2017 Japanese animated film Mary and the Witch's Flower (メアリと魔女の花) returns to Pittsburgh, February 24 and 26.

The 2017 Japanese animated film Mary and the Witch's Flower (メアリと魔女の花), which played throughout the Pittsburgh area in January, will return to local Cinemark theaters on February 24 and 26.

Chenrezig Sand Mandala design and construction at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, February 4 through 9.

The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts will host two Tibetan Lama from the Three Rivers Tibetan Cultural Center from February 4 through February 9 as they design and construct a Chenrezig Sand Mandala.

Tibetan Sand Mandala is a 2-D representation of a 3-D sacred space. Chenrezig is the Buddha of Compassion. On Friday the mandala is dissolved to allow the compassionate energy to be shared bringing the blessing of healing and peace to the world.

The construction of the sand mandala by venerable Lama Sonam and venerable Lama Kalsang is from 10am - 3:30pm everyday.

The opening ceremony is Monday, February 4, at 10:00 am, and the dissolving ceremony is February 9 at 12:00 noon. The Pittsburgh Center for the Ats is located at 6300 Fifth Ave in Shadyside (map). Admission is free but donations are welcomed.

Michael Sakamoto: Soil at Kelly Strayhorn Theater, March 9 and 10.

The Kelly Strayhorn Theater will present the "intercultural dance-theater work" Soil on March 9 and 10.

Soil is an intercultural dance-theater work conceived and directed by Michael Sakamoto and co-created with three performers who embody distinct traditions: Cambodian classical and contemporary dancer Chey Chankethya, Thai traditional and contemporary dancer Waewdao Sirisook, and Vietnamese-American contemporary dancer Nguyen Nguyen. Each of these performers’ personal histories chart humanitarian, social, and economic crises that have stemmed from colonialism, war, genocide, political turmoil and natural disaster in Southeast Asia.

Soil poses the question “Who am I?” in the context of a chaotic and globalizing transnational citizenry. Various dance forms and styles—including Western contemporary, Cambodian classical, Northern Thai traditional and folk, and butoh—are juxtaposed, remixed and revealed as rooted in the experience of everyday life as global citizens. Featuring original music by Reiko Imanishi and Shinichi Isohata.

Tickets for the 8:00 pm shows are pay-what-you-can. The Kelly Strayhorn Theater is located at 5941 Penn Ave. in East Liberty (map).

Traveling to Japan, March 1 at Northland Public Library.

"Osaka, Japan" by Pedro Szekely (Creative Commons).

Kana Komaki, who is hosting "Journey to Japan" on February 18 in Oakland, will present "Traveling to Japan" at Northland Public Library on March 1.

The Revolution will not be Televised: Protest Music After Fukushima, February 9 at Pitt.

On February 9 the University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Noriko Manabe of Temple University and a lecture based on her 2015 book The Revolution will not be Televised: Protest Music After Fukushima.

Asian Students Alliance AAPI Advocacy Week 2018, February 5 - 9 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Students Alliance will present its second annual AAPI Advocacy Week from February 5 through February 9. Events include advocacy workshops and a performance by LA-based rapper Dumbfoundead. Tickets for the Dumbfoundead performance on February 9 are free for Pitt students and $10 for others, and are available at the William Pitt Union Ticket Office.

UPMC hiring bilingual Chinese-English administrative assistant for Squirrel Hill office.

University of Pittsburgh Physicians is hiring a Chinese-English administrative assistant for its Squirrel Hill Family Practice office.

The University of Pittsburgh Physician's is seeking an Admin Assistant - Associate at our Squirrel Hill location! This individual will provide administrative support to the department and also all practicing professionals. Proficiency in both English and Chinese preferred. This is a Monday through Friday, daylight position. Apply today!!

HCL Technologies hiring Bilingual Japanese Product Analyst for position onsite at Google.

HCL Technologies is hiring a Bilingual Japanese Product Analyst for a position working onsite at Google in Larimer. The posting, via Monster.com:

Billingual Japanese Product Identity Analyst is a full-time job through HCL America, Inc. onsite at Google Pittsburgh. This position requires entrepreneurial drive to contribute to the long-term growth of online shopping by performing in-depth research, analyzing product specification data, using highly technical internal tools and processes to manage and enhance a large repository of knowledge about products. It is part of a fast-paced environment, partnering closely with operations and engineering teams.

2016 Japanese animated movie A Silent Voice (聲の形) returns to Pittsburgh with English dub, February 24.

The 2016 anime film A Silent Voice (聲の形), which opened in the US in October, will return to the Hollywood Theater in Dormont on February 24. A synopsis of the film from the distributor:

The story begins with a deaf elementary school girl named Shoko Nishimiya, who transfers to a new school and meets a boy named Shoya Ishida. Shoya, who is not deaf, leads the school in bullying Shoko over her disability. The bullying escalates, and so Shoko transfers to another school. Immediately, the class and even Shoya's closest friends, bully him for having bullied Shoko. Shoya loses contact with Shoko, and for years he suffers the consequences of his guilt. Upon entering high school, Shoya finally decides he must find Shoko, determined to make amends for what he did in elementary school and to become Shoko's friend. Along the way, he meets new and old faces, and struggles with many complicated relationships and feelings.

A 2:00 pm show will be dubbed in English, while the 4:30 pm show will have English subtitles; tickets for the latter are currently 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.

2017 Taiwanese dark comedy The Great Buddha+ (大佛普拉斯) in Pittsburgh, March 2 through 8.

The 2017 Taiwanese film The Great Buddha+ (大佛普拉斯) will play at the Regent Square Theater from March 2 through 8, Pittsburgh Filmmakers announced today. A November South China Morning Post review has a summary:

The debut feature from Taiwanese documentarian Huang Hsin-yao is an acerbic satire of small-town corruption that has earned awards attention, including 10 nominations (one for best picture) at this month’s Golden Horse Awards. The Great Buddha+ follows a pair of frustrated labourers who find themselves surrounded by businessmen and local officials throwing around more money than they could accumulate in a lifetime.

Pickle (Cres Chuang I-tseng) is a middle-aged security guard at a factory that makes bronze Buddha statues. Living with his ailing mother, his only pleasure comes from best friend Belly Button (Bamboo Chen Chu-sheng), a recycler who brings him leftover food each night and, if he’s lucky, an old porno magazine to help wile away the small hours.

One night, they decide to watch footage from the dash-cam in the Mercedes of Pickle’s wealthy boss, Kevin (Leon Dai Li-ren). In among numerous steamy encounters and grovelling phone calls, they uncover a dark secret that could change all of their lives.

Showtimes are available online, though tickets are only available for purchase at the door. The Regent Square Theater is located at 1035 S. Braddock Ave. (map) in the neighborhood of the same name.