Mamoru Samuragoch* has been called “Japan’s Beethoven.” Even as he went deaf, Samuragoch continued to compose scores for video games like Resident Evil and Onimusha. This week, he revealed that he used a ghost composer. A gifted musician, Samuragoch had a degenerative hearing condition that left him completely deaf by age 35. However, as AFP…
Aw, look at that! They’re all singing. How adorable. Upcoming 3DS game Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call is the latest entry in the Final Fantasy-themed music game series. To mark its April 24 release in Japan, the game is getting a special 3DS XL. No word yet about a Western release for the game or…
You are looking at kendo armour covered in Hello Kitty. That’s right. Kendo armour. Hello Kitty. Go figure. When you think of kendo, you think of tough people, smacking each other on the head with bamboo sticks. You don’t think of Hello Kitty. Not that people practicing kendo would actually wear this—at least, we hope…
I know, I know. It’s only February. We still have months to go. But this prank is good. Damn good. And best of all? It’s from early last month, so other pranksters will have a good year to try to top it. They’ll need it. The prank appeared on Japanese television special Dokkiri Award (“dokkiri”…
It’s Tuesday. There are days left in your week. Maybe you need a pick me up! Maybe you need Korean Photoshop trolls. I know I do. As Kotaku first pointed out last year, Korean Photoshop trolls make the internet a better place. And hopefully, they’ll make your day a better one, too. Once again, the…
Daigo Umehara is a Street Fighter titan. He’s one of the best, if not the best, ever to play the game. And he doesn’t have a video game console in his house. Recently, a Japanese morning show spent the day with Daigo, visiting him in his house, and going into his room. This is Daigo’s…
As part of a shopping promotion, Bangkok shopping mall Central Festival unveiled billboards and ads to mark the Chinese New Year. The ad featured a white woman pulling one of her eyes. The text read, “Good to be Chinese.” Understandably, people got upset. “I thought this was a joke,” wrote one Facebook user, while another…
In the past, major video game companies like Square and Enix merged. It’s a big deal when something like that happens! Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently mentioned “M&A” (aka mergers and acquisitions), setting off speculation around the internet. But what does he mean? It’s not yet clear—he could just be talking about licensing Nintendo characters.…
North Korea and South Korea are separated by the most heavily armed border on Earth. But rest easy, there’s a new guard on the lookout: Kinect. Self-taught South Korean programmer Jae Kwan Ko developed a Kinect-based software system to monitor the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), which separates the two countries. It was deployed at the border…
Nintendo has been a family business. After the company’s former president Hiroshi Yamauchi died last fall, he left his stake in the company to his four children. And now, Bloomberg reports, they’re looking to sell stock.
The outside world doesn’t know a whole lot about what is really going on in North Korea—how the people actually live and what they do. One thing we can prove, however, is that at least one North Korean citizen has played the Nintendo Wii. In the above photo, a North Korean woman plays Ping Pong…
Here’s Akihabara-based idol group Dempa Gumi Inc. covering the 1994 classic “Sabotage.” Nothing more, nothing less! Courtesy of Japanator, you can listen to a short version of their cover here. Or, you can see them performing the tune in concert—something they’ve done for a while now and something that will never cease to surprise. If…
At the recent Spring Festival Gala in China, 15 year-old Wei Caiqi served as “Time Girl” and spun around. A bunch. Days before the gala was broadcasted, it was announced in the Chinese press that Wei would spin for four hours and start spinning faster as the Chinese New Year approached. And, well, that’s what…
Come quietly, or there will be beans. Well, there will be beans either way. Today, is Setsubun (節分) in Japan. It’s a bean-throwing festival to cleanse evil and bring in good luck. People in Japan either attend Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples to throw beans, or at home, they throw beans at a family member…
We’ve all been there: You’re holding a big ol’ hamburger with both hands, you bring it to your mouth to take a bite, and the whole burger falls out all over the place. But guess what, there’s an “ideal” way to hold a burger. This is it. A while back, Japanese television show Honma Dekka!?…
Kuroko’s Basket is a popular manga and anime. It’s one of the biggest sellers in Japan! And today is the main character’s birthday. Some people are really excited. To mark Tetsuya Kuroko’s birthday, fans created a Twitter hashtag to upload images of the character, fan art, and notes—which is neat. And since it’s long been…
A Japanese convenience store chain shelved plans for a foie gras boxed lunch after animal rights activists complained. The whole thing has even spawned an internet meme. Non-profit group Animal Rights Center created the following image to raise awareness about animal rights. The image is still currently on its Hope for Animals website. Have a…
Persona 4 takes place in a rural town called “Inaba.” And the town’s train station, Yasoinaba Station, is where the game’s protagonist arrives on the scene. The station is based on an actual place, and soon it will be gone forever. The real station is Isawa Onsen Station (石和温泉駅) and is located in Yamanashi Prefecture.…
A police sergeant in Osaka, Japan came under fire for repeatedly forcing subordinate officers to eat large amounts of food. The sergeant has since left the force, reports the Japanese media. According to Yomiuri Online, from February 2010, the 40 year-old sergeant began forcing four subordinate officers into gluttony. In over ten occasions, he ordered…
It appears whenever some people mention South Korea, they can’t help but wallow in one thing: plastic surgery. Let’s use some common sense when we discuss it! Folks seem to check that at the door. Okay, yes. There’s lots of plastic surgery happening in South Korea! That is undeniable. You know what else is undeniable?…
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