Pittsburgh Taiko Beginner Classes, four Sundays starting October 19.

Pittsburgh Taiko is resuming a series of Beginner Classes starting October 19 and running for four Sundays. through November 9.

Learn taiko drumming with Pittsburgh Taiko!

On Sunday mornings starting October 19, Pittsburgh Taiko will hold a four-week introductory class. This class is for people who are interested in joining our performing group or anyone who wants to just give taiko a try.

Taiko combines energetic hits with calm focus, balances group unity with individual expression, and requires both power and subtlety.  

Each class is from 10 to 11:30 AM at our studio in Bellevue. 

Dates for the four-week course:

• Class 1: Sunday, October 19
• Class 2: Sunday, October 26
• Class 3: Sunday, November 2
• Class 4: Sunday, November 9

No experience is necessary! If you recently took one of our workshops, this will be a more in-depth study of some of the topics we introduced there.

These classes are designed for adults and older kids (high school or older). Discounted rates are available for full-time students and JASP members.

Note that our studio is a masked space, and unfortunately it is not accessible to folks who can't climb stairs.

Please read the FAQ information at pittsburghtaiko.com/classes before registering.

Sessions are $50 for the general public and $40 for JASP members and students. Registration may be completed online. The studio is located at 2 N. Balph Ave., second floor in Bellevue (map).

2002 Japanese horror film Ju-on: The Grudge (呪怨) at Rangos Giant Cinema, October 17.

The 2002 Japanese horror film Ju-on: The Grudge (呪怨) will play at the Rangos Giant Cinema on October 17.

“Ju-on: The Grudge” brought worldwide attention to the Japanese horror film industry with its terrifying blend of unique storytelling and unforgettably frightening visuals. Rangos Giant Cinema’s immersive Dolby Atmos surround sound adds another layer to the nightmare, making this screening an experience that will be sure to haunt you. Join us on Fri., Oct. 17 at 9:30 p.m.

Tickets are available online; tickets for the cinema are separate from tickets fro the Kamin Science Center. The newly-renamed Kamin Science Center, formerly known as the Carnegie Science Center, is located at 1 Allegheny Ave. on the North Shore (map).

Opal Buffet & Bar coming to the Waterfront, bringing all-you-can-eat sushi, Brazilian steak, and pan-Asian cuisine.

Open Buffet & Bar, from the team behind Pittsburgh's Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings, has announced on social media it will be opening in the former Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery spot (map). The menu will feature all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse, sushi, and pan-Asian cuisine for $43. More details will be emerging soon.

Screening of 15-minute documentary We Were the Scenery and Cathy Linh Che talk, November 6 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of English will host a screening of the documentary We Were the Secenery and a talk with writer/producer Cathy Linh Che on November 6. A synopsis, from the documentary's official site:

In 1975, Hoa Thi Lê and Hue Nguyen Che fled from Vietnam by boat and docked in the Philippines, where they were utilized as background extras during the filming of Apocalypse Now. This documentary short film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025 and won the Short Film Jury Prize: Nonfiction, the Special Jury Prize for Short Documentary Film at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Best International Short Documentary Film at Galway Film Fleadh, Best International Short Dox at DokuFest, and the Excellence in Short Filmmaking Documentary and Audience Award at the Asian American International Film Festival.

The event runs from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in 501 Cathedral of Learning and is free and open to the public.

2025 Japanese animated movie Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to be Loved (小林さんちのメイドラゴン さみしがりやの竜 in Pittsburgh, October 20.

The 2025 Japanese animated movie Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to be Loved (小林さんちのメイドラゴン さみしがりやの竜 will play in Pittsburgh on October 20.

Miss Kobayashi, Tohru, Kanna, and Iruru's peaceful lives are shattered when Kanna’s father, Kamun Kamui, leader of the Chaos Forces, arrives and forces her to return to the Dragon World to fix a past mistake. With a war brewing between Chaos and Harmony, Kanna must find a way to unite the two worlds, but is torn between her loyalty to her friends and her father's demands. Miss Kobayashi, however, refuses to let her go and tries to mend Kanna and Kamui’s broken bond. As dragons clash, Iruru uncovers a hidden force manipulating the war. Can they stop the war before it consumes both worlds?

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront, and tickets are available online.

2025 movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle (劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限城編) stays in Pittsburgh area through (at least) October 15.

The 2025 movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle (劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限城編), which opened in Pittsburgh-area theaters on September 11, will stay here through (at least) October 15.

The Demon Slayer Corps plunge into Infinity Castle to defeat Muzan. However, the remaining Hashiras and the Demon Slayers who survived Tanjiro's Final Selection are pitted against the remaining members of the Twelve Kizuki first.

It is scheduled to play locally at several local theaters, including the AMC theaters in Waterfront and South Hills, the Cinemark theater in Monroeville, and Moraine Pointe Cinemas in Butler. Tickets are available online.

Opal Buffet & Bar coming to _____.

Open Buffet & Bar, from the team behind Pittsburgh's Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings, will be opening somewhere in Pittsburgh. Details haven't been announced because they are running a "guess where?" promotion on Instagram. The restaurant is eyeing a 2026 opening.

2000 Japanese film Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル) in Pittsburgh-area theater, October 12, to mark 25th anniversary.

The 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル) will play in Pittsburgh on October 12 to mark the movie's 25th anniversary.

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of visionary director Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale with a new theatrical release in partnership with Iconic Events. This special screening is presented in 4K along with a new interview with the screenwriter — Kinji’s son Kenta — sharing an intimate look at the forces that shaped his father and how they inspired his final film. Battle Royale is an intense and brutal story about Japanese high school students who are sent off by their government with three days to kill each other — until only one remains. With its blend of social commentary and high-stakes action, Battle Royale continues to influence modern dystopian storytelling and has inspired countless television shows, video games, and films, including the acclaimed The Hunger Games franchise. (Interview in Japanese with English subtitles)

It is scheduled to play locally at the Cinemark theater in Robinson and the AMC Loews Waterfront, and tickets are available online.

5 more classic Hong Kong films continue through the weekend, part of series at Harris Theater.

Five more classic Hong Kong films will play at the Harris Theater at various times this week, part of a Hong Kong Cinema Classics series of films from the 1980s and 1990s.

• Peking Opera Blues (刀馬旦) - September 28 - October 6
• City on Fire (龍虎風雲) - September 29 - October 8
• The Killer (喋血雙雄) - October 3 - October 7
• Hard Boiled (辣手神探) - October 4 - October 8
• Bullet in the Head (喋血街头) - October 5 - October 7

Tickets and showtime information is available online. The Harris Theater is located in downtown's Cultural District (map). 

2025 Japanese movie 100 Meters (ひゃくえむ) in Pittsburgh, October 12 - 14.

The upcoming Japanese film 100 Meters (ひゃくえむ), to be released in Japan on September 19, will play in Pittsburgh October 12 through 14. A synopsis, from the distributor GKids:

100 METERS follows Togashi, a track star who is born to run. As a kid, he is naturally gifted and wins every 100-meter race without effort. But in sixth grade, he meets Komiya, a transfer student who is full of determination but lacks technique. In teaching him, Togashi gives Komiya a new purpose: to win no matter what. Years pass by, and Togashi and Komiya meet again as rivals on the track and reveal their true selves

It is scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, AMC Westmoreland in Greensburg, and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and Robinson, and tickets are available online. THe October 12 and 14 shows are in Japanese with English subtitles while the October 13 shows are dubbed in English.