GlobalPittsburgh Happy Hour with visiting Yasuda Women's University students, September 5.

Interior of Pitt's Cathedral of Learning, from the 2019 Yasuda Women's University promotional catalog.

GlobalPittsburgh's next First Thursdays Happy Hour on September 5 will welcome students from Yasuda Women's University (安田女子大学) in Hiroshima.

In September, we will have special guests from Japan. The 43 students from Yasuda University will be study abroad students at the English Language Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Their host families are also invited to celebrate!

Meet globally-minded people from Pittsburgh and all over the world to make new friends and learn more about different cultures at our GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays monthly happy hour. Bring your friends, family, and colleagues or come alone - we are a very friendly group!

A cohort of undergraduates has studied each fall at the University of Pittsburgh's English Language Institute since 2016.
The event runs from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at Roland's Seafood Grill in the Strip District (map), and tickets are available online.

Chengdu Gourmet, Sichuan Gourmet, Umami, and Bae-Bae's Kitchen, NIcky's Thai Kitchen voted "Best" by readers of Pittsburgh City-Paper.

via ChengduGourmet.net

Some variety in this year's Pittsburgh City-Paper Best Of readers' poll.

• This year's Pittsburgh City-Paper Best Of poll featured a Best Asian Food category, with Squirrel Hill's Chengdu Gourmet taking first place, Banh Mi & Tea second, and Thai Gourmet third.
• Sichuan Gourmet was voted Best Chinese, upsetting perennial winners Sesame Inn.
• Umami was voted tops in both Best Japanese and Best Sushi over Nakama, which had received some notoriety for its annual victories.
• Bae-Bae's Kitchen was voted Best Korean, a new category for this year.
• Nicky's Thai Kitchen was voted Best Thai.

New Chinese movie The Bravest (烈火·英雄) in Pittsburgh, from August 9.

The new Chinese movie The Bravest (烈火·英雄) will play in Pittsburgh from August 9.

When the oil pipeline in the city harbor explodes due to a calculation error, a disgraced firefighter captain must put aside his grievances and team up with his former subordinate in order to save the city.

The Bravest was the second-highest grossing movie at the Chinese box office last week. It will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles, and tickets are available online. The AMC Loews Waterfront 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.

Back when Hyomin came to Pittsburgh.

via 뉴스엔.

A flashback to when T-ara's Hyomin was in Pittsburgh to throw out the first pitch at PNC Park on September 13, 2015. Jung-ho Kang, her catcher for the pitch, was officially released from the Pirates this week, ending the city's brief flirtation with Korean celebrity.


via 일간스포츠.

Artist Talk with Asian Pacific Islander American Artists in Pittsburgh, September 13.

The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council will host an Artist Talk as part of its ongoing "We Are Here: Asian Pacific Islander American Artists in Pittsburgh" exhibition on September 13.

Join curator Karen Lue in conversation with the artists of "We Are Here: Asian Pacific Island American Artists in Pittsburgh" on their work, identity, and the significance of this exhibition. A Q+A session will follow and refreshments will be provided. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the artists as well as APIA culture and its context in Pittsburgh.

The event runs from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on the 13th in the GPAC Big Room on the 7th floor of 810 Penn Ave. (map), and tickets are available online.

Franck's "Unkillable Human" on the North Shore.

On the Northshore Heritage Trail is a 2003 sculpture by Dutch artist Frederick Franck titled "Unkillable Human," commemorating those lost in the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is located basically across the street from Warhola Recycling on Chesboro St. (map). A marker there reads:

At Hiroshima Franck was confronted with the shadow of a human being burned into a concrete wall by the atomic bomb.

The indestructible spirit rises from the ashes.

The sculpture---though Franck preferred the word "sign"---was originally to find a home at a proposed Peace Park at Point State Park, but was eventually relocated to the North Shore when those plans fell through.

Documentary on rescuing Asian elephants in Thailand, Love & Bananas, in East Liberty, August 12.

The 2018 documentary Love & Bananas will play at the Carnegie Library in East Liberty on August 12. A synopsis, from the film's official site:

Elephant rescues in Thailand are rare, unpredictable and often life threatening. After waiting 2.5 years, actor/director Ashley Bell and a team of elephant rescuers led by world renowned Asian elephant conservationist and TIME Magazine's Hero of Asia, Lek Chailert, embark on a daring mission 480 miles across Thailand to rescue Noi Na, a 70-year old partially blind trekking elephant and bring her to freedom.

African elephants are slaughtered for their ivory, but sadly the plight of the Asian Elephant has been completely overlooked even though they are the elephant we are most familiar with in zoos, circuses and elephant rides. L&B exposes the cruel secret that every Asian elephant has had to endure to become a service animal; a process knows as Pajan, aka The Crush Box. LOVE & BANANAS aims to ignite a new way of thinking about this species and shows what can be done to prevent the extinction of Asian elephants.

The movie runs from 6:00 to 7:30 pm on the the 12th, in tandem with World Elephant Day. It is free and open to the public, but not recommended for children 12 and under. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

BTS's Bring the Soul: The Movie at Carnegie Science Center Rangos Giant Cinema, August 7 through 11.

The latest BTS concert film, Bring the Soul: The Movie, will play at Carnegie Science Center's The Rangos Giant Cinema from August 7 through 11.

Following their landmark “Love Yourself” tour, boy band sensation BTS is headed to Pittsburgh’s largest screen in Bring The Soul: The Movie.

Shining brighter than any light on the stage, now the group invite us behind the spotlight. The Rangos Giant Cinema will transport you to the final concert of their Europe tour, on a rooftop in Paris, where BTS tells their very own stories from experiencing new cities to performing in front of thousands of ARMY across the globe.

A glimpse into BTS’ world away from the stage, featuring intimate group discussions alongside spectacular concert performances from the tour, this is a cinema event not to be missed.

Tickets and showtime information is available online. The movie will also play locally at the Cinemark Theaters in Monroeville and Robinson and the AMC Loews Waterfront.

2019 Japanese movie Tokyo Ghoul S (東京喰種 【S】) in Pittsburgh, from September 16.

The 2019 Japanese movie Tokyo Ghoul S (東京喰種 【S】) will play in Pittsburgh on September 16. From the distributor:

Now a member of Anteiku, Ken Kaneki grows closer to the ghouls around him. Determined to protect his new home against anti-ghoul forces, he trains his powers in secret. But when the infamous gourmet, Shu Tsukiyama, wishes to
savor some half-ghoul flavor, Kaneki’s training is put to the test of a lifetime.

Based on the thrilling supernatural manga, Tokyo Ghoul.

It will play in the US on September 16, 18, and 20, and locally at the Southside Works Cinema, but showtime information has not yet been announced.

Chang Chun Chemical Corporation hiring bilingual Mandarin-English sales assistant.

Chang Chun Chemical Corporation in Wexford is hiring a bilingual Mandarin-English sales assistant.

Communicating with suppliers in Asia for order processing and shipment arrangement

Supporting sales function such as issuing purchase order, invoice or sales related documents

Maintaining filling, updating and keeping of records

Managing stock inventory and sales operation as instructed by the Sales Manager

Handling customers’ inquiries and maintain tip top service to customers.

Screening of documentary Day of the Western Sunrise for local educators, August 7 at Pitt.

The National Consortium for Teaching About Asia will hold the teacher workshop "Nuclear Testing and Day of the Western Sunrise" at the University of Pittsburgh on August 7.

Join us on Wednesday August 7 for an NCTA teacher workshop “Nuclear Testing and Day of the Western Sunrise” which will explore the effects on a Japanese fishing boat that was accidentally caught in the U.S. testing of a thermonuclear bomb in the Bikini Atoll in 1954. Active teachers attending this morning workshop will receive a free DVD of the film along with an Educational Toolkit on this documentary, and Act 48 hours.

The movie was made with the help of the local Japanese-speaking community. Registration to hughespw at pitt.edu is required and requested by August 5.

"One of the worst films of the year," She's Just a Shadow, in Pittsburgh from August 2 through 9.

2019's She's Just a Shadow, filmed and set in Tokyo, will play at the Parkway Theater from August 2 through 9. From a July New York Times review:

Shot in Tokyo and with a mostly English-speaking Japanese cast and crew, this lurid blood bath centers on an impassive madam and her gaggle of under-occupied, over-embellished working girls. Two of these are vying for the addled attentions of a snaggletoothed gangster-addict whose boss controls the city’s sex trade and black markets. Not for much longer, however, if the madam and her poisonous mother have their way.

Pittsburgh Taiko beginner lessons, from August 18.

via @PittsburghTaiko

Pittsburgh Taiko, a local Japanese drumming group, will again offers its beginner lessons from August 18.

Over the course of the four-week series, you will learn basic movements and techniques used to play taiko.

Each week, we will do some calisthenics and drills, work on improving skills, and learn some simple taiko repertoire.

Drumsticks will be provided, as will earplugs (although you’re welcome to bring your own if you have some).

This beginner series is designed for adults and students in high school or older.

No experience is necessary!

There are four sessions on four Sundays, from August 18 through September 8, at 2 North Balph Ave. in Bellevue (map). The cost ranges from $20 to $40 for the series.

My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) in Pittsburgh, August 25, 26, 28.

The classic Japanese animated film My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) is will play in Pittsburgh on August 25, 26, and 28 as part of this year's GKIDS Studio Ghibli Fest. From a 2001 Roger Ebert review:

Miyazaki's films are above all visually enchanting, using a watercolor look for the backgrounds and working within the distinctive Japanese anime tradition of characters with big round eyes and mouths that can be as small as a dot or as big as a cavern. They also have an unforced realism in the way they notice details; early in ''Totoro,'' for example, the children look at a little waterfall near their home, and there on the bottom, unremarked, is a bottle someone threw into the stream.

The movie tells the story of two young sisters, Satsuki and Mei Kusakabe. As the story opens, their father is driving them to their new house, near a vast forest. Their mother, who is sick, has been moved to a hospital in this district. Now think about that. The film is about two girls, not two boys or a boy and a girl, as all American animated films would be. It has a strong and loving father, in contrast to the recent Hollywood fondness for bad or absent fathers. Their mother is ill; does illness exist in American animation?

It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. The August 25 and 28 shows are dubbed in English and the August 26 show is in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets are available online.

HCL Technologies hiring Bilingual Product Classification Analysts with proficiency in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian, or Vietnamese for onsite positions at Google in Pittsburgh

HCL Technologies is hiring Bilingual Product Classification Analysts with proficiency in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian, or Vietnamese for onsite positions at Google in Pittsburgh.

Bilingual Product Classification Analyst is a full-time job through HCL America onsite at Google Pittsburgh. This position enhances users’ online shopping experience by performing in-depth research, determining product taxonomy expansion, and improving machine learning classification using highly technical internal tools and processes. It is part of a fast-paced environment, partnering closely with operations and engineering teams.

BTS's Bring the Soul: The Movie in Pittsburgh, from August 7.

The latest BTS concert movie Bring the Soul will play in Pittsburgh from August 7.

On the day following the final concert of their Europe tour, on a rooftop in Paris, BTS tells their very own stories from experiencing new cities to performing in front of thousands of ARMY across the globe. A glimpse into BTS’ world away from the stage, featuring intimate group discussions alongside spectacular concert performances from the tour, this is a cinema event not to be missed.

It will play locally at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and Robinson on August 7, and at the AMC Loews Waterfront from August 7th through 11th.

Chinese calligraphy workshop downtown, August 3.

"Chinese calligrapher," by David Boté Estrada (Creative Commons).

The downtown branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host a Chinese calligraphy workshop on August 3.

A Chinese calligraphy expert will show us pictures of her home in China, give background on the art of calligraphy, and lead a Chinese calligraphy workshop for all ages! No registration is necessary for these sessions. Seating for all workshops is available to 20 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. You’ll want to come early to be sure you MAKE it on time.

The event runs from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. The Downtown & Business branch is located at 612 Smithfield St. (map).

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

via @japangov

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will continue to offer free Chinese, Japanese, and Korean classes at some of its branches this August. 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.

Stray Kids' "Miroh" at next K-pop Dance Class, August 3.

The weekly K-pop Dance Class at Yanlai Dance Academy will do Stray Kids' "Miroh" for its ninth meeting on August 3. 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).

New restoration of 2002 Satoshi Kon film Millennium Actress (千年女優) in Pittsburgh, August 13 and 19.

The 2002 Satoshi Kon film Millennium Actress (千年女優) will play in Pittsburgh on August 13 and August 19. 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.

The August 13 shows will be in Japanese with English subtitles and the August 19 shows will be dubbed in English. The Japanese-language version will play locally at the Southside Works Cinema and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, the North Hills and Robinson, while the dubbed version will play at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online.

The Farewell opens August 1 in Pittsburgh.

The Farewell, the new movie starring Awkwafina and Tzi Ma, will play in Pittsburgh from August 1. From the distributor:

In this funny, uplifting tale based on an actual lie, Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi (Awkwafina) reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that, although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself. To assure her happiness, they gather under the joyful guise of an expedited wedding, uniting family members scattered among new homes abroad. As Billi navigates a minefield of family expectations and proprieties, she finds there’s a lot to celebrate: a chance to rediscover the country she left as a child, her grandmother’s wondrous spirit, and the ties that keep on binding even when so much goes unspoken. With The Farewell, writer/director Lulu Wang has created a heartfelt celebration of both the way we perform family and the way we live it, masterfully interweaving a gently humorous depiction of the good lie in action with a richly moving story of how family can unite and strengthen us, often in spite of ourselves.

It will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront from August 1 and at the Squirrel Hill Manor from August 2, and tickets are available online. The AMC Loews Waterfront 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. The Squirrel Hill Manor Theater is located at 1729 Murray Ave. (map).