Former Pittsburgh Pirate Kris Johnson wins Sawamura Award as Japan's top pitcher.

Kris Johnson, who pitched briefly for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013, won the Eiji Sawamura Award today as Japan's top pitcher in 2016.

HOW: Hands-On Workshop Series—Chinese Paper Cutting with Tiantian, at Carnegie Library Oakland, November 1.

Chinese paper cut, by hto2008 (Creative Commons).

The Carnegie Library in Oakland will host Hands-On Workshop Series, Chinese Paper Cutting with Tiantian on November 1.

Join us for HOW, a series of hands-on workshops for adults and teens. Learn from skilled craftspeople. Dig in and try things out in a creative, supportive environment. Join us for one or all of these free programs. Materials provided.

In China, the ancient art of paper cutting is used in festivals to symbolize good luck. Join us to make your own decorative cut-out.

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 is free and open to the public. Carnegie Library's main branch is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map).

2008 Chinese movie If You Are The One (非诚勿扰) at Maridon Museum, October 27.

The 2008 Chinese romantic comedy If You Are The One (非诚勿扰) will play at the Maridon Museum on October 27 as the third installment of its Chinese Film Series.

Shaolin Warriors at Byham Theater, March 21.

The Shaolin Warriors, a touring martial arts group from China, will perform in Pittsburgh on March 21, 2017. The Byham Theater summarizes (inadvertently revealing a copy-paste from another theater's site):

In this all-new, fully choreographed theatrical production, the Shaolin Warriors bring remarkable skill, stunning movement, and death-defying martial-arts prowess to the Popejoy stage. The Zen Buddhist monks of the Shaolin temple begin training at a very young age in mental and physical disciplines. They perfect the art of hand-to-hand and weapons combat, performing feats live on stage typically seen only in the movies.

Tickets start at $25 and are available online. The theater is located at 101 6th St. in the Cultural District (map).

Pitt hiring Assistant Instructor of Chinese for 2017-18 school year.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is hiring an Assistant Instructor of Chinese for the 2017-18 school year. An excerpt from the job posting:

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures of the University of Pittsburgh seeks one full-time, one-year contract (renewable) assistant instructor for the Chinese language program, for appointment beginning August 28, 2017, pending budgetary approval. Duties include teaching both recitations and lectures of language courses, as well as working closely with the language coordinator to contribute to the overall effectiveness of the Chinese language program. Applicants should send a letter of application, CV, three letters of reference (one letter should comment explicitly on the candidate’s teaching ability), a statement of teaching philosophy in both Chinese and English, representative samples of narrative and quantitative teaching evaluations, transcripts from the last university attended, and an unedited video of teaching beginning students (DVD or a URL of the video). Priority screening will be given to applications received on or before December 9, 2016

The successful candidate will possess native or near-native proficiency in both Chinese and English, hold an MA degree in Chinese language pedagogy, foreign language pedagogy, or a related field, and have at least one year experience teaching Chinese at the college level in a North American institution.

Preference will be given to candidates who possess linguistic knowledge of the Chinese language, and who demonstrate familiarity with theories in second language acquisition and current practices in Chinese pedagogy in North American higher education settings.

Ki Ramen pop-up event Ramen in the Market, October 24 in Market Square.

Ki Ramen, coming soon to Lawrenceville, is holding a pop-up event on October 24, "Ramen in the Market".

Monday, October 24th starting at 5 and going till 10pm Ki Ramen is popping up at the incredible Market St. Grocery in downtown Pittsburgh.

Chef Roger Li (Umami) and Domenic Branduzzi’s (Piccolo Forno, Grapperia) first pop event in a series of events leading up to the launch of their new culinary venture that is Ki Ramen.

Ki Ramen is a first of it’s kind ramen restaurant that celebrates influences from the backgrounds of both Chef Roger Li and Domenic Branduzzi resulting in ramen dishes that bring house-made noodles and broths together for soulful flavors that you can’t experience anywhere else.

Market Street Grocery is located at 435 Market St. downtown (map), accessible with a short walk by numerous buses that run downtown (including 28X, 61 series, 67, 69, and 71 series).

Miss Hokusai (百日紅) and Assistant Curator at Carnegie Museum of Art Akemi May, October 28 at Row House Cinema.

On October 28 at the Row House Cinema, Assistant Curator Akemi May will give a presentation on Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, the subject of the new animated film Miss Hokusai (百日紅) making its Pittsburgh debut at the Lawrenceville theater.

North Korean film festival at Pitt, November 18 and 19.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present a North Korean film festival on November 18 and 19 at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium and the University Club. The four films tentatively scheduled are: An Emissary Unreturned (돌아오지 않은 밀사), Fate of Kum Hui and Un Hui (금희와 은희의 운명), Flower Girl (꽃파는 처녀), and Pulgasari (불가사리).

Nakama again "Best Japanese Restaurant" Pittsburgh City-Paper readers' poll; Sesame Inn unseated as "Best Chinese".

The Pittsburgh City-Paper released the results of its Best of Pittsburgh readers' poll and Nakama was again named "Best Japanese Restaurant". It is a near-perennial winner in the City-Paper poll, earning the most votes in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Umami and Umi placed second and third, respectively. Umami, which opened in April, was voted "Best Sushi" in the city.

Shadyside's China Palace was voted "Best Chinese" in the city, with Bloomfield's Wai Wai placing third. Sesame Inn and its four locations placed second, the first time in the poll's decade-plus history that it has not placed first.

Miss Hokusai (百日紅) at Row House Cinema, October 21 - 31

The Row House Cinema will show the 2016 Japanese animated filim Miss Hokusai (百日紅) from October 21 through 31 as part of it's Halloween movie series.