Wednesday, September 6, 2017

2017 Justin Chon film Gook in Pittsburgh, from September 8.



The 2017 film Gook, which looks at the 1992 Los Angeles riots from the local Korean-American perspective, will play in Pittsburgh from September 8. A February Variety review gives an overview:
2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles Riots, and those burning days don’t feel nearly so long ago in “Gook,” an uneven but compellingly immediate take on that moment in history from a rare Asian-American point of view. Drawing on events from his own childhood, writer-director-star Justin Chon wears his Generation X influences on his sleeve in this initially droll, finally mournful character study of two Korean-American brothers trying to keep their father’s shoe store afloat as cultural relations blister across L.A., as well as the young African-American girl who has a surprising bond with them. Alternating between bristling Spike Lee-style protest and the slacker sensibility of early Kevin Smith — in crisp black and white, to boot — Chon’s sophomore feature wavers uncertainly in tone, getting a little too cute for comfort in spots, but is otherwise a lively, auspicious breakthrough. With a Sundance audience award in its back pocket, “Gook” should manage some niche theatrical play.
The movie was released on August 18, and will play at AMC Loews Waterfront from the 8th. Tickets and showtime information is available online via Fandango. The theater is located at 300 West Waterfront Dr. in the Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead (map), across the Monongahela River from Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, and the rest of Pittsburgh.

Oakland-based WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) has HR and Office Assistant Internship opening.



Oakland-based education consultants WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) has an opening for a Chinese-speaking HR and Office Assistant Internship.

Year of Indonesia at Chatham University.



The topic of Chatham University's annual Global Focus Program will be Indonesia in 2017-18. The Global Focus Program
concentrates on one country, region, or subject of global relevance each year and enables the university community to engage in a comprehensive study of that subject through coursework, class assignments, campus events, community activities, overseas travels, co-curricular initiatives, and service learning projects.
Upcoming events for 2017-18 Year of Indonesia will be announced through the year. This is the first Asian country featured by the Global Focus Program since Vietnam in 2011-12.

Four Winds Gallery hiring Japanese- or Chinese-speaking Social Media & eCommerce Fulfillment Specialist.

Shadyside's Four Winds Gallery, which specializes in "exceptional Southwestern Native American material," is hiring a Japanese- or Chinese-speaking Social Media & eCommerce Fulfillment Specialist to manage its online presence in Asian markets.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

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

HCL Technologies is hiring a Bilingual Japanese Query Understanding Analyst for a position working onsite at Google in Larimer. The posting, via Indeed.com:
Bilingual Japanese Query Understanding Analyst is a full-time job through HCL America, Inc. onsite at Google Pittsburgh. You will work to enhance users’ online shopping experience by performing in-depth product research, analyzing the user query stream, and improving query classifier performance using highly technical internal tools and processes. It is part of a fast-paced environment, partnering closely with operations and engineering teams. Native or near-native Japanese reading/writing fluency is preferred and spending significant time living/working in the Japanese culture is a plus.

MR Bulgogi Korean food truck now operating in Pittsburgh.


via @MRBulgogiFoodTruck

Among the new restaurants and food-related establishments licensed by Allegheny County in August is MR Bulgogi, a Korean food truck, which attended its first event on August 6. It sells subs, rice, dumplings, kimchi, and bulgogi (불고기), which is popularly known as Korean barbecue. You can find MR Bulgogi online on Facebook and Instagram, and in person at FoxFest in Fox Chapel on September 8 and 9.

Monday, September 4, 2017

2016 Tibetan movie Soul on a String in Oakland, November 5.



The 2016 Tibetan movie Soul on a String will play at the Carnegie Library in Oakland on November 5 as that month's installment of International Cinema Sunday.

Friday, September 1, 2017

"Learning analytics in Higher Education in Japan", October 6 at Pitt.

Very advance notice for an upcoming talk at the University of Pittsburgh's Intelligent Systems Program in the School of Computing and Information: Dr. Hiroaki Ogata and Dr. Brendan Flanagan, both of Kyoto University, with "Learning analytics in Higher Education in Japan" on October 6.
This talk provides an overview of the Educational Big Data research project in Higher Education, Japan. This research focuses on e-book based learning logs and developed visual analytics tools for improving course design and learning materials. This talk will also introduce initial findings.
Additional talks and presentations on the topic by Dr. Ogata are available on YouTube.

The talk runs from 12:30 to 1:30 pm in 5317 Sennott Square (map) and is free and open to the public.

Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh Fall Picnic (ピクニックのお知らせ), September 9 in Schenley Park.

The Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh will hold its annual Fall Picnic (ピクニックのお知らせ) on September 9 in the Ice Rink Pavilion in Schenley Park (map).

K-pop / C-pop / J-pop dance club in the Pitt News.



This morning's Pitt News
, the student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh, has a front-page story on FRESA, a student-run K-pop / C-pop / J-pop dance club.
“There’s this weird lack of Asian faces in the American music scene, so seeing someone from Asia being really popular and being good at performing and dancing was really interesting to me,” [group member Lynn] Urbina said. “I really connected with that.”

Urbina found a space to express her love of K-pop, music and dancing at Pitt when she joined FRESA, an Asian dance club on campus, during her sophomore year. The senior mechanical engineering major became FRESA’s president this year.

FRESA, short for Fresh Entertainment by Student Artists, allows its members to recreate their favorite Asian pop music videos and step into the shoes of their K-pop, C-pop and J-pop — or Korean, Chinese and Japanese pop — idols.

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Journey to the West Book Series Debut, October 4 in Squirrel Hill.



A pair of local authors are releasing a series of books aimed at learners of Chinese that retells the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, and an event celebrating its release will be held on October 4 in Squirrel Hill.

1979 Hayao Miyazaki film Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (ルパン三世 カリオストロの城) in Pittsburgh area, September 14 and 19.



Hayao Miyazaki's 1979 directoral debut, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (ルパン三世 カリオストロの城), will play at Pittsburgh area Cinemark theaters on September 14 and 19. A synopsis, from the distributor:
Hayao Miyazaki’s directorial debut film, LUPIN THE 3RD: THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO is coming to U.S. cinemas nationwide for the first time ever this September for a special two-day event. Lupin and Jigen successfully rob a casino of millions, but only to find that the money is counterfeit. Lupin notices how well the money is forged and decides to make his next target the possible source of the forgery, Cagliostro. They enter the country and run into a car chase between a group of men after a girl in a wedding dress. Lupin, who loves girls, decides to abruptly make a detour to assist the bride in her escape. They successfully outrun the men but have an accident. Lupin goes unconscious but wakes up to find a ring with the royal crest of Cagliostro in a white glove from the bride.

This exciting two-night event also features never before seen special footage with creator comments.
The movie is set to play at the Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, North Hills, and Pittsburgh Mills. Tickets for the September 14 English-dubbed shows are available online, as are tickets for the September 19 English-subtitled screenings.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Live-action Tokyo Ghoul (東京喰種) movie in Pittsburgh in October.



The new live-action movie Tokyo Ghoul (東京喰種) will play at the Southside Works Cinema from October 16 through 19.

English/Korean Language Social Hour September 13 at Pitt; English/Japanese on September 27.



The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and the English Language Institute will present two Language Social Hours in September that bring together Japanese- and Korean-speaking students studying English and for Pitt students learning Japanese and Korean.

The English/Korean Language Social Hour will take place on September 13 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map), and will feature ELI students from Chosun University (조선대학교) in Gwangju, South Korea. The English/Japanese hour on September 27 will feature students from Yasuda Women's University (安田女子大学) in Hiroshima, Japan. Refreshments will be provided, and both events are free and open to the public.

Monday, August 28, 2017

First meeting of Pitt's Go club, August 29.


By Jaro Larnos (Creative Commons).

Some faculty at the University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures have started a go club, and the first meeting is tomorrow, August 29. From the Department's Facebook page:
The University of Pittsburgh Go Club will be holding meetings every Tuesday from 7:00 to 9:30pm in room 114 of the O’Hara Student Ballroom through fall semester. Anyone interested in the game of go is welcome. The first meeting will be this Tuesday, August 29th.
If you have questions, you can email Stephen Luft (luft@pitt.edu) or James Zhu (jiz144@pitt.edu).

Friday, August 25, 2017

Zen's Noodle House to bring Japanese ramen to Oakland.



Zen's Noodle House has been "coming soon" to Oakland since November 2014. Recently, though, it appears it actually is coming soon: the kitchen is set up and furniture is in place. This week a new sign was added to the facade at 3531 Forbes Ave.: "Japanese ramen" has replaced "Hand Drawn Noodle".


November 2016 and November 2014.

Free Chinese, Japanese, Korean classes in Pittsburgh.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is an invaluable source of free and enriching programming for people of all ages. Most relevant to this site are the free Chinese, Japanese, and Korean courses at an increasing number of branches. The start of a new school year is an excellent time to revisit this list of free courses available for children, complete novices, high-beginners, intermediate learners, and advanced speakers.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Highest-grossing Chinese film of all time Wolf Warrior 2 (战狼2) to remain in Pittsburgh through August 30.



Wolf Warrior 2 (战狼2), which became the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time earlier this month, will stay in Pittsburgh at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater through at least August 30. A synopsis of the movie, released in China on July 27 and in Pittsburgh on July 28, from the distributor:
The Wolf Warrior is back, bigger and badder than ever, in this action-packed sequel to the 2015 blockbuster hit. With his career in tatters, China’s deadliest Special Forces operative has settled into a quiet life on the sea. But when he crosses paths with a sadistic band of mercenaries terrorizing innocent civilians, he must reaffirm his duty as a soldier and save the day once again. Fists (and bullets, tanks, missiles and much more) will fly in this adrenaline-fueled tour de force of bravura action filmmaking, all culminating into a climactic battle between the Wolf Warrior and the mercenary leader (Frank Grillo, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War).
Tickets and showtimes are available from Fandango. The theater is located at 300 West Waterfront Dr. in the Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead (map), across the Monongahela River from Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, and the rest of Pittsburgh.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

No Game No Life Zero (ノーゲーム・ノーライフ ゼロ) coming to Pittsburgh theaters in October.



The upcoming Japanese anime No Game No Life Zero (ノーゲーム・ノーライフ ゼロ) will play at Cinemark theaters in the Pittsburgh area on October 5th and 8th. A synopsis from the distributor:
Six thousand years before Sora and Shiro were even a blink in the history of Disboard, war consumed the land, tearing apart the heavens, destroying stars, and even threatening to wipe out the human race. Amid the chaos and destruction, a young man named Riku leads humanity toward the tomorrow his heart believed in. One day, in the ruins of an Elf city, he meets Shuvi, a female exiled "Ex-machina" android who asks him to teach her what it means to have a human heart. In select movie theatres nationwide, this two-day event also includes exclusive content featuring special footage of members of the cast and crew of No Game No Life Zero.

Korean cyclists raising awareness of "comfort women" in US bike tour pass through Pittsburgh.


via 3A Project.

Two Korean university students are biking across the US to raise awareness of "comfort women", the euphemism for sex slaves used by the Japanese military during World War II. Today's Pittsburgh City-Paper has a profile.
“We want to raise this issue in the U.S. because the U.S. is the center of the media world,” said Young. “We don’t want to see this tragedy in any other [country].”
According to a June NBC News profile, Ha Joo-Young is a 25-year-old student from Kyung Hee University and Jo Yong-Joo is a 21-year-old from Yonsei University.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Takashi Miike's Dead or Alive (犯罪者) trilogy at Melwood Screening Room, August 31 - September 3.



The three films comprising the Japanese Dead or Alive series---DEAD OR ALIVE 犯罪者, DEAD OR ALIVE 2 逃亡者, and DEAD OR ALIVE FINAL---will play at the Melwood Screening Room in Oakland from August 31 to September 3. Pittsburgh Filmmakers summarzies:
Anything can happen in a Takashi Miike film. Beginning with an explosive, six-minute montage of sex, drugs and violence -- and ending with a phallus-headed battle robot taking flight -- Miike's unforgettable DEAD OR ALIVE trilogy (1999-2002) features many of the prolific director’s most outrageous moments alongside some of his most dramatically moving scenes starring the popular duo Show Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi.
Tickets and showtime information is available on the Pittsburgh Filmmakers website. A $15 ticket is available for the entire trilogy. The Melwood Screening Room is located at 477 Melwood Ave. (map).