Happy Home Buffet Sushi & Grill opening on McKnight Road, November 29.

Happy Home Buffet Sushi & Grill will open on McKnight Road, in the former location of TJ Asian Buffet and Tokyo Sushi Buffet, on November 29. Earlier this year the site was slated to be the home of a Phantom Fireworks.

The opening of an Asian buffet isn't ordinarily newsworthy, but in the past year or so several in the area have closed, including Old Town Buffet (formerly Misaki) on Route 51, Dynasty in Cranberry, and Sushi Cho (formerly York Buffet) in Robinson. Happy Home will be located at 4801 McKnight Road in the North Hills (map), in an outparcel in North Hills Village next to Best Buy.

Pittsburgh Chinese School hiring teachers.

The Pittsburgh Chinese School is hiring teachers for its numerous language and subject classes held each Sunday in Squirrel Hill.

匹兹堡中文学校诚聘有爱心和责任心，有教学经验, 并有工作许可的有关人士加入教师队伍。

岗位要求:
1、热爱中国文化，并有热情将中国的文化广泛传播。
2、喜欢孩子，有爱心、耐心，责任心，有亲和力。
3、普通话发音标准清晰，语言表达能力强。
4、有基本的英语表达沟通能力。
5、有中文教学经验，尤其是有中小学教学经验者优先。
6、有教育或中文相关学历者优先。
7、文艺课教师有相关学历或工作经验者优先。

Mongolian-inspired "nomadic folk metal" band Tengger Cavalry in Pittsburgh, November 27.

Mongolian-inspired "nomadic folk metal" band Tengger Cavalry will play Spirit Lounge on November 27.

Tengger Cavalry, or "the army of sky god", is not only a Billboard-featured metal band, but also a symbol of nomadic warrior spirit that connects fans from all over the world. With a mix of throat singing, Mongolian fiddle and Central Asian instruments, the band performed a sold out concert at Carnegie Hall and featured in CNN, New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Local Asian-Appalachian folk music group Appalasia will open. Tickets for the 7:00 pm show are available online. Spirit is located at 242 51st St. in Lawrenceville (map).

"Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono," December 4 at Pitt.

"Vivid kimono" by Raita Futo (Creative Commons).

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Evan Mason and his workshop "Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono" on December 4.

Through this interactive workshop, learn about the intricate art of dressing in kimono with expert and Pitt alumnus Evan Mason. The workshop will begin with a lecture on the culture and history of the kimono in Japan followed by a demonstration of kitsuke and an opportunity for participants to dress in yukata and try out their new skills!

It runs from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

"Learn to Play the Pipa (Chinese Lute) – 4 Class Series for Adults" free at Carnegie Library in Oakland in January.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's main branch in Oakland will host pipa soloist Yang Jin for a series of free pipa lessons for adults in January.

Renowned pipa performer Yang Jin will teach a series of 4 free pipa (Chinese lute) classes for adults beginning January 10. Pipa instruments will be provided during class. The classes, held Thursdays 6:30 – 7:30 PM, take place:

January 10 Adult Lesson 1

January 17 Adult Lesson 2

January 24 Adult Lesson 3

January 31 Adult Lesson 4

Registering for one class will register you for all 4 sessions in the series. The class is limited to 12 participants.

The pipa, one of the most popular instruments in China, has a pear-shaped wooden body and consists of 12 to 26 frets.

Registration is required and can be completed online. 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.

"Storytime: Chinese and English" at Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill, November 24.

The Squirrel Hill branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host its next "Storytime: Chinese and English" on November 24.

Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in Chinese and English. 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.

Chinese calligraphy workshop downtown, December 8.

"Chinese calligrapher," by David Boté Estrada (Creative Commons).

The downtown branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host a Chinese calligraphy workshop on December 8.

A Chinese calligraphy expert will show us pictures of her home in China, give background on the art of calligraphy, and lead a Chinese calligraphy workshop for all ages! No registration is necessary for these sessions. Seating for all workshops is available to 20 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. You’ll want to come early to be sure you MAKE it on time.

The event runs from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. The Downtown & Business branch is located at 612 Smithfield St. (map).

"Learn to Play the Pipa (Chinese Lute) – 4 Class Series for Children," at Carnegie Library in February.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's main branch in Oakland will host pipa soloist Yang Jin for a series of free pipa lessons in February.

Renowned pipa performer Yang Jin will teach a series of 4 free pipa (Chinese lute) classes for children beginning February 7. Pipa instruments will be provided during class. The classes, held Thursdays 6:30 – 7:30 PM, take place:

February 7 Children’s Lesson 1

February 14 Children’s Lesson 2

February 21 Children’s Lesson 3

February 28 Children’s Lesson 4

Registering for one class will register you for all 4 sessions in the series. The class is limited to 12 participants.

The pipa, one of the most popular instruments in China, has a pear-shaped wooden body and consists of 12 to 26 frets.

Registration is required and can be completed online. 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.

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) at Carnegie Museum of Art, December 1.

For this month's Cinematheque event as part of the Carnegie International exhibition, the Carnegie Museum of Art will present the 2013 Studio Ghibli film The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) on December 1. A 2014 A.V. Club review provides a summary:

A humble bamboo cutter named Okina (translation: “old man”) happens upon a glowing stalk in the grove near his house. When he investigates, the shimmering tree blossoms reveal a baby nested inside. Believing this discovery to be a gift from the heavens, Okina brings her home to his wife Ouna (“old woman”), with whom he begins to raise the child as their own. Dubbing her “Princess” Kaguya, Ouna and Okina marvel at how rapidly the girl begins to grow, racing from infancy to pre-adolescence in a matter of days.

While Kaguya busies herself with a normal childhood, making friends with the local kids and bonding with an older boy named Sutemaru, her adopted father becomes distracted by Kaguya’s value to him—the bamboo shoot from which she was born begins producing gold. As Kaguya transforms into a teenager, Okina relocates their family to the capital city, where the girl receives lessons on how to be a proper woman, and is celebrated as a rare beauty. When five aggressive suitors come calling—followed by the emperor himself—Kaguya begins to feel trapped, things falling apart as she imagines a different life for herself.

It goes on to say the film has "some of the most beautifully expressive animation that Ghibli (or anyone else) has ever produced".

The movie runs from 1:00 to 3:15 pm. The museum is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map), accessible by buses 28X, 58, 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71B, 71D, 75, and P3.

2018 Japanese animated anthology film Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Film Theater, Volume 1 (ちいさな英雄－カニとタマゴと透明人間－) in Pittsburgh, January 10 and 12.

A 2018 collection of three short films, titled Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Film Theater, Volume 1 (ちいさな英雄－カニとタマゴと透明人間－), will play in Pittsburgh on January 10 and 12.

Studio Ponoc, the new animation studio founded by two-time Academy Award®-nominee Yoshiaki Nishimura (The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, When Marnie Was There) and featuring many artists from the venerable Studio Ghibli, made an immediate splash last year with its acclaimed debut film Mary and The Witch’s Flower. The studio returns this year with Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Films Theatre Vol. 1, an ambitious collection of three thrilling tales created by some of the greatest talents working in Japanese animation today.

In Kanini & Kanino, directed by Academy Award®-nominee Hiromasa Yonebayashi (When Marnie Was There, Mary and The Witch’s Flower), two crab brothers embark on a grand underwater adventure to find their father, after an accident carries him far downstream. Depicted as tiny beings in a large and merciless natural world, the brothers must evade a series of freshwater predators if they are ever to reunite with their family again.

In Life Ain’t Gonna Lose, acclaimed animator Yoshiyuki Momose (key animator on Isao Takahata’s films at Studio Ghibli, and animation director of the video game Ni No Kuni) makes his directorial debut with a very different kind of story. Eight-year-old Shun loves baseball and to run. Only eggs defeat him. With the love of his strong-willed mother (Maggie Q), Shun faces the challenge of an everyday life threatened by a deadly allergy.

Lastly, in Invisible (the directing debut of Akihiko Yamashita, a talented key animator on many of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki’s best-known films) a man wakes up one morning and goes through his day in a world where no one can see him. But just when he seems to have reached his limit, a momentous decision gives him the chance to reclaim his humanity.

Together, the stories explore ideas of heroism large and small, and the infinite potential of the short film format allows the directors and Studio Ponoc to experiment with breathtaking, action-packed visuals, concise human drama, and gorgeous fantasy worlds, in this unforgettable short film anthology that is further demonstration of the studio’s exciting future.

It will play at the Southside Works on January 10, and at the Cinemark in Monroeville on the 10th (subtitled) and 12th (dubbed). Tickets are available online.