Brian Ashcraft

Senpai, Notice My Anime Sand Art 

At Ayaha High School in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, junior members of the tennis club celebrate their senpai’s graduations by making elaborate sand art. Notice it! As a show of respect, gratitude and well-wishing (probably some obligation, too!), each kouhai (後輩), or junior, works together to create these works, using only sand and negative space and…

A Touching Pokémon Tribute in GIF Form

Here we are, celebrating Pokémon’s 20th anniversary. The best tribute I’ve seen so far is this GIF made by Japanese Twitter user Memi. It’s beautiful. Thanks, Roy for the tip! To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter@Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing…

Japanese TV Meets Shuhei Yoshida, Thinks He’s Just Some Guy 

Recently in Tokyo, the mainstream Japanese media attended an exhibit about the history of video games and had no clue it was talking to one of the most well-known people in, well, gaming. D’oh! Instead of stating “Shuhei Yoshida President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment,” television program Mezamashi TV introduced him simply…

Japanese Artists Show Off Their Workspaces

One thing Japan does not have a shortage of is illustrators and artists. Some are famous. Many are not. Some are professionals, while others draw because they love it. Here’s a look at where they create. For well over a year, professional and amateur artists alike have been uploading photos of their workstations under the…

Hollywood Ghost in the Shell Movie Finally Gets a Japanese Actor: Beat Takeshi

Famed filmmaker, actor, and comedian Beat Takeshi is joining the cast of the Hollywood Ghost in the Shell movie. You know, the one that is starring Scarlett Johanssonand some other white people. According to Variety, “The story follows the exploits of a female member of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission’s covert ops unit (Johansson),…

Mountain Range around Iiyama Toyoda-shi, Nagano-ku, Japan. By Jason Capp. 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: Heima Trailer (Hoppipolla version) | Artist: Sigur Rós | Album: N/A (Heima Film) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Japan Looks to Relax Rules for Foreign Animators

Do you dream of making anime in Japan? The country’s government is working to make that more of a possibility by hopefully easing up on rules and regulations for foreign animators. According to the Nikkei Asian Review (via Mulboyne), the Japanese government has created a bill, which also includes designers and cosmetic professionals, that will…

Cat Looks Just Like a Studio Ghibli Character

This is Gimo. It’s a black Scottish Fold. Next to it is Makkuro Kurosuke, a character created by Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki. Makkuro Kurosuke (aka Susuwatari) are translated as “soot sprites” or even “dust bunnies.” They appear in My Neighbor Totoro when Mei, Satsuki and her father move into their new house. They’re also in…

Sunset from the Rainbow Bridge Loop. Tokyo, Japan. By Mike S. 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: Counter Action | Artist: Go! Go! Vanillas | Album: Counter Action (single) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Enormous Muscles Sure Help with Cosplay 

If you have big muscles and like video games and anime, perhaps you can cosplay. Drefan does, and he’s terrific at it. After injuries sidelined Drefan in his early twenties from competitive sports, he continued to follow his love of video games (and anime), eventually taking up cosplay. He’s quick to point out that he’s…

The beta for the next PS4 system software (version 3.50) begins tomorrow. Today, however, Sony has posted a list of key features on the PlayStation Blog.

Famed Manga Artist’s Seven Rules for Happiness

Last year, at the age of 93, Shigeru Mizuki passed away. Here are the seven things he felt led to happiness. Mizuki is best known for creating the manga GeGeGe no Kitaro and reviving the country’s interest in yokai. After surviving World War II and after losing an arm, he led a long, varied life.…

Street Fighter V Was Going to Look Realistic 

During the course of development, video games can change. Take Street Fighter V, for example. Early on, the game certainly didn’t look like it does now. It used to look realistic. Speaking with GameSpark (via EventHubs), Street Fighter V producer Koichi Sugiyama said that when work began, SFV didn’t feature the brush-style exaggerated graphics the…

Visiting Okochi Sanso Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan. By Andy Ruehmkorb. 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!

Osaka Overrun for the Glory of Satan, Of Course!

You might know Kumamon as the official mascot character for Kumamoto Prefecture. Or you might know Kumamon as the bear from the “For the Glory of Satan” meme. Whichever, there are now a ton of them dotted throughout Osaka Station. Sankei News reports that famed architect and Osaka-native Tadao Ando is supervising the project, which…

A Dragon Ball Z Figure So Intense, It Shakes 

Everyone gets emotional sometimes, even Vegeta. Dragon Ball Z fans know about the time the character was moved to tears when he realized he was no match for Frieza. The moment, which can be seen here, is now immortalized in this collectible. [Image: Bandai] [Image: Bandai] Premium Bandai has the figure up for pre-order in…

Sony Is Killing the PlayStation TV in Japan

The PlayStation Vita TV (aka PlayStation TV) launched in Japan back in November 2013. Today, via AV Watch, Sony confirmed that it will cease shipping the hardware (in Japan, at least) at the end of February. That’s today. According to AV Watch, the reason Sony gave is that, in Japan, while the PS Vita TV…

Sensoji. Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. By Kenji Sugahara. 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!