7th annual Tomodachi Festival at Carnegie Library in Oakland, April 28.

The Main Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host the 7th annual Tomodachi Festival on Saturday, April 28.

Tomodachi is a Japanese word meaning “friends.” Help us celebrate the spirit of friendship through activities, art and food that showcase Japan, its people and rich history. Activities will include Kamishibi storytelling, singing and dancing, origami art, kimono try-ons, and Japanese inspired refreshments.

“Tomodachi Festival” adopts the spirit of celebrating children's’ happiness. Its takes a place in the Children's section in the Carnegie-Main in Oakland, and we design the festival joyful for all ages. Especially this year, Kamishibai Guys and Tomodachi Festival Ambassador are brilliant!

"Storytime: Chinese and English" at Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill, April 28.

The Squirrel Hill branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host its next "Storytime: Chinese and English" on April 28.

Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Chinese. For children birth – 5 years and their caregivers.

It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am and is free and open to the public. The Carnegie Library branch in Squirrel Hill is located at 5801 Forbes Ave. (map), accessible by buses 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, and 74.

The Beauty of Chinese Dance, April 28 at Carson Middle School.

The Pittsburgh Chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans will present The Beauty of Chinese Dance on April 28 at Carson Middle School.

This special performance presented by the OCA Performance Ensemble features classical Chinese dance performances, Martial Arts demonstrations, and Chinese Yoyo by the OCA Performance Ensemble, Friends4dance, Pittsburgh Chinese School, Win-Win Kung Fu Cultural Center, and Tzu Chi Academy. Prices: $5 Students/Seniors; $8 OCA Members; $10 General. Tickets available by mail and at the door. Contact info@ocapghpa.org for more information.

The performance runs from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Carson Middle School is part of North Allegheny School District and is located in the North Hills suburb (map).

HCL Technologies hiring Bilingual Japanese Product Analyst for position onsite at Google.

HCL Technologies is again hiring a Bilingual Japanese Product Analyst for a position working onsite at Google in Larimer. The posting, via Monster.com:

Billingual Japanese Product Identity Analyst is a full-time job through HCL America, Inc. onsite at Google Pittsburgh. 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.

Upcoming movie Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern Part One (はいからさんが通る) in Pittsburgh, June 10.

The film adaptation of the long-running animated TV series Haikara-san ga Tōru (はいからさんが通る) will play in Pittsburgh on June 10. A synopsis from the distributor:

During the Taisho era of 1918, 17-year-old Benio Hanamura thrives on bucking tradition. As a boisterous and quarrelsome tomboy, Miss Hanamura leads a life of kendo and tree-climbing adventure with her best friends Tamaki and Ranmaru. Benio determines to find love on her own, though her family has other plans. Benio will encounter tests of love, independence, and friendship during wartime.

Tickets for the 7:00 pm show, subtitled in English, are available online. The theater is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the Southside, one block from the Hot Metal Bridge (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 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) will play at the Southside Works Cinema on July 22.

2018 Hanami (花見) with Pittsburgh Sakura Project, April 22 at North Park.

Photo by Kazuko Macher, who placed second in the 2013 Photo Contest.

The Pittsburgh Sakura Project will host its annual hanami (花見, cherry blossom viewing) on April 22.

Come enjoy the Pittsburgh Sakura Project cherry blossoms in North Park. Meet near the Boathouse, receive a map of the planting area, take a self-guided tour, and have light refreshments. Meet other people who love cherry blossoms. Take photos (you can submit them to the 2018 Pittsburgh Sakura Project North Park Cherry Blossoms Photo Contest).

Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns (猫の恩返し) in Pittsburgh-area theaters, from April 22.

The 2002 Studio Ghibli film The Cat returns (猫の恩返し) will play in Pittsburgh for the first time since 2009 on April 22, 23, and 25 as this month's installment of the GKIDS Ghibli Fest. The distributor provides a summary:

In this sequel to Whisper of the Heart, a quiet suburban schoolgirl, Haru, is pitched into a fantastical feline world and must find her inner strength to make her way back home. Walking with her friend after a dreary day at school, Haru eyes a cat with a small gift box in its mouth attempting to cross a busy street. The cat fumbles the package in the middle of the road as a truck is rapidly bearing down. Haru manages to scoop the cat away to safety. To her amazement, the cat then gets up on its hind legs, brushes itself off, and thanks her very politely.

Strange behavior indeed, but this is nothing compared to what happens later that evening when the King of Cats shows up in a feline motorcade replete with vassals, maidens, and even Secret Service cats. In a show of gratitude for saving his son’s life, the king cat showers Haru with gifts – including a large supply of individually wrapped live mice – and decrees that she shall marry the cat prince and come to live as a princess in the secret Kingdom of Cats.

The movie will play at Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. The April 22 and 25 shows are dubbed in English, while the April 23 show is subtitled.

Legendary Women: Giō and Hotoke in Japanese Cultural History, April 18 at Pitt.

Hotoke Gozen by Kiyochika Koboyashi, 1897.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will host Dr. Roberta Strippoli of the University of Binghamton and her talk "Legendary Women: Giō and Hotoke in Japanese Cultural History" on April 18. It starts at 12:00 pm in room 119 of the Cathedral of Learning (map), and is free and open to the public.

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, according to the Pittsburgh Dance Council 2018-2019 schedule released on Saturday.

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.

Tickets go on sale August 10. The Byham Theater is located at 101 6th Street in downtown's Cultural District (map).