Ebisu Life Store coming to Cranberry.

Work is underway on an Ebisu Life Store in Cranberry. It will be located at 20217 Route 19 Suite 203 in a former Party City in a strip mall near the Walmart at the intersection of Route 19 and Old Freedom Rd, and aims to open later this year. From their Instagram:

At the end of this year an Ebisu Japanese Life Store will be opening in Cranberry Township, PA! This 7,000 sq ft store will be packed with claw and gatchapon machines, Japanese beauty, exciting snacks and drinks to try, anime figures, stationery, and much more!

Stay tuned for more information on the Grand Opening and exciting events in store! 🌸🇯🇵

Ebisu Japanese Life Store is a Chinese chain specializing in Japanese goods, with its stores featuring cosmetics, snacks, homegoods, stationary, gacha machines, and more. It opened its first area location in Squirrel Hill in October 2024. 

Pittsburgh's JLPT N5 exam sells out in 42 minutes; only 15 N1 seats remain.

For the second straight year, the University of Pittsburgh is sesrving as a testing location for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). Registration opened for N1 (the most difficult level) on August 18, for N2 on August 21, for N3 on August 24, for N4 on August 26, and for N5 (the simplest level) at 11:00 am EST today. After roughly 42 minutes, all 45 N5 slots for Pittsburgh were gone, and most other levels were sold out within the day. At the time of this post, only 15 N1 slots remain.

1926 Japanese silent film A Page of Madness (狂った一頁) returns to Pittsburgh, with metal and electronic score, September 2.

The Silent Light presents the 1926 Japanese silent film A Page of Madness (狂った一頁), with accompaniment by live metal and electronic score, on September 2 at Row House Hollywood.

Experience Kinugasa’s lost 1926 silent horror masterpiece A Page of Madness like never before, reimagined with a blistering live metal and electronic score by The Silent Light. This cinematic ritual of chaos and sound will be performed one night only live at Row House-Hollywood  on September 2, 2026.

11th Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Festival (相约第11届匹兹堡中华文化节), September 19 in Mellon Park.

The Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center will present the 11th annual Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Festival (相约第11届匹兹堡中华文化节) on September 19.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 19 at Mellon Park! Bring your family and friends for a lively day filled with captivating performances, interactive art demonstrations, fun games, and delicious food. Early birds can enjoy warm-up performances starting at 10:30 AM, with the official festival kickoff at 11:00 AM (running through 5:00 PM). See you there!

9月19日（周六）Mellon Park 带上家人与朋友，一起享受精彩绝伦的舞台表演、丰富有趣的艺术互动展示、热闹的互动游戏以及地道的各色美食。上午10:30起将带来精彩的预热表演，文化节将于11:00正式拉开帷幕（持续至下午5点）。期待您的到来！我们不见不散！

The event runs from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm in the southern half of Mellon Park (map, not the half with the spray park and baseball fields).

4K presentation of Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊) for film's 30th anniversary, in Pittsburgh from September 17.

A 4K presentation of Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊) for the film's 30th anniversary will play in Pittsburgh from September 17. A synopsis, from the Anime News Network:

In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as "The Puppetmaster" begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster. The pursuit will call into question what makes a human and what is the Puppetmaster in a world where the distinction between human and machine is increasingly blurry.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the AMC Westmoreland in Greensburg, and---on othe 20th and 23rd only, for now---at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, and Robinson. Tickets are available online.

AAPI Flourishing Symposium: Breaking the Silence & Building Support at University of Pittsburgh, September 18.

The University of Pittsburgh's School of Social Work will present AAPI Flourishing Symposium: Breaking the Silence & Building Support on September 18.

The symposium is designed to bring together researchers, students, practitioners, and community members to explore flourishing, mental health, and well-being within Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. We hope to create a space for conversations around issues that are often difficult to discuss openly, while highlighting research and approaches that can strengthen individual, family, and community well-being.

'Breaking the Silence' reflects that many issues in our community have gone unspoken, and our needs have too often been overlooked in research, practice, and broader conversations about well-being. 'Building Support' reflects our goal of moving beyond awareness toward connection, resources, research, and sustained support that help our communities flourish.

We've started out small (if voices aren't loud, people don't care, and fundings are limited). The hope is to establish this AAPI Flourishing Symposium as an annual gathering over the coming years, creating an ongoing space to build connections across disciplines and communities, highlight emerging scholarship, support students and early-career researchers, and strengthen collaboration around AAPI flourishing and well-being.

The event runs from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm in 2017 Cathedral of Learning and online, and registration is required.

The program of events:

• 10:00 - 10:10 - Opening Remarks
• 10:10 - 11:10 - Keynote Presentation: Rona Hu, MD (Stanford University)
• 11:10 - 12:10 - Keynote Presentation: Katie K. Koo, PhD (University of Georgia)
• 12:10 - 12:50 - Lunch
• 12:50 - 13:30 - Emerging Research: Max Halvorson, PhD (University of Washington)
• 13:30 - 14:00 - Student Presentation
• 14:00 - 14:30 - Panel Discussion

KOGO Modern Korean Kitchen opens in Squirrel Hill.

KOGO Modern Korean Kitchen has recently opened in Squirrel Hill, in a spot shared with Diners 2+1 Japanese Cuisine. KOGO offers build-your-own bowls---like a Classic Bulgogi Steak Bowl, Spicy Gochujang Chicken Bowl, and Cumin Fire Chicken Bowl---along with other interesting menu items include Korean Egg Drop Sandwiches (available from 8:45 am through 2:30), poke bowls, sushi rolls, high-protein cups, and konjac jelly drinks. KOGO Modern Korean Kitchen is located at 1722 Murray Ave. (map).

NCT 127 5TH TOUR ‘NEO CITY : SEOUL - THE REDLINE’ in CINEMAS in Pittsburgh, September 20.

The concert film NCT 127 5TH TOUR ‘NEO CITY : SEOUL - THE REDLINE’ in CINEMAS will play in the Pittsburgh area on September 20.

NCT 127 5TH TOUR ‘NEO CITY : SEOUL - THE REDLINE’ in CINEMAS brings the explosive opening of NCT 127’s long -awaited return to the big screen through a special live viewing event in theaters around the world. Marking the group’s first tour in a year and eight months, this event captures the scale, energy, and electrifying performances of NCT 127 as they kick off a new chapter of NEO CITY in Seoul. Broadcast live from KSPO DOME, audiences worldwide are invited to experience the intensity of the concert in a cinematic setting, taking in every moment of the setlist, staging, and onstage charisma with fans across the globe. For NCTzens and K -pop audienc es alike, this cinematic experience is a chance to witness the heat of THE REDLINE together, beyond borders, on the biggest screen possible.

It plays locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theater in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

2026 Korean action horror movie Colony (군체) in Pittsburgh, from August 27.

The 2026 Korean action horror movie Colony (군체) will play in Pittsburgh from August 27.

Horror master Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) directs a new Korean zombie thriller starring Gianna Jun and Koo Kyo-hwan. Professor Se-jeong (Jun) is thrust into a bloody nightmare when a rapidly mutating virus is released during a biotech conference causing authorities to seal the facility. Trapped inside with no escape, Se-jeong along with a small group of survivors must fight to stay alive while the infected undergo horrific transformations.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theater in McCandless and Robinson, and tickets are available online.

New Chinese computer-animated film All Wishes Come True (八仙) in Pittsburgh, August 28 - September 2.

The Chinese computer-animated film All Wishes Come True (八仙) will play in PIttsburgh on August 28.

On a wondrous island where mortals and Immortals dwell as one, a legendary vault holds a fortune beyond dreaming. Lü Dongbin and Zhongli Quan have a plan. To crack that vault, these two mortals will pull off the impossible: pose as Immortals themselves. They gather six more misfits along the way: He Xiangu, Tieguai Li, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guojiu, Lan Caihe, and Zhang Guolao. Eight ordinary souls, one extraordinary heist, and death waiting for anyone caught trying to outsmart the heavens. But something far worse is already closing in: a shadow conspiracy that could undo the balance of all things. And our eight bumbling schemers stand right in its path. Inspired by the beloved Chinese legend of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, All Wishes Come True! opens in theaters this summer.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.