国際機関就職ガイダンス2018, January 29 at Chatham University.

Chatham University will host Keisuke Fukuda (First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations) on January 29 for a Japanese-language career seminar on working for international organizations.

Pitt magazine profiles ten influential Korean alumni.

The Winter 2018 issue of Pitt magazine profiles ten Korean alumni of the University of Pittsburgh influential in growing education, business, and government in South Korea.

[Byong Hyon] Kwon was part of the first wave of South Korean students at Pitt. Today, South Korea has a large and organized Pitt alumni base. Its members include leaders in education, technology, government, the private sector, nursing, and public health. They are part of the colossal effort that turned the world's second-poorest nation into the 11th largest economy---in just three decades.

The print magazine has a lengthy profile on Kwon---a 1968 GSPIA graduate, former Korean ambassador to China, and president of Future Forest---and snapshots on nine others; the Pitt magazine website has full profiles on everyone.

• Sang-joo Lee
• Shin-Bok Kim
• Seung Wook Lee & Hyun Kyung Moon
• Ohjoon Kwon
• Kyungbae Chung
• Gio-bin Lim
• Keun Namkoong
• Namgi Park

There have been many other influential Koreans at Pitt over the years. Young Woo Kang, who died in 2012, is one example. Kang earned his PhD from the School of Education in 1976, and was the first blind Korean student to ever earn a doctorate.

City-Paper covers Pittsburgh's first Seijin no Hi.

The Pittsburgh City-Paper's Blogh has a write-up of the Coming of Age Day, Seijin no Hi, held at Pitt on January 10.

On Jan. 10, about 30 participants gathered together in the ballroom of Pitt’s University Club. Many were dressed in traditional Japanese kimonos, but others wore western business attire. Young men and women participated, and the Japanese international students were grateful for the chance to celebrate this right of passage.

“Before we came here, we couldn't expect this,” said Nika Tanimoto, a 20-year-old student from Hiroshima, at the event. “It is great, a special event.” Tanimoto’s friend and fellow international student, Manami Wada, said the event is an “honor” for her.

2018 Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Gala, February 10 in Wexford.

The Chinese Association for Science and Technology - Pittsburgh Chapter and the Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center will present its 2018 Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Gala on February 10 at Marshall Middle School in Wexford.

Shaw Brothers Kung Fu Cinema series at Row House Cinema in March.

Four classic kung fu movies will play at the Row House Cinema in March, part of its Shaw Brothers Kung Fu Cinema series that highlights the legendary Hong Kong production company. The lineup includes 1966's Come Drink With Me (大醉俠), 1978's Five Deadly Venoms (五毒), 1982's Legendary Weapons of China (十八般武艺), and 1978's The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (少林三十六房).



Tickets and showtime information have not been announced yet. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress (隠し砦の三悪人) at Regent Square Theater once more, January 28.

Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress (隠し砦の三悪人) will play at the Regent Square Theater on January 28. It has been playing there each Sunday in January as part of a collaboration between Pittsburgh Filmmakers and the Silk Screen Asian Arts & Cultural Organization that highlights a different classic Asian film each month. The Criterion Collection summarizes the film:

A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one, The Hidden Fortress stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan’s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’s Star Wars. The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa’s trademark deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action, and compassionate humanity.

The show starts at 6:00 pm at the Regent Square Theater (map), and tickets are only available for purchase at the door.

Upcoming Chinese movies The Monkey King 3 (西遊記女兒國), Monster Hunt 2 (捉妖記2) in Pittsburgh from February 16.

New installments of a pair of hit Chinese film franchises have recently been announced for Pittsburgh: The Monkey King 3 (西遊記女兒國) and Monster Hunt 2 (捉妖記2) will play at the Waterfront from February 16.

2017 Chinese movie that out-drew The Last Jedi, The Ex-File: The Return of the Exes (前任3:再见前任) in Pittsburgh, from January 19.

The 2017 Chinese movie The Ex-File: The Return of the Exes (前任3:再见前任) will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater from today, January 19. It was the top-grossing movie in China its first two weeks, and out-drew Star Wars: The Last Jedi in the latter's first week in the country. A South China Morning Post review provides a brief summary of the low-budget romantic comedy:

Directed by Tian Yusheng, the story is about two lengthy break-ups between two couples who are also friends with each other, and how the ex-boyfriends indulged themselves re-living the bachelor’s dream until their ex-girlfriends reappeared to upend their lives.

Tickets are 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.

2017 Japanese animated film Mary and the Witch's Flower (メアリと魔女の花) at AMC Loews Waterfront, Row House Cinema from today.

The 2017 Japanese animated film Mary and the Witch's Flower (メアリと魔女の花), which debuted in the region at local Cinemark theaters yesterday, will at the Row House Cinema as part of it's New Animated Films series from January 19 through 25. It will also run at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater from today. The distributor provides a summary:

From Academy Award®-nominated Hiromasa Yonebayashi – animator on Studio Ghibli masterpieces Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ponyo, and director of When Marnie Was There and The Secret World of Arrietty – comes a dazzling new adventure about a young girl named Mary, who discovers a flower that grants magical powers, but only for one night.

Mary is an ordinary young girl stuck in the country with her Great-Aunt Charlotte and seemingly no adventures or friends in sight. She follows a mysterious cat into the nearby forest, where she discovers an old broomstick and the strange Fly-by-Night flower, a rare plant that blossoms only once every seven years and only in that forest. Together the flower and the broomstick whisk Mary above the clouds, and far away to Endor College – a school of magic run by headmistress Madam Mumblechook and the brilliant Doctor Dee. But there are terrible things happening at the school, and when Mary tells a lie, she must risk her life to try to set things right.

Based on Mary Stewart’s 1971 classic children’s book The Little Broomstick, Mary and The Witch’s Flower is an action-packed film full of jaw-dropping imaginative worlds, ingenious characters, and the simple, heartfelt story of a young girl trying to find a place in the world.

Tickets for the Row House Cinema's screenings are available online via the theater's website. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map). Tickets for the Waterfront shows are available online via Fandango. That 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.

New Taiwanese restaurant Lucky Nine 好運來 coming to Squirrel Hill.

Signage just went up for Lucky Nine (好運來), a new Taiwanese restaurant coming to Squirrel Hill. It's located in the basement of 5824 Forbes Ave. (map), what was most recently The Mediterranean Grill. Though "Grand Opening" posters are up, it is not yet open. Lucky Nine will join two other Taiwanese restaurants, Rose Tea Cafe and Taiwanese Bistro Cafe 33, in the neighborhood.

Three events with Samir Lakhani, Eco-Soap Bank Founder and University of Pittsburgh alumnus, February 9 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh will host alumnus and Top 10 CNN Hero of 2017 Samir Lakhani for three events on February 9 as an "Race, Gender and Leadership Series: Health & Entrepreneurship in Asia" series. Lakhani will give a keynote address from 12:00 pm at Alumni Hall. From 3:00 to 4:30 pm is an "Healthy Global Engagement and Social Entrepreneurship: How to work responsibly with/as an international NGO?" discussion in the Willian Pitt Union.

An informal dialogue between Pitt students and Mr. Lakhani on best practices when seeking employment with non-profits or developing new NGOs to serve the needs of developing countries.

And from 5:00 to 7:30 pm, the Katz Graduate School of Business will host his "Fireside Chat: Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship".

Pitt Business is proud to host a fireside chat with University of Pittsburgh alumnus Samir Lakhani, founder of Eco-Soap Bank and a Top 10 CNN Hero of 2017. In this special discussion, Lakhani will highlight the power of social entrepreneurship to make positive health, economic, and environmental impacts on the developing world. Pitt Business Associate Dean Audrey J. Murrell will serve as moderator, as issues of ethics, leadership, health, and global entrepreneurship in the 21st century are discussed.

The events are free and open to the public, but both the keynote address and the Fireside Chat require advance registration.

WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) hiring Chinese-speaking online Spanish tutor.

Pittsburgh-based Chinese education consulting and placement firm WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) announced today an opening for a Chinese-speaking online Spanish tutor (西班牙语辅导老师).

Mazinger Z: Infinity (劇場版 マジンガーZ ／ INFINITY) in Pittsburgh, February 11 and 12.

The 2017 film adaptation of the 1970s manga and TV series Mazinger Z: Infinity (劇場版 マジンガーZ ／ INFINITY) is getting a limited theatrical release in the US next month, and will play at several Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters on February 11 and 12.

WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) hiring for three Mandarin-speaking IT positions.

Pittsburgh-based Chinese education consulting and placement firm WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) has new openings for three Mandarin-speaking IT positions: 大数据平台高级架构工程师, Hadoop高级工程师, and NLP高级工程师. WholeRen is headquartered at 3434 Forbes Ave. 2nd Floor in Oakland (map).

"State Fictions and the Friction of Frontier Terrain: Songpan and the Huanglong Pilgrimage Since Ming Times," January 19 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Donald Sutton of Carnegie Mellon University and his talk "State Fictions and the Friction of Frontier Terrain: Songpan and the Huanglong Pilgrimage Since Ming Times" on January 19.

Japanese-English Reading Circle in Shadyside, from January 20.

The next series of the Japan America Society of Pennsylvania's Japanese-English Reading Circle will start from January 20 in Shadyside.

2017 Japanese animated film Mary and the Witch's Flower (メアリと魔女の花) at Cinemark theaters January 18, Row House Cinema January 19 through 25.

The 2017 Japanese animated film Mary and the Witch's Flower (メアリと魔女の花) will play at Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters on January 18, 2018 and at the Row House Cinema as part of it's New Animated Films series from January 19 through 25. The distributor provides a summary:

From Academy Award®-nominated Hiromasa Yonebayashi – animator on Studio Ghibli masterpieces Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ponyo, and director of When Marnie Was There and The Secret World of Arrietty – comes a dazzling new adventure about a young girl named Mary, who discovers a flower that grants magical powers, but only for one night.

Mary is an ordinary young girl stuck in the country with her Great-Aunt Charlotte and seemingly no adventures or friends in sight. She follows a mysterious cat into the nearby forest, where she discovers an old broomstick and the strange Fly-by-Night flower, a rare plant that blossoms only once every seven years and only in that forest. Together the flower and the broomstick whisk Mary above the clouds, and far away to Endor College – a school of magic run by headmistress Madam Mumblechook and the brilliant Doctor Dee. But there are terrible things happening at the school, and when Mary tells a lie, she must risk her life to try to set things right.

Based on Mary Stewart’s 1971 classic children’s book The Little Broomstick, Mary and The Witch’s Flower is an action-packed film full of jaw-dropping imaginative worlds, ingenious characters, and the simple, heartfelt story of a young girl trying to find a place in the world.

Tickets for both the dubbed and subtitled versions at Cinemark theaters are currently available online; Pittsburgh-area Cienmark theaters showing the film are Monaca, Monroeville, North Hills, and Pittsburgh Mills. Tickets for the Row House Cinema's screenings are available online as well.

2017 Japanese movie Gintama (銀魂) in Pittsburgh, January 20.

The 2017 Japanese movie Gintama (銀魂) will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont on January 20.

Based on the best-selling action comedy manga by Hideaki Sorachi, GINTAMA takes place in an alternate Edo-period Japan, where an Alien race has taken control, forcing Samurai to lay down their swords. Once feared as the “White Demon,” former samurai Gintoki Sakata now works as an everyday handyman – until a master swordsman tasks Gintoki and his friends with finding the cursed sword Benizakura to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Packed with the sword- swinging sci-fi action and offbeat humor that have made the manga a classic, GINTAMA is bound to delight both fans and anyone looking for a journey to a visually-stunning universe where fantastical action lurks just around every corner.

Released in Japan in July, Gintama is the third-highest grossing domestic film in Japan this year. Tickets for the two screenings, 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm, are available online.

The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

MEPPI Japan Lecture Series - Tokyo, One of the Safest Cities in the World, January 18.

"Tokyo" by kalcul (Creative Commons).

The first MEPPI Japan Lecture Series of 2018, "Tokyo, One of the Safest Cities in the World" will be held at Carnegie Mellon University on January 18. The lecture series is presented by the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania and sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc.

Why is Tokyo so safe? After devoting 15 years to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Police Inspector Naruomi Ebitani now works at Carnegie Mellon University researching information security. From his experience in both countries and his police officer’s perspective, he will address the differences between policing and crime in Japan and the United States.

The lecture runs from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall and is free and open to the public. Registration is required and can be completed online.

Storytelling with Motoko at Alphabet City in April.

via motoko.folktales.net.

The City of Asylum's Alphabet City will host Japanese storyteller Motoko on Saturday, April 7.

Ryoichi Kurokawa and Novi_sad at Wood Street Galleries, from January 26.

from unfold.alt, via ryoichikurokawa.com.

Three installations by Ryoichi Kurokawa—two solo and one collaboration with Novi_sad—will be at Wood Street Galleries downtown from January 26 through April 8. Opening night will be free and open to the public from 5:30 to 10:00 pm as part of January's Gallery Crawl.

Japanese artist, born in 1978, lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Kurokawa’s works take on multiple forms such as installation works, recordings, and concert pieces. He composes the time sculpture with the field recordings and the digital generated structures, and reconstructs architecturally the audiovisual phenomenon. In recent years, his works are shown at international festivals and museums including Tate Modern[UK], Venice Biennale[IT], Palais de Tokyo[FR], Transmediale[DE], EMPAC[US], YCAM[JP] and Sonar[ES]. In 2010, he was awarded the Golden Nica at Prix Ars Electronica in the Digital Musics & Sound Art category.

The Wood Street Galleries website has lengthy introductions to the exhibitions. Wood Street Galleries is located at 601 Wood St. (map).