Brian Ashcraft

The Underpass. Osaka, Japan. By Brian Ashcraft | Twitter JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

Track: Not The News | Artist: Thom Yorke | Album: ANIMA Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment. 

Parents Name Their Baby ‘Google’ After…Google

Baby names are important. If you need suggestions, you can always try Google. Or, as one Indonesian family did, you can skip the looking on Google and just name your kid after it. The Jakarta Post (via AsiaOne) reports that parents Ella Karina and Andi Cahya Saputra decided to name their son “Google.” Ella was…

This Huge Godzilla Collectible Is Only $600

Fans of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, listen up! Here is a new Godzilla statue, based on the King of the Monsters design, that measures 18.5 inches high and 38 inches long. According to Figsoku, the figure is slated for a November release in Japan. The highly detailed PVC statue lists for 66,000 yen ($611)…

Japan’s Bubble Tea Boom Is Creating Long Lines And Lots of Trash

You might call it bubble tea. You might call it boba tea. In Japan, it’s known as tapioca drink, or simply tapioca. And it’s taking over. Originally created in Taiwan, bubble tea first hit it big during the 1980s. According to TV show Matsuko no Shiranai Sekai SP, the drink first became popular in Japan…

Rays of Light. Zagreb, Croatia. By Denis Bučar.  JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

Track: Whispers | Artist: Ian Brown | Album: Music of the Spheres Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment. 

First Look At The New Death Note One-Shot Manga

Death Note ended in 2006, but manga artist Takeshi Obata is bringing it back for a one-shot manga. Obata collaborated with writer Tsugumi Ohba to create the manga back in 2003. At a new art exhibition celebrating Obata’s work, panels from the forthcoming manga were on display. One-shot manga are standalone releases and not serialized…

Stay In A Japanese Castle For Only $9,000 A Night

Starting next year, Ozu Castle in Ehime Prefecture will open its doors to tourists willing to cough up a cool 1 million yen ($9,250) per couple for a night’s stay. This is not the only castle in Japan that will begin offering accommodations next year. Ozu Castle was originally built in 1331. According to Nikkei,…

Angel Road. Shodoshima, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. By JC Fang. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

Track: Maps | Artist: Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Album: Fever To Tell  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment. 

When Yu-Gi-Oh! Meets Tokyo Fashion

Recently Tokyo high schooler Makocha was featured on the popular Tokyo Fashion Instagram account, wearing a hoodie, cutout pants, Dr. Martens, and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Have a closer look at Makocha’s outfit. Each card is a piece of Exodia the Forbidden One Makocha’s chain motif works well thematically with the cards.

What One Ton Of Manga Looks Like

Have you ever wondered what a ton of manga looks like? You know, as in 2,204.62 pounds (the “ton” that people pretty much everywhere outside the U.S. use) of manga. It looks like this, apparently. Twitter user Pekin-san has a collection of Weekly Jump manga spanning 30 years. Another Twitter user did the math, calculating…

Imabari Castle. Imabari, Ehime, Japan. By JC. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

The Nintendo Switch Lite Will Be Released On September 20

The Nintendo Switch Lite is a smaller handheld-only portable that will be released this fall. It is being described as a Nintendo Switch for those who just want to play on the go. The Lite will come in three colors: yellow, gray, and turquoise. Priced at $199.99, the Switch Lite is cheaper than the standard-issue…

Track: Movin’ On Without You (Live) | Artist: Utada Hikaru | Album: First Love  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment. 

Persona 5 is being turned into a stage play. Called Persona 5: The Stage (clever!), it will run this December in Tokyo and Osaka with actor Hiroki Ino starring. The full cast will be announced at a later date. 

Enormous Flight Simulator Installed In Tokyo Hotel

If you like airplanes, then this is the hotel for you. The Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu, which is connected to Terminal 2 of Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, will offer a room outfitted with a full-sized flight simulator. Fittingly, it’s called the “Superior Cockpit Room.” The cockpit is based on a Boeing 737-800. The hotel…

What ‘Hentai’ Actually Means

“Hentai is brilliant,” reads the title of a recent Guardian article about a British game show contestant who won a round with the word “hentai.” But what does “hentai” actually mean, and how has that meaning changed? Let’s dive into the word’s etymology! The Oxford Dictionary defines “hentai” as “A subgenre of the Japanese genres…

Morning Walk. Kyoto, Japan. By Brian Ashcraft | Twitter JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!