Korean cyclists raising awareness of "comfort women" in US bike tour to pass through Pittsburgh this summer.

Last year's riders in Pittsburgh, via 3A Project.

A pair of Korean cyclists touring the US to raise awareness of "comfort women" will again pass through Pittsburgh this summer, according to a press release yesterday.

Two South Korean college students will set out on a trans-American bicycle ride this week, seeking to boost global awareness of Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II.

The students — 25-year-old Baek Hyun-jae and 22-year-old Lee Ho-jun — recently arrived in Los Angeles with their bicycles ahead of their ambitious bid to cross the United States on bike in 80 days.

"The Ishomotos [sic] staying at Gusky Orphnanage Are Very Nice People."

This photograph from the August 20, 1945 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shows members of two Japanese-American families gathered inside a temporary internment facility on the Northside. The Gusky Orphanage---razed in 1950---was used to house Japanese-Americans as they transitioned between detention centers. The two families here, the Fujiharas and the Ishimotos, were the subject of a couple profiles in their day.

Pitt's Dept. of East Asian Languages & Literatures hiring undergraduate research assistant to work on Japanese course.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is hiring an undergraduate research assistant, a rephrasing of the website development positions posted earlier this month.

The University of Pittsburgh is seeking an Undergraduate Research Assistant. The prospective student will assist in the development of content for a web-based teaching and learning resource about the Japanese work Tale of the Heike. Specific duties will include: generating text based on existing materials; searching for images to use on the site; proofreading text on the site, cross-checking references, and identifying problems with links on the resource.

Successful applicant will be familiar with Japanese literature; have good research and writing skills; be able to perform general research in Japanese.

Monroeville-based Prop Ocean hiring Chinese-speaking Market Development / Product Salesman (市场拓展/产品推销员).

Monroeville-based Prop Ocean Co. has another opening for a Chinese-speaking Market Development / Product Salesman (市场拓展/产品推销员).

Prop Ocean公司是上海知名大型物流公司在美设立的分公司,现需要拓展在北美市场的外贸业务,招聘一名市场拓展专员。

要求与职责:

• 公司业务策划案的实施及产品发展(有潜力在美销售或在中销售的中/美国产品)
• 分析,规整和设计现有商业逻辑并以理解性语言解释给国内的同事及高层
• 确定公司的定位,推行有竞争力的营销手段,运用各方资源推广公司形象,突出产品
• 与国内及北美团队携手合作,提出针对北美市场的建议性意见。适当合理安排其他事宜,如产品培训,举办活动,社交活动等
• 领导协调各方部门成员间的事项,产品调研至推广阶段全程与其他部门同事保持沟通交流,确保问题被解决

United Edu Steward & Solutions hiring bilingual Mandarin-English International Student Coordinator for Pittsburgh office.

United Edu Steward & Solutions is hiring a bilingual Mandarin-English International Student Coordinator for Pittsburgh office.

UESS (United Edu Steward & Solutions) now recruiting one coordinator in Pittsburgh, PA

Details as follow :

--Position : International Student coodinator

--Office Hours: Flexible, Responding to work tasks immediately

--Education Background : Bachelor degree or above

--Language Requirements: Fluent in standard mandarin and fluent in English

--Driving Licence: Valid U.S. driver license and the good driving record is required

--Others: No gender limitation. United States study background is prefer

--Job Responsibilities: Responsible for the students learning and life matters of UESS. Include but not limited to communicate with the schools, find suitable host family for students, and communicate with the students host families. Provide airport pick up service for students, visit the student and urge students to learn regularly , communicate with parents for students everything.

"Storytime: Japanese and English" at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, June 19.

The next installment of the monthly program "Storytime: Japanese and English" will take place on June 19 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).

Taemin's "Move" at this weekend's K-pop Class, June 16.

The weekly K-pop Class at Yanlai Dance Academy will do Taemin's "Move" on June 16th. 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).

Nakama, Sesame Inn again voted Best Japanese and Best Chinese places in the city by Pittsburgh Magazine readers.

The results of Pittsburgh Magazine's "Best of the 'Burgh" readers poll were announced today, with perennial winners Nakama and Sesame Inn again taking Best Japanese / Sushi and Best Chinese categories, respectively.

I joke about the results each year, saying that Nakama gets voted Best Japanese in Pittsburgh by Pittsburghers who don't know anything about Japanese food. However, in large part the design of the survey itself produce these results; when voting was open this spring the three nominees for "Best Chinese" were Sesame Inn, China Palace, and Jimmy Wan's, a list that ignores the bevy of new Chinese restaurants that have opened in the last few years.

Tanabata (Japanese star festival) at Carnegie Museum of Art, July 7.

"Sendai Tanabata," by Vanessa Smith (Creative Commons).

The Carnegie Museum of Art will host a Tanabata on July 7.

Celebrate the ones you love! Tanabata is a traditional Japanese day of celebration based on folklore surrounding the meeting of two lovers kept apart all but once per year. The day is a colorful and festive affair with fun for all!

The entire family can visit our Japanese print exhibition Hiroshige’s Tōkaidō Road, make a print to take home, add wishes to the Wish Trees, participate in a decoration contest, enjoy traditional music, create origami cranes, and sample Japanese cuisine in our courtyard.

It runs concurrent to the Hiroshige’s Tōkaidō Road exhibit, on display through July 22. The event is free with admission ($19.95 for adults, $11.95 for students with valid ID and children 3 to 18). The museum 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.

1994 Isao Takahata film Pom Poko (平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ) in Pittsburgh, from June 17.

The 1994 Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko (平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters for the first time since 2010 as part of this year's GKIDS Studio Ghibli Fest, from June 17. A summary from the distributor:

In this brilliant and often overlooked Studio Ghibli masterpiece from Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Isao Takahata, the forests are filled with groups of magical tanuki, mischievous raccoon-like animals from Japanese folklore that are capable of shape-shifting from their standard raccoon form to practically any object.

The tanuki spend their days playing idly in the hillsides and squabbling over food – until the construction of a huge new Tokyo suburb clears the nearby forest and threatens their way of life. In an effort to defend their home, the tanuki learn to transform into humans and start playing tricks to make the workers think the construction site is haunted, ending in a spectacular night-time spirit parade, with thousands of ghosts, dragons and other magical creatures descending on the city — in an abundance of fantastical characters that would not be matched on screen by Studio Ghibli until Spirited Away.

The film will play at Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. The June 17 and June 20 screenings will be dubbed in English, while the June 18 screenings will be subtitled.