greenfield (map), across from the Giant Eagle. It opened in October after a few months of Wai Wai, which took over that spot after China Star was shut down in February 2024 due to repeated health violations.
We regret to inform you that Gold Ladle will be temporarily closed for renovations due to a recent fire incident at our location. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the damage requires immediate attention to ensure the safety and comfort of our staff and guests.
Our team is already hard at work to restore and improve the space, and we plan to reopen as soon as we can.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and deeply appreciate your patience, support, and understanding during this time. We can't wait to welcome you back with a refreshed space and the same delicious food you love.
Stay tuned for updates and thank you for being part of the Gold Ladle family.
Warm regards,
The Gold Ladle Team
In a Kaiju-filled Japan, Kafka Hibino works in monster disposal. After reuniting with his childhood friend Mina Ashiro, a rising star in the anti-Kaiju Defense Force, he decides to pursue his abandoned dream of joining the Force, when he suddenly transforms into the powerful "Kaiju No. 8."It plays locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.
Join us in the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Decorative Arts and Design galleries for an in-person morning story time with Alyssa Velazquez as she reads Sashiko’s Stitches by Sanae Ishida. Following the reading stick around for a making activity for children 12 and under.
This reading is made possible by Worthy Kids.
About the Book
Sashiko is girl with very big feelings. Sometimes the feelings weigh her down, or make her feel all tangled up inside. But when she learns about sashiko, the traditional Japanese practice that inspired her name, she finds hope and comfort in creative expression.
Anime Expo Cinema Nights Presents special 40th anniversary screenings of the cult classic Vampire Hunter D. In the year 12,090 AD, technology and the supernatural have overtaken the world, leaving the land desolate and despotic. The remnants of humanity are scattered into small communities and live in fear of vampires who compose the ruling Nobility. When Count Magnus Lee tastes the blood of Doris Lang, she is forcibly chosen to be his next wife. In an effort to escape her ill-gotten fate, she hires a mysterious vampire hunter known only as D, who comes from a peculiar lineage.It is scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, andtickets are available online.
White Whale Bookstore is thrilled to welcome bestselling author, award-winning poet, and MacArthur Genius Ocean Vuong back to Pittsburgh in celebration of his latest novel, The Emperor of Gladness! Join us May 20th at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall for an unforgettable evening.
Tickets are required to attend this event. Each ticket—except discounted student tickets— will include a signed copy of The Emperor of Gladness, to be picked up at the event. The author will not be personalizing books, or signing any books brought from home.Can't attend this time? You can preorder The Emperor of Gladness here. For every confirmed preorder of this book, Penguin Press will donate $0.50 to Queer Liberation Library. Let them know you preordered here.
Park Chan-wook’s visually stunning and suspenseful South Korean psychological thriller that weaves a tale of deception, betrayal, and forbidden love. In 1930s Korea, a swindler and a young woman pose as a Japanese count and a handmaiden to seduce a Japanese heiress and steal her fortune.Tickets and showtimes are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler St. (map).
The film, which was thought lost until a partial copy was rediscovered in Norway, has been translated into English by UBC professor Christopher Rea. The silent film adapts an episode from the Ming dynasty tale The Journey to the West, in which the monk Tripitaka is held prisoner in a cave by magical spider-women, before being rescued by the Monkey King and his companions.
The version of the surviving print is a restored digital copy that the National Library of Norway shared with the UBC Chinese Film Classics Project, the world’s largest free online collection of early Chinese films with English subtitles.
It will run from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in 125 Frick Fine Arts (map).
Why are cute and creepy mascots so ubiquitous among Japan’s cities and regions? Is there a Japanese Bigfoot? Have extraterrestrials ever landed in Japan? This lecture traces the history of Japanese mascots, cryptids, and UFOs, exploring how invented, imagined, and unexplained creatures have been deployed in tourism campaigns, the creation of regional identity, and local commercial boosterism. These “civic monsters” grew from Japan’s rich and distinctive monster culture of folkloric yōkai and cinematic kaijū but are also deeply woven into global circuitries of politics, capitalism, media, and play.It runs from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Barco Law Building's Alcoa Room (map).
Why are cute and creepy mascots so ubiquitous among Japan’s cities and regions? Is there a Japanese Bigfoot? Have extraterrestrials ever landed in Japan? This lecture traces the history of Japanese mascots, cryptids, and UFOs, exploring how invented, imagined, and unexplained creatures have been deployed in tourism campaigns, the creation of regional identity, and local commercial boosterism. These “civic monsters” grew from Japan’s rich and distinctive monster culture of folkloric yōkai and cinematic kaijū but are also deeply woven into global circuitries of politics, capitalism, media, and play.
Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim is Professor of Theology at Earlham College. She has written or edited two dozen books, many of which converge on the themes of race, gender, and religion. Some of her most recent books include When God Became White: Dismantling Whiteness for a More Just Christianity; Intersectional Theology: An Introductory Guide (with Susan Shaw); and Invisible: Theology and the Experience of Asian American Women.
Enjoy learning the basics of the Japanese language and culture from a certified, native Japanese instructor.
- Greetings
- Etiquette, manners
- Survival phrases for traveling to Japan
- Interesting tourist locations
- Ordering food and shopping
- Reading and writing - Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, Emoji
- Anime, Manga
Each session is designed to be interactive and fun. The agenda can vary based on the interests of the students.
Organized as part of LCAL's 82-253 Korean Society through Film and Literature course, this event offers a unique opportunity for the CMU community and beyond to experience this acclaimed documentary with English subtitles.A synopsis from the Far East Film Festival:
Don't miss out on Korean snacks and insights into a film celebrated at prestigious festivals like Busan International Film Festival and Udine Far East Festival, not yet available in U.S. theaters or on English-language streaming platforms!
In Oh Se-yeo’'s Fanatic, the filmmaker follows former fans of Korean stars accused of crimes who are “suffering more because they loved them.” A former fan herself, Oh started the project out of spite, which eventually became therapeutic, revealing conversations with friends and other friends that are ultimately heartfelt, contemplative and, at times, hilarious.The event runs from 6:30 t0 9:00 pm in Posner Hall Room 153 (map) and is open to the public.
Photo taken the morning of April 2.Known for its unique selection of international ingredients and authentic Asian cuisine, Fresh International Market imports products from more than 28 countries. This will be the 10th location, with stores located in Illinois, Nebraska, Texas, Michigan, Indiana, North Carolina and Florida. The first store was founded in Lansing, Michigan in 2011 by Bowen Kou; the company is now headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.The store will open at 7511 Thomas Blvd. (map), located roughly a block from the East End Food Co-op and Construction Junction. While this will be the region's first Fresh International Market, though the chain was loosely linked to Pittsburgh in 2021 as a finalist for the former Hill District Shop n' Save location that was later occupied, and vacated, by Salem's Market. Its proposal was admittedly the weakest of the four for the site, and was reportedly submitted after the deadline, which were among two of the reasons it was not selected to move into Uptown.
Also opening at Rockwell is the second location of Ineffable CaPhe, a Lawrenceville coffee shop offering a variety of Asian items such as bubble tea, banh mi sandwiches and rice bowls, Al Lardo, Rockwell Park’s principal, said in an interview. It will operate out of the grocery store rather than being a separate tenant at Rockwell.
He noted his family’s roots are in Wilkinsburg, where his wife’s family had a business for 80 years and his father owned rental properties. He told the Business Times that he looks forward to the new opportunity that the store will bring to residents in Wilkinsburg as well as Homewood to be able to buy healthy and fresh foods that are affordably priced.
“The location [of the Fresh International Market] is especially good because of the busway,” Lardo said in an interview. which is just a half-mile walk from Rockwell Park. “There’s a lot of people who don’t have cars in Wilkinsburg.”
Keiko Fukazawa Retrospective: The Space in Between features a comprehensive survey of California-based artist, Keiko Fukazawa’s more than forty-year career, featuring new works alongside selected archival materials. Fukazawa is deeply influenced by her Japanese heritage and American environment, addressing themes of Asian pop culture and social issues through conceptual exploration. Her functional yet impractical interpretations of traditional forms serve as personal expressions that bridge cultural boundaries.Contemporary Craft is located at 5645 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map).
This exhibition is organized into three themes: “Culture Clash,” “ARTivism,” and “In Betweenness,” each one representing different stages of Fukazawa’s creative evolution. As an immigrant artist, Fukazawa draws on her experiences of navigating the space between cultures and identities, infusing her work with depth and resonance. Through her use of porcelain, Fukazawa highlights ceramic artistry, process, and history advocating for the medium’s importance in the contemporary world. Keiko Fukazawa Retrospective offers a compelling narrative of artistic journey and cultural dialogue, showcasing Fukazawa’s enduring commitment to pushing boundaries and redefining the intersection of tradition, innovation and materiality with her practice.
While defending his village from a demonic boar-god, young warrior Ashitaka becomes afflicted with a deadly curse that grants him super-human power in battle but eventually will take his life. Traveling west to find a cure and meet his destiny, he journeys deep into sacred depths of the Great Forest where he meets San (aka Princess Mononoke), a girl raised by wolf-gods. Mononoke is a force of nature, riding bareback on a great white wolf and terrorizing the human outpost of Iron Town on the edge of the forest.It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront on March 26 and March 28 through April 1, and tickets are available online.
ピッツバーグ日本協会では、2025年5月24日（土）にピクニックを開催します！ バーベキューを楽しみながら、ギフト券が当たる抽選会も予定しています。
ご家族・ご友人をお誘いあわせのうえ、ぜひご参加ください！日時：5/24（土）午後1時～4時頃（雨天決行・荒天中止）
場所：O'Hara Township Community Park Shelter
参加費：
会員：無料
非会員＝Donation（12歳以上＝$10, 4～11歳＝$5, 3歳以下＝なし）
※当日までにご入会いただければ、参加費は無料になります
（年会費：家族$40、個人$30、学生$20）申込締切：4月30日（水）
▼申込フォーム：https://forms.gle/eNEMjcmGc8c9g8RZ6
詳細は添付PDFをご覧ください。ご質問は pittsburghjagp@gmail.com までお気軽にどうぞ！
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The Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh will host a picnic on Saturday, May 24.
There will be barbecue and a gift card raffle. Friends and family are welcome.
Time: 1:00–4:00 PM (rain or shine)
Location: O'Hara Township Community Park Shelter
Fee: Members free /Non-members: Donation appreciated$10 (12+), $5 (ages 4–11), Free (under 3)
Join as a member and your donation will be waived.
RSVP by April 30:
https://forms.gle/eNEMjcmGc8c9g8RZ6
O'Hara Township Community Park is located on Fox Chapel Rd., a short distance from Exit 8 of Route 28 and accessible by city bus 91 (map).
