Thursday, June 13, 2019

"Storytime: Japanese and English" at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, June 18.


via archdaily.org

The next installment of the monthly program "Storytime: Japanese and English" will take place on June 18 at the Carnegie Library in East Liberty.
Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Japanese for children and their parents or caregivers. For children age birth – 5 and their caregivers.
It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

1995 Studio Ghibli film Whisper of the Heart (耳をすませば) in Pittsburgh, July 1 and 2.



The 1995 Studio Ghibli film Whisper of the Heart (耳をすませば) will play in Pittsburgh on July 1 and 2 as part of the 2019 GKIDS Ghibli Fest. The distributor provides a synopsis:
Discover the brilliance of this heartwarming coming-of-age classic from the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of My Neighbor Totoro and the Academy Award®-winning Spirited Away.

A chance encounter with a mysterious cat sends Shizuku, a quiet schoolgirl, on a quest for her true talent. Together with Seiji, a boy determined to follow his dreams, and enchanted by The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers of her heart, Shizuku embarks on a life-changing adventure that takes her beyond the boundaries of her imagination. This beautiful tale based on a screenplay from Hayao Miyazaki will delight and amaze audiences of all ages!
The movie will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. The July 1 shows are dubbed in English and the July 2 ones are in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets are available online.

Monday, June 10, 2019

"Storytime: Chinese and English" in Squirrel Hill, June 15.


via Ed Massery.

"Storytime: Chinese and English" returns to the Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill on June 15 after a brief hiatus.
Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Chinese.
Storytime 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.

Sunday, June 9, 2019

Jung-ho Kang moves to second on list of home runs by Koreans in the Major Leagues.


Via AP / 해럴드경제.

With his fifth home run of the season on June 9, Pirates infielder Jung-ho Kang is now second on the list of Korean home run hitters in the Major Leagues with 41. He passed Hee-Seop Choi, who played from 2002 to 2005 and who is from the same high school as Kang.

Thursday, June 6, 2019

New restoration of 2002 Satoshi Kon film Millennium Actress (千年女優) in Pittsburgh, August 13.



The 2002 Satoshi Kon film Millennium Actress (千年女優) will play in Pittsburgh on August 13. The distributor provides a synopsis:
Experience the gorgeous new restoration of what many believe to be Satoshi Kon’s (Perfect Blue, Paprika) greatest work, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS.

When the legendary Ginei Studios shuts down, filmmaker Genya Tachibana and his assistant are tasked with interviewing its reclusive star, Chiyoko Fujiwara, who had retired from the spotlight 30 years prior. As she recounts her career, Genya and his crew are literally pulled into her memories where they witness her chance encounter with a mysterious man on the run from the police. Despite never knowing his name or his face, Chiyoko relentlessly pursues that man in a seamless blend of reality and memory that only Satoshi Kon could deliver. Boasting countless awards, including the Grand Prize in the Japan Agency of Cultural Affairs Media Arts Festival, which it shared with Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS is a must-see for anime fans of all ages.
So far tickets for the August 13 show at the Southside Works Cinema are available online, though tickets for other theaters---and for August 19 dubbed screenings---are not available until June 21.

2019 move Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Arrow of the Orion ダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか in Pittsburgh, July 23.



Tickets were just announced for Pittsburgh screenings of the 2019 movie Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Arrow of the Orion ダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか, based on the manga and anime series. The distributor provides a synopsis:
Far from the dungeon beneath Oraria rises a new threat, one the beautiful goddess Artemis has sworn to destroy with the help of her chosen warrior. But this fighter isn’t the renowned Ais Wallenstein or another stor ied hero of Orario legend. Instead the fate of Artemis’ quest falls upon the shoulders of Bell Cranell, who must partner with the goddess and stand against the menace lurking in the remains of a distant, ancient city. Although Bell is the ordained champion of Artemis and a member of the goddess Hestia’s familia, their adventure will test every skill and take every ounce of courage that Bell has — and perhaps, along the way, turn him into the hero he has always aspired to be.
Tickets for the Southside Works Cinema screening on July 23 are now available online, though tickets for other locations will not be on sale until June 21.

Japanese doom metal band Church of Misery in Pittsburgh, June 13.



The Japanese doom metal band Church of Misery will play in Pittsburgh on June 13. Tickets for the show at Cattivo in Lawrenceville (map) are available online or at the door.

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

SEVENTEENs "Getting Closer" at this weekend's K-pop Class, June 8.



The weekly K-pop Dance Class at Yanlai Dance Academy will do SEVENTEEN (세븐틴)'s "Getting Closer" for its third meeting on June 8. The class is held each Saturday from 4:00 to 5:00 pm, and the cost is $18 for a drop-in session. Yanlai Dance Academy is located at 2260 Babcock Blvd. in the North Hills (map).

Dragon Boat Festival at Pitt, June 7.



The University of Pittsburgh's Chinese Students and Scholar Association will host a Dragon Boat Festival on June 7.

New Chinese movie My Best Summer (最好的我们) in Pittsburgh, from June 6.



The upcoming Chinese movie My Best Summer (最好的我们) will be released in China, and in Pittsburgh, on June 6. A synopsis of the film, which is based on a TV drama:
Geng Geng, a slightly awkward but adorable first year high schooler who feels like she's not smart enough to be at the prestigious Zhen Hua High School. The first day she happens to meet her future deskmate, the brilliant Yu Huai, and although they bicker at first, they soon form a strong friendship. They all become good friends with their classmates and have a strong bond with their teacher. But after the final exam in the last semester, Yu Huai suddenly disappeared. He hasn’t said his secret feeling for Geng Geng. When they re-meet years later, can Geng Geng find out what the secret is?
Tickets for two June 6 screenings are available online via AMC; future dates should be added shortly.

Chinese-language historical tour of Carnegie Library in Oakland / 将提供卡内基图书馆的中文导游, June 9.


via @CarnegieLibraryOfPittsburgh.


The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host a Chinese-language historical tour of its Oakland (main) branch on June 9, part of this year's Summer Reading Extravaganza.
Join us as we take you on a guided tour in Chinese through Andrew Carnegie’s Main Library. You’ll get a look at the wonderful art and architecture that created this historic landmark, as well as how the building’s interior has changed over time.

This exclusive tour will be offered at 2:15 PM during Extravaganza, and will last 1 hour. Visit the Welcome Station located outside the Library’s Front Entrance to sign up.

下午2点15分将提供卡内基图书馆的中文导游,请于图书馆正门外的欢迎站注册游览。
The tour starts at 2:15 pm. The library 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.

Weir Group hiring bilingual Mandarin-English International Projects Administrator for McKeesport location.

The Weir Group is hiring a bilingual Mandarin-English International Projects Administrator. An excerpt from the posting:
Business Need / Purpose of Role
Reporting to Engineering Manager, main emphasis will be on supporting existing and future international projects.

Ideal candidate will have the following:
  • Fluency in both Chinese Mandarin and English Languages.
  • Experience in communicating technically with international customers, primarily Chinese.
  • Previous experience in the commercial nuclear power industry, ideally in a third tier supplier environment.

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Reading and discussion with R.O. Kwon, August 4.


via ro-kwon.com / Smeeta Mahanti.

City of Asylum will host a reading and discussion with R.O. Kwon on August 4. Kwon provides a synopsis of her latest novel, The Incendiaries:
A powerful, darkly glittering novel about violence, love, faith, and loss, as a young Korean American woman at an elite American university is drawn into acts of domestic terrorism by a cult tied to North Korea.

Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet their first month at prestigious Edwards University. Phoebe is a glamorous girl who doesn’t tell anyone she blames herself for her mother’s recent death. Will is a misfit scholarship boy who transfers to Edwards from Bible college, waiting tables to get by. What he knows for sure is that he loves Phoebe.

Grieving and guilt-ridden, Phoebe is increasingly drawn into a religious group—a secretive extremist cult—founded by a charismatic former student, John Leal. He has an enigmatic past that involves North Korea and Phoebe’s Korean American family. Meanwhile, Will struggles to confront the fundamentalism he’s tried to escape, and the obsession consuming the one he loves. When the group bombs several buildings in the name of faith, killing five people, Phoebe disappears. Will devotes himself to finding her, tilting into obsession himself, seeking answers to what happened to Phoebe and if she could have been responsible for this violent act.

The Incendiaries is a fractured love story and a brilliant examination of the minds of extremist terrorists, and of what can happen to people who lose what they love most.
The event runs from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. It is free and open to the public, though RSVP is required (coming soon). The City of Asylum's Alphabet City venue is located at 40 N. West Ave. on the North Side (map).

Monday, June 3, 2019

Sunday, June 2, 2019

Reading and conversation with author Gina Apostol, July 23.



City of Asylum will host author Gina Apostol for a free conversation and reading on July 23. A synopsis of her latest novel, Insurrecto:
Two women, a Filipino translator and an American filmmaker, go on a road trip in Duterte’s Philippines, collaborating and clashing in the writing of a film script about a massacre during the Philippine-American War. Chiara is working on a film about an incident in Balangiga, Samar, in 1901, when Filipino revolutionaries attacked an American garrison, and in retaliation American soldiers created “a howling wilderness” of the surrounding countryside. Magsalin reads Chiara’s film script and writes her own version. Insurrecto contains within its dramatic action two rival scripts from the filmmaker and the translator—one about a white photographer, the other about a Filipino schoolteacher.
The event runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm; it's free but online RSVP is required. The City of Asylum's Alphabet City venue is located at 40 N. West Ave. on the North Side (map).

Saturday, June 1, 2019

"Storytime: Japanese and English" at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, June 18.


via archdaily.org

The next installment of the monthly program "Storytime: Japanese and English" will take place on June 18 at the Carnegie Library in East Liberty.
Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Japanese for children and their parents or caregivers. For children age birth – 5 and their caregivers.
It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

Friday, May 31, 2019

Homestay hosts needed for Chinese, Japanese, Korean visitors this year.



GlobalPittsburgh shares news of its needs for host families from July through next January for various cohorts of visitors, including Korean English teachers, Chinese students, and Japanese students from Yasuda University.

Love Ramen's Atwood Street location temporarily closed for renovations; new spot on Fifth Ave. open.



The Love Ramen at 229 Atwood St. in Oakland (map) is temporarily closed for renovations. During that time, according to a county inspection report, it will revamp the menu and add a new bathroom. A new self-serve noodle place from the owners of Love Ramen opened this month at 3608 Fifth Ave. (map), in what was formerly Hanami and Thai Hana. Staff refer to the place as Love Ramen in English, though it exists online as Malaxiangguo because the lone English-language signage on the window is an advertisement for hot pot.

Free Chinese, Japanese, Korean classes in Pittsburgh in June.


via @japangov

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will continue to offer free Chinese, Japanese, and Korean classes at some of its branches this June. Check out the class information below in addition to its language resources on the shelves and online.

As the library notes: these classes are free; registration is not required; no materials are needed and nothing needs to be bought; new participants are welcome at any time; classes are for adults (unless otherwise noted) but well-behaved young people are welcome to join as well.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Zhang Yimou's 2018 film Shadow (影) to continue in Pittsburgh through June 6.



The 2018 Zhang Yimou film Shadow (影), which opened in Pittsburgh on May 24, will continue here through June 6. The distributor provides a summary:
With SHADOW, director Zhang Yimou (HERO, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS) once again pushes the boundaries of wuxia action to create a film like no other, masterfully painting a canvas of inky blacks and greys punctuated with bursts of color from the blood of the defeated. In a kingdom ruled by a young and unpredictable king, the military commander has a secret weapon: a “shadow”, a look-alike who can fool both his enemies and the King himself. Now he must use this weapon in an intricate plan that will lead his people to victory in a war that the King does not want.
Tickets and showtime information is now available online. The theater is located at 1035 S. Braddock Ave. in Regent Square (map).

MAMAMOO's "gogobebe" at this weekend's K-pop Class, June 1.



The weekly K-pop Dance Class at Yanlai Dance Academy will do MAMAMOO (마마무)'s "gogobebe" for its second meeting on June 1. The class is held each Saturday from 4:00 to 5:00 pm, and the cost is $18 for a drop-in session. Yanlai Dance Academy is located at 2260 Babcock Blvd. in the North Hills (map).