Japanese-English Reading Circle continues in Shadyside, April 2 and 16.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania's Japanese-English Reading Circle groups will continue in at Kenmawr Apartments in Shadyside on April 2 and 16.

Bruster's Ice Cream now open in Cheonan, South Korea.

From the 부르스터스코리아 Instagram page.

Almost two years after first reading about Bruster's plans for expansion into South Korea, Bruster's Ice Cream (부르스터스코리아) opened its first location in Cheonan, South Korea on March 31. Cheonan is a city of 623,557 located south of Seoul.

"Formation of a Layered Discourse: Cui Hu’s Mural Poem and its Resonance in the Story of 'Renmian taohua'" at Pitt, April 8.

The Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will host East Asian Studies M.A. candidate Rongqian Ma and her colloquium "Formation of a Layered Discourse: Cui Hu’s Mural Poem and its Resonance in the Story of 'Renmian taohua'" on April 8.

"Gamelan Fusion: New and Traditional Music of West Java" concert at Pitt, April 9.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will host "Gamelan Fusion: New and Traditional Music of West Java" on Saturday, April 9.

Pitt’s University Gamelan will present “Gamelan Fusion: New and Traditional Music of West Java” on April 9th at Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. Gamelan comprises mainly percussion instruments including tuned gongs, metal-keyed instruments, and drums (as well as bamboo flute and voice). This instrumentation has a unique capacity to saturate the air with resonances that reach from rumbling lows to shimmering highs. The concert will feature student performers and two artists-in-residence: composer Ismet Ruchimat and vocalist Masyuning.

. . .

Each year the University Gamelan’s annual spring concert is the culmination of its Artist-in-Residence Program that offers Pitt students a rare opportunity to study music, dance, and theater with some of Indonesia’s finest artists.

The concert starts at 8:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (map). Tickets are currently available online and are free for Pitt students with a valid student ID card. Non-Pitt students and general admission are $5 and $8.50 in advance, respectively, or $8 and $12 at the door.

1966 yakuza film Tokyo Drifter (東京流れ者) at Row House Cinema from April 29.

The Row House Cinema will show the 1966 yazkuza film Tokyo Drifter (東京流れ者) from April 29 to May 5 as part of its Spirit of '66 series. A 2012 A.V. Club review offers a summary:

Blank-faced Tetsuya Watari stars as the titular wanderer, a gifted yakuza enforcer trying to stay true to his own idea of honor. The film traffics in a lot of familiar crime movie archetypes: the pretty girl kept on the sidelines; the father-son relationship between Watari and Ryuji Kita, his trying-to-go-straight boss; and all the complicated lines of loyalty and betrayal that come into play when a rival gang tries to muscle in on Kita’s turf. The story is engaging enough, and Watari makes for an appropriately implacable (but still soulful) lead, but what sets the film apart from countless others telling a similar tale are the lengths [director] Suzuki goes to in order to make each scene a feast for the eyes. Violent reds, purples, greens, and blues paint the screen, and the editing forgoes traditional cinematic logic in favor of impressionistic cuts and a jagged, jazzy rhythm. Through it all, Suzuki walks a knife-edge of ironic sincerity, poking at yakuza clichés in an attempt to reveal some larger, wordless truth.

Showtimes and tickets will be available online later. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street (map).

Pitt's Asian Studies Center introduces Tea Talks for students interested in Asia.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center announced today the start of a Tea Talks series for students interested in Asia, with the first meeting scheduled for Friday, April 1 (the poster advertises an old date).

Tea Talks at the Asian Studies Center are a chance to meet fellow students with an interest in Asia, learn about events and opportunities, and get involved with Asian Studies in a casual social setting.

The first meeting will focus on “MAKING SUMMER COUNT” – how to turn a lazy summer into time well spent. Whether it’s a job or internship, volunteering, or just personal skill-building, Asian Studies students will share their own stories and ideas on
how to use this time off to get ahead!

The get-together will be held in 4217 Posvar Hall (map) from 4:00 pm.

"Camera Fantasy: The Interwar Photomontages of Tokyo's Asahi Graph" at Pitt, March 29.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Paul Ricketts and his talk "Camera Fantasy: The Interwar Photomontages of Tokyo's Asahi Graph" on Tuesday, March 29. The talk starts at 12:00 pm in 4217 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

Taiwanese movie Rebels of the Neon God (青少年哪吒) at Carnegie Library in Oakland, April 3.

The 1992 Taiwanese movie Rebels of the Neon God (青少年哪吒) will play at the Carnegie Library in Oakland on April 3, next month's installment of International Cinema Sunday.

Next Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Workshop at Pitt, April 1.

The University of Pittsburgh's School of Education will host another Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language [CFL] Workshop this semester on Friday, April 1. The workshop on Chinese Culture Teaching by Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures instructor Qiong Wu will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 pm in 5401 Posvar Hall (map). The presentations are primarily or entirely in Chinese.

Pitt hiring part-time instructors of Korean, Chinese for Fall 2016.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is hiring part-time instructors of Korean and Chinese for Fall 2016.