Pitt hiring part-time Japanese teacher for Summer 2020 start.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is hiring a part-time Japanese instructor for a Summer 2020 start.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures seeks a part-time instructor of Japanese Language starting Summer Term 2020. Instructors must have a bachelor’s degree and experience teaching Japanese conversation classes at University level more than one year. Native speakers of Japanese are preferred. Duties include teaching recitation sections. Interested applicants should remit a CV and cover letter. The position will be filled as soon as qualified candidates are found.

The Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences is committed to building and fostering a culturally diverse environment. Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills and ability to work effectively with a wide range of individuals in support of a diverse community are required.

Those interested can apply online.

Nicole Chung at City of Asylum, May 11.

via nicolechung.net

Pittsburgh's City of Asylum will host Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know, on May 11 as part of its Memoir Series. A summary of the book, from Chung's official site:

What does it mean to lose your roots—within your culture, within your family—and what happens when you find them?

Nicole Chung was born severely premature, placed for adoption by her Korean immigrant parents, and raised by a white family in a sheltered Oregon town. From early childhood, she heard the story of her adoption as a comforting, prepackaged myth. She believed that her biological parents had made the ultimate sacrifice in the hopes of giving her a better life; that forever feeling slightly out of place was simply her fate as a transracial adoptee. But as she grew up—facing prejudice her adoptive family couldn’t see, finding her identity as an Asian American and a writer, becoming ever more curious about where she came from—she wondered if the story she’d been told was the whole truth.

With warmth, candor, and startling insight, Chung tells of her search for the people who gave her up, which coincided with the birth of her own child. All You Can Ever Know is a profound, moving chronicle of surprising connections and the repercussions of unearthing painful family secrets—vital reading for anyone who has ever struggled to figure out where they belong.

The event runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at Alphabet City on the North Side (map). It's free, but tickets are required and are available online.

Kuniko Yamamoto and "Origami Tales" in Pittsburgh, May 14 - 17.

Kuniko Yamamoto and "Origami Tales" will be in Pittsburgh from May 14 to 17 as part of the EQT Children's Festival.

Welcome to the infinite world of Origami! In Japanese, ori- means "to fold" and -gami means "paper". Using origami, music and audience participation, storyteller Kuniko Yamamoto provides a magical entry into Japanese culture. In her show Origami Tales, mythological character masks and puppets, amazing flowers and a dragon – all made from origami – set the stage while Kuniko shares heartfelt stories from ancient Japan. Expect boundless imagination out of simple paper folding and an uplifting world of storytelling.

The performances will take place at the Trust Arts Education Center in the Cultural District (map). Tickets are available online.

Vietnamese movie Song Lang in Pittsburgh, April 30.

The 2018 Vietnamese movie Song Lang will play in Pittsburgh on April 30, hosted by ReelQ at the City of Asylum. A Hollywood Reporter review provides an overview:

In Vietnamese musical culture, the song lang is a percussion instrument used in modern folk opera cai luong. The idea is that its rhythms not only guide the opera, but also the musician, down a moral path in life. The words literally translate to “two men.” That instrument provides the philosophical backbone of writer-director Leon Le’s low-key Song Lang, set in the world of cai luong theater and contemplating a good deal more than simply a tragic, non-starter romance. Delving into suppressed artistic drive, abandonment and karma, Le’s debut could be described as a uniquely Vietnamese hybrid of Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love and Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise.

Though the film has been kicking around for a while, its precise production design, palpable mood and beautifully understated yearning should keep it on both the LGBTQ and Asian festival circuits for the foreseeable future, and its intimate tone will make it an ideal addition to streaming services.

The movie starts at 7:00 pm at Alphabet City on the North Side (map). It's free and open to the pubic, though tickets are required and can be reserved online.

Black and white version of Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) at Row House Cinema, February 21 - 27.

The black and white version of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning Parasite (기생충) premiered widely on February 7 and will play in Pittsburgh at the Row House Cinema from February 21 - 27.

Tickets now available for Pittsburgh premiere of 2019 Chinese animated film White Snake (白蛇：缘起), March 3.

Tickets are now available the Pittsburgh premiere of the 2019 Chinese animated film White Snake (白蛇：缘起) on March 3 at the Row House Cinema. The distributor writes:

From Light Chaser Animation, one of China’s premiere animation studios, comes a visually stunning new take on a classic legend. One day a young woman named Blanca is saved by Xuan, a snake catcher from a nearby village. She has lost her memory, and together they go on a journey to discover her real identity, developing deeper feelings for one another along the way. But as they learn more about her past, they uncover a darker plot of supernatural forces vying for power, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Conceived as a prequel to one of the most ancient and enduring stories in Chinese history, White Snake presents a sumptuous tale of trickster demons, deadly mythical beasts, assassins, wuxia action, and the promise of eternal love.

The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

2019 Masaaki Yuasa film Ride Your Wave (きみと、波にのれたら) in Pittsburgh, February 19.

The 2019 Masaaki Yuasa film Ride Your Wave (きみと、波にのれたら) will play in Pittsburgh on February 19. From the distributor:

From visionary director Masaaki Yuasa (The Night is Short, Walk on Girl, Devilman Crybaby) comes a deeply emotional new film that applies his trademark visual ingenuity to a tale of romance, grief and self-discovery.

Hinako is a surf-loving college student who has just moved to a small seaside town. When a sudden fire breaks out at her apartment building, she is rescued by Minato, a handsome firefighter, and the two soon fall in love. Just as they become inseparable, Minato loses his life in an accident at sea. Hinako is so distraught that she can no longer even look at the ocean, but one day she sings a song that reminds her of their time together, and Minato appears in the water. From then on, she can summon him in any watery surface as soon as she sings their song, but can the two really remain together forever? And what is the real reason for Minato’s sudden reappearance?

It will play locally at the Cinemark theater in Monroeville in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets are available online.

Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) stays in Pittsburgh through (at least) February 20.

The Oscar-winning 2019 Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) will keep playing throughout the Pittsburgh region through at least February 13. A synopsis from the movie's official site:

Bong Joon Ho brings his singular mastery home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairytale.

Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. By turns darkly hilarious and heart-wrenching, PARASITE showcases a modern master at the top of his game.

Here is a list of currently-scheduled screenings:

• AMC Mt. Lebanon: now through February 19
• AMC Loews Waterfront: now through February 19
• Cinemark Pittsburgh Mills: now through February 19
• Cinemark Robinson: now through February 19
• Squirrel Hill Manor: now through February 20
• Tull Family Theater: now through February 20
• Southside Works Cinema: now through February 20

BTS coffee at Panda.

Squirrel Hill's Panda Supermarket advertised one of its latest arrivals: Cold Brew coffee by Babinski featuring BTS members. Only four are on display now---RM, Jung Kook, Jin, Suga---but others may be on the way. Full sets are also seem to be available online.

Happy Home Buffet closed for renovations until March.

Happy Home Buffet on McKnight Road has recently closed for renovations until March, a sign out front reports. The goings-on of Asian buffets are usually not remarkable, but it has been a rough few years in Pittsburgh with several large restaurants closing: including Tokyo Sushi Buffet and TJ Buffet at this McKnight Road location; Old Town Buffet (formerly Misaki) on Route 51; Dynasty in Cranberry; and Sushi Cho (formerly York Buffet) in Robinson.

This closure is also not related to the Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh; the host restaurant of the JAGP's annual New Year's party has, coincidentally, often closed shortly thereafter, including Golden Palace in Robinson, Misaki and Old Town Buffet in the South Hills, and Tokyo Sushi Buffet in the North Hills.