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.

Fuku Tea to open second Oakland location.

Via Margittai Architects.

Fuku Tea will open a second Oakland location at 300 S. Craig St. (map). Plans have been in the works for months and the space was cleared when Razzy Fresh frozen yogurt closed at the spot on August 31. The owners of the popular bubble tea spot also run Sushi Fuku, which has one of its three locations on the same street.

NPR profiles Yummyholic and Jasmine Cho.

National Public Radio (NPR)'s "The Salt" profiled Jasmine Cho and her Yummyholic brand on August 31.

Jasmine Cho knows the power of a good cookie. "Cookies," she says, "can make anything more palatable." Including conversations about race and social justice in America.

A baker based in Pittsburgh, Cho creates intricate, hand-drawn cookie portraits of Asian-American figures as a way to increase representation and raise awareness of Asian-American history and identity.

Oishii Donburi, from the team behind Oishii Bento, coming soon to Lawrenceville.

Via Margittai Architects.

Oishii Donburi is coming soon to 5227 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map). The company, founded in 2017 by the people behind Oishii Bento, purchased the former Design Island spot in May 2018.

2019 film Promare (プロメア) in Pittsburgh, September 17 and 19.

The 2019 Japanese animated film Promare (プロメア) will play in Pittsburgh on September 17. The distributor summarizes:

The first feature-length film from the acclaimed studio TRIGGER, creators of the hit series KILL la KILL and Little Witch Academia, and director Hiroyuki Imaishi (GURREN LAGANN, KILL la KILL), Promare uses a bold cel-shaded visual style to tell a blistering action-adventure story, and is the spiritual successor to many of director Imaishi’s former works.

Thirty years has passed since the appearance of Burnish, a race of flame-wielding mutant beings, who destroyed half of the world with fire. When a new group of aggressive mutants calling themselves “Mad Burnish” appears, the epic battle between Galo Thymos, a new member of the anti-Burnish rescue team “Burning Rescue,” and Lio Fotia, the leader of “Mad Burnish” begins.

It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and AMC South Hills Village, Southside Works Cinema, and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and Robinson. The September 17 shows are dubbed in English while the September 19 ones are in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets are available online.

The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) in Pittsburgh, September 29 and 30.

The 2010 Studio Ghibli film The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) will play in Pittsburgh on September 29 and 30 as part of this year's GKIDS Ghibli Fest.

From the creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award®-nominated director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, comes a gorgeous and adventure-filled adaptation of The Borrowers, one of the most beloved children’s books of all time.

In a secret world hidden beneath the floorboards, little people called Borrowers live out of sight of humans. But when brave and tiny Arrietty is out gathering supplies, she is discovered by Shawn, a human boy, and they begin to form a friendship that blossoms into an extraordinary adventure.

It plays at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, Robinson, and Pittsburgh Mills. The September 29 screenings are dubbed in English while the September 30 ones are in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets are available online.

Pad Thai Noodle now open on N. Craig St. in Oakland.

via Pad Thai Noodle

Pad Thai Noodle recently opened at 256 N. Craig St. in Oakland (map), in what was formerly a series of Vietnamese restaurants. Signage went up shortly after Tan Lac Vien Express announced its closure on July 3.

"Storytime: Chinese and English" in Squirrel Hill, September 7.

via Ed Massery.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branch in Squirrel Hill will hold its next "Storytime: Chinese and English" on Saturday, August 24.

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.

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

via Khun Hans Photography (Creative Commons)

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

2019 Korean Music Festival, November 16 at University of Pittsburgh.

The 2019 Korean Music Festival will be held on November 16 in Oakland. Presented by the Korean Association of Greater Pittsburgh and the Korean Heritage Room, it will begin at 7:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium on the University of Pittsburgh's campus (map). Tickets are $10 for adults, free for students and children, and half-price for guests dressed in hanbok. For more information, please contact 310-909-3280.

Linda Sue Park in Pittsburgh, March 2020.

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will host children's author Linda Sue Park on March 1, 2020.

Linda Sue Park is the author of more than two dozen books for young readers, including picture books, middle-grade and young-adult novels, short stories, and poetry. Among her titles are the 2002 Newbery Medal winner A Single Shard, and the New York Times-bestseller A Long Walk to Water. Along with Meg Medina and Grace Lin, Linda serves on the Advisory Board for We Need Diverse Books, a non-profit that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry.

Linda comes to Pittsburgh with Prairie Lotus, a compelling, emotionally engaging novel set in 1880, a half-Chinese girl and her white father try to make a home in Dakota Territory, in the face of racism and resistance to change.

The event starts at 2:30 pm at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall in Oakland (map) and will be followed by a book signing. Tickets are now available online.

Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh fall picnic, September 7.

The Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh (ピッツバーグ日本協会) will hold its annual fall picnic on September 7 in O'Hara Township. Details and registration information are available on the JAGP's website.

"Shakespeare in Tokyo" at Pittsburgh Reel Abilities Film Festival, September 4.

The Australian short film "Shakespeare in Tokyo" will play at the Reel Abilities Film Festival on September 4..

An Australian Shakespeare fan with Down Syndrome, sets off on a solo adventure to discover Tokyo in order to get away from his over-bearing older brother.

The 21-minute film is part of the opening night of the Reel Abilities Film Festival. The night starts at 7:00 pm at the Southside Works Cinema and tickets are available online. Southside Works Cinema is located at 425 Cinema Drive in the Southside, one block from the Hot Metal Bridge (map).

Mike Chen at Pitt, September 3.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Student Alliance will bring YouTuber Mike Chen to Pitt on September 3.

Mike Chen is a Chinese American YouTuber who runs several different channels on the platform. His fame stems from the channel, Beyond Science, and out of all of his beloved channels, he is now best known for one of his food channels, Strictly Dumpling where he expresses his love for food from all over the world.

Tickets are free for Pitt students and $6 for everyone else. Doors open at 7 and the event starts at 7:30 in the William Pitt Union's Assembly Room (map).

"Celebrating The Relationship Between Pittsburgh And Japan Through Garden Design," September 9 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and Humanities Center will present "Celebrating The Relationship Between Pittsburgh And Japan Through Garden Design" with Shunsaku Miyagi on September 9.

Prof. Shunsaku Miyagi (University of Tokyo) is one of Japan's most eminent landscape architects. He is also the representative director of the Byodoin Temple, a temple in Kyoto that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and so important in Japan that an image of it is on the back of every 10-yen coin. Trained and educated in the US and Japan, his guiding philosophy is "Life is Design Itself." He will discuss Japanese gardens and connecting Pittsburgh and Japan through landscape design.

It starts at 4:30 pm in room 602 of the Cathedral of Learning (map) and is free and open to the public.

New 3D-animated Chinese movie Ne Zha (哪吒之魔童降世) in Pittsburgh, from August 29.

The new 3D animated Chinese film Ne Zha (哪吒之魔童降世) will play in Pittsburgh from August 29. From the distributor:

A young boy, Nezha, is birthed from a heavenly pearl by the Primeval Lord of Heaven. Born with unique powers, Nezha finds himself as an outcast who is hated and feared. Destined by prophecy to bring destruction to the world, the young boy must choose between good and evil in order to break the shackles of fate and become the hero.

It is the highest-grossing Chinese animated film of all time. It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater and tickets are available online. 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.

Night Market Gourmet coming soon to Oakland.

Even more signage is up for Night Market Gourmet, which will replace Top Shabu Shabu at 114 Atwood St. in Oakland (map). Its new sign, like the sign before it, resembles the pizza shape leftover from Pizza Sola, which had the space until 2014.

K-pop lecture at Pitt, September 5.

The University of Pittsburgh Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Suk-Young Kim and her keynote speech on K-pop on September 5 to kick off the start of its Asia Pop course this term.

The Asian Studies Center is pleased to present our new Asia Pop Series where we explore a different facet of Asian popular culture. In this first year, we will focus on the global legacy of Asian popular music including K-pop, Idol Pop, Canto and Mando Pop.

The talk starts at 5:30 pm in 125 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium.

Pitt suspends its Confucius Institute.

The University of Pittsburgh has suspended its Confucius Institute.

The University of Pittsburgh has joined a growing list of American universities that have shuttered a Chinese language and culture program sponsored by the Chinese government.

Ariel Armony, Pitt’s vice provost for global affairs and director of the University Center for International Studies, said the university closed its Confucius Institute after the U.S. State Department issued “unwelcome and unexpected” guidance regarding the visas of 15 Chinese scholars who were scheduled to travel to Pittsburgh this fall to operate the program.

A Pitt spokesman said the university was informed it was out of compliance with J-1 visa regulations regarding interns at the Confucius Institute and was not able to make modifications in time for the fall semester.

"Building Asia," September 4 at Pitt.

via tokyoform.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Maohong Bao and his talk "Building Asia" on September 4.

The steel industry has historically held a central place in the development of all modern industrial economies. Supporting the rise of East Asia in the postwar world, the rise of resource import-dependent steel industries in Japan, Korea and China has emerged alongside export-oriented mining industries in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India and South Africa, etc., and steel products exported to the rest of world. These processes formed the global production network of East Asia’s iron and steel industry. This talk will address its global environmental history from four aspects: The development of iron and steel industry in postwar East Asia; East Asia’s iron ore and coal import and the environmental impacts of resource extraction in the producing areas; environmental consequences of iron processing in East Asia; East Asia’s Steel product export and its recycling in the consuming areas.

The talk runs from 12:00 to 1:30 in 4430 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

The Farewell continues in Pittsburgh through August 29, resumes September 6.

The Farewell, which opened in Pittsburgh on August 1, will continue at local theaters through August 29 and will resume at the Row House Cinema from September 6. 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 plays at the Waterworks Cinema, the AMC in Mt. Lebanon, the Squirrel Hill Manor, and the Tull Family Theater in Sewickley through Wednesday and remains at the latter two on Thursday. Tickets are available online. It will then play at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville from September 6 through 12 as part of the Amazing New Directors series.