This is “amezaiku” (飴細工) or, literally, “candy handiwork.” And there’s one way to best sum up this traditional craft: How sweet. In Japan, amezaiku has been practiced in various forms for around a thousand years or so. Artisans mold and snip piping hot taffy, creating animals, or more recently, anime characters before the candy hardens.…
Starting next month, Asahi is rolling out “Freezing Cider.” It will be sold at minus 5 degrees celsius (23 degrees fahrenheit). How cool is that? The drink has a slightly stronger flavor that your typical Mitsuya Cider. However, the moment you open the plastic bottle, the drink turns into an instant ice sherbet. So, this…
Masami Ochiai, the Chairman of Index Corporation, and his wife, Index president Yoshimi Ogawa, were arrested on fraud charges for allegedly cooking the company’s books. Index Corporation previously owned the Atlus brand, which has since been transferred to Sega.
There are lots of anime figures. Truth be told, many of them simply are not that memorable. This one, however, is. This is a figure of Hunter x Hunter character Gon after he transformed into an older version of himself. What’s the big deal, you say. Well… Wowzers! The figure is around 17 inches tall,…
Is that the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Nope, these are the new facilities for the elite Hebei Academy of Fine Arts in China. In China, folks have certainly noticed that the buildings look like the iconic wizard school. As reported on Sohu, Kanka News, and MSN China (via The Nanfang), the university’s head,…
A local movie theater in Penghu, Taiwan has created a stir with its Godzilla poster. It’s so bad, it’s good. As reported by Taiwan’s SET News, the poster shows a hand-drawn Godzilla, flashing the peace symbol. In the background, you can see the Taipei 101 landmark skyscraper. According to SET News, Godzilla looks like he’s…
This weekend, crowds dispersed at a busy shopping area in Shenzhen, China after there were rumors of a knife attack. False alarm, say official reports. According to Shenzhen Daily, the panic was caused after police received phone calls of a slashing incident at Dongmen Pedestrian Street, one of Shenzhen’s busiest. The area sees nearly half…
Earlier today on NicoNico, Tokyo-based entertainment company Mages revealed that anime Psycho-Pass is getting an Xbox One game. Don’t watch the trailer if flashing lights and quick cutting bother you! The Psycho-Pass game will feature an original story. It currently does not have a release date. Mages also revealed adventure game Mystereet F, which includes…
Cop shows can start to feel the same. Even interrogation scenes can seem similar. Police drama Tokubou is different. Very, very different. The show follows the adventures of police officer Souhei Asakura, the head of the Community Safety Bureau and a master of, well, rope bondage. Those who can’t be arrested are punished and those…
A new cola plus coffee drink was recently released in Japan. Or maybe that should be coffee plus cola? Just call it Cafe do Cola. This “Brazilian Soda” beverage hopes to capitalize on next month’s World Cup, which will be held in the South American country. Do people in Brazil even have a cola plus…
The Xbox One is finally getting a release date and price for Japan. The console hits September 4 and is getting two price points: 39,980 yen or US$392 (sans Kinect) and at 49,980 yen or $490 (with Kinect). The console was released in North America and in Europe on November 22, 2013.
The World Cup is starting soon—real soon. June 12, actually! You know what that means? Merchandising. And in Japan, that means Pokémon merchandising. Since Japan’s official World Cup mascot is Pikachu, the character is being put on a whole bunch of things so people will buy them. Makes sense! Better yet, in Japan, Pikachu is…
This weekend, a location test for Left 4 Dead‘s arcade game kicked off in Tokyo. While the idea of a Left 4 Dead arcade game might sound great, the reality of one doesn’t seem like it. On Twitter (via My Game News Flash), many players sounded off about the game. There were reports of bugs,…
It’s been over a decade since Duel Masters debuted. The manga spawned a trading card game, which is still widely enjoyed. If you’ve never played, you’ll need to know something very important: bring sunglasses. Here is what Duel Masters trading cards used to look like. Over the years, the cards have become increasingly… busy. Which…
Two members of idol group AKB48, Rina Kawaei and Anna Iriyama, were attacked at an event this weekend by a saw-brandishing man. Both sustained cuts on their hands and head, but are expected to recover from their injuries. The suspect, 24-year-old Satoru Umeta, was arrested for attempted murder. [Thanks Mox Factor!]
One of the things I’ve noticed about living in Japan is that the country’s non-native speakers are fuck all at using the fucking f-word. Good thing there’s a new book that aims to correct that! As noted by Kotaku reader Chris Hill, Japan recently got a new English instruction book called How to Use Fuck…
Wow. The newly refurbished roof of Himeji Castle is really, really white. No wonder people in Japan are bewildered. This isn’t what people are used to! Himeji Castle is one of Japan’s most famous and most beautiful castles. It is a World Heritage Site, and if you ever visit Japan, you need to visit it.…
I grew up during the 1980s. And like most kids, I watched a bunch of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. If only I had lived in Japan. I could’ve grown up with something even better: His commercials. But good news! After a long absence, Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to Japanese advertising, appearing in a Kowa coffee commercial.…
Any old movie fans out there? In yesterday’s Pokemon episode, trainer Diantha made her anime debut. She might remind you of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. In Pokemon: XY, Diantha is a famous movie actress—as well as a Pokemon trainer. She also looks somewhat familiar! As pointed out by Japanese site Pokemon-Matome, Diantha recreates an…
Check out a sneak peek at Maple Story 2, which is slated to go into close beta this year in South Korea. The game’s release date is still TBA. 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…
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