Brian Ashcraft

The Real-World Final Fantasy XIV Wedding Plan Sure Is Incredible

Square Enix previously announced that there would be a real-world Final Fantasy XIV-themed wedding plan offered in Japan. Now, we have a better look at the ceremony and wow, is it something. According to Famitsu, reservations are now being taken for couples to get hitched Final Fantasy style. As Kotaku reported earlier this year, the ceremony…

Osaka Castle. 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: Tori to Hebi to Buta | Artist: Ringo Sheena | Album: Sandokushi Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

How The China-USA Trade War Could Impact Game Hardware

During the 1980s and 90s, Nintendo made its game consoles in Japan. Now, they are made in China and could get more expensive for American consumers. Since late January of last year, the US and China have been in a trade war. As The New York Times reports, the Trump administration has plans to tax…

The Problem With Names In Japanese And In English

Yesterday, Japan’s foreign minister asked the English-language media to write Japanese family names first, as done in Japanese. This would change how Japanese names are typically written in English. For example, famed animator Hayao Miyazaki is Miyazaki Hayao in Japanese, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto is Miyamoto Shigeru and Prime Minister Shizo Abe is Abe Shinzo.…

Delicious Meal. Kyoto, Japan. By ShuYung Wu. 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: Shape Of My Heart (My Songs Version) | Artist: Sting | Album: My Songs Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Tokyo DisneySea Is Getting A New Area Called Fantasy Springs

Is Tokyo DisneySea the best Disney Park? Perhaps! It’s going to get better—and bigger. NHK and Mainichi News report that construction has started for a DisneySea expansion known as Fantasy Springs. It will have three areas based on Peter Pan, Tangled and Frozen. There will also be three restaurants and a new hotel.  “We’d like…

Sega’s Judgment Going Back On Sale In Japan

This past March, actor and musician Pierre Taki, who voiced yakuza Kyohei Hamura in Judgment, was arrested for alleged illegal drug use. Sega decided to cease sales of the game in Japan. It will go back on sale this July with another actor playing Hamura. Kotaku previously posted a screenshot of the new Hamura. Voice…

Akihabara Recreated As Realistic Miniature Diorama

Tokyo’s geek mecca of Akihabara has been reproduced perfectly on a small scale. This is the work of Chiba Keizai University’s model building club, which recently displayed its impressive diorama. The detail is incredible. Excellent work!

Kiyomizudera. Kyoto, Japan. By ShuYung Wu. 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: You Are Mother F**ker (Note: Probably NSFW!) | Artist: The Lethal Weapons | Album: Back To The 80’s Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Misleading Scantily-Clad Cosplayer Allegations Lead To Arrest In China

Earlier this month, the third annual World Line Comic-Con got underway in Chengdu, Sichuan province. On Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, a net user called Yi er Zai, zai er San, De zai san (loosely “Again and Again Repeatedly”), claimed that cosplayers were barely dressed, posting photos as proof. The images were real, but they…

Iconic Japanese Anime Character Gets Creative Latte Art

In the Japanese children’s anime Anpanman, the titular hero’s head is made from a bun stuffed with bean paste. When Anpanman’s noggin gets damaged in the show, a new one is baked and switched out, reviving his powers. Anpanman is one of the most famous characters in Japan. Generation after generation has grown up with…

Man Arrested After Sending Idol A Death Threat By Fax

Today, a 24-year-old man named Kazuki Domoto was arrested for sending a fax threatening to kill pop idol Yuka Ogino. Domoto has confessed, there was “no mistake” that he sent the fax. Ogino is a member of the Niigata-based NGT48. BSN reports that a fax was sent to the group’s Niigata office from a convenience…

Sardine Run. Mactan Island, Cebu. By Mar.lin Chen | Instagram  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: Bittersweet Symphony (Live) | Artist: Richard Ashcroft | Album: Urban Hymns (The Verve) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

The Slayers Saga Will Continue

Slayers was one of the most iconic light novels of the 1990s, spawning manga, anime and video games. Good news! Creator Hajime Kanzaka is doing a third arc. Slayers is back! The news was made official in the latest issue of Dragon Magazine As ANN and SG Cafe point out, the first new Slayers volume…

Back in 2016, Mecha-Ude started out as a successful Kickstarter project from anime creator Okamoto of viral anime short 11:08 fame. The first episode is now on YouTube. You can watch it with subs right here.

Real-Life Pokémon Costume Inspires Leggy Fan Art

Iwate Prefecture in Japan recently selected Geodude as its official supporter, with the Rock Pokémon doing its best to promote the region. In the Pokémon games and anime, Geodude does not have legs, but its real-world cosplaying counterpart does. Unleash the fan art! Of course, we can see the cosplayer’s legs, but we’re supposed to…