Brian Ashcraft

Japanese Weather Reports Are More Adorable with Anime Characters

In most countries, the weather report is not cute. The weatherman or the weatherwoman might be attractive (they might not!), but the report itself is probably fairly bland. Not in Japan. NHK, Japan’s most respected broadcaster, has used anime-inspired characters for weather reports for the past few years. In February 2009, NHK’s News Watch 9…

Sexually Harass a Radish, While Wearing a Futuristic Helmet

Sexual harassment is awful. Don’t do it. But I guess it’s okay to feel up a radish? While wearing a helmet? Maybe not. In the below video, courtesy of our Gizmodo Japan colleagues, you can see a “substitutional reality” or “SR” system used with a radish harassing tech Kotaku previously featured. The tech is called…

Germany’s PS4 Launch Chaos Is a Sight To Behold

Last Friday, the PS4 launched in Europe. Gamers in Germany were very excited to get the new PlayStation console. Very. Below, you can see a supercut of some of the PS4’s German launch madness. PS4 Launch MEDIAMARKT [MajinDub@YouTube] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft

The Scariest Tire Commercial I’ve Ever Seen

How often have you seen a tire commercial with a health warning in front of it? Fukuoka-based tire retailer Autoway‘s latest online spot takes a page from Japanese horror for this reminder of dangerous winter roads. The video was uploaded in mid-November, and now has over 400,000 views on YouTube. 雪道ｺﾜｲ [AutowayTire@YouTube] To contact the…

All-Female Marching Bands Make Taiwanese Funerals More Lively

In the past, funeral processions in Taiwan featured traditional Chinese instruments. Now, some sport marching bands, complete with baton twirling and go-go boots. For the past few years, funeral service Yuan-Rong Life has offered a marching troupe called “Xiu Juan Female Music Band” for services. Yuan-Rong Life tells Kotaku that each session lasts about two…

In the wake of child predators using the 3DS, Nintendo is reminding Japanese parents about locking the 3DS and the WiiU’s internet capabilities. 保護者による使用制限機能について [Nintendo@YouTube] 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 you the latest talking…

People Are Saying a K-Pop Group Ripped Off Lupin III‘s Theme

Popular Korean group Crayon Pop gets flak for its alleged costume knocks-offs. And now some are wondering if the group’s newest single, “Lonely Christmas,” doesn’t rip off the theme song for anime Lupin III Here is “Lonely Christmas.” And here is the Lupin III theme from 1978. One Korean YouTube user even made a direct…

Lady Gaga Just Out-Cuted Japan

Sorry, Japanese pop stars. Tonight, you were defeated. You had a worthy adversary. But you were no match in a ridiculous cute battle with Lady Gaga. In English, “kawaii” is typically translated as “cute,” but abroad, it’s become shorthand for teeth-hurtlingly adorable anime, manga, and video game characters, as well as ridiculously colorful fashion. (In…

For a Limited Time, This Cafe Will Kick Hentai Customers

Some cafes serve good coffee. Others have delicious sweets. For the next three days, this cafe will dish out pervert attacks. Located in Akihabara, Tokyo’s geek district, Cure Maid Cafe is being converted into Punishment Cafe (おしおきカフェ or oshioki kafe) for the next three days. This is part of a promotion for iOS game Punishment…

Perhaps The Cutest Pokémon Goods I’ve Ever Seen

In Japan, there are loads of Pokémon-branded goods. Some of them look fine, some of them don’t. These, however, are something special. The Pokemon Center, a chain of Pocket Monster shops in Japan, is collaborating with Shinzi Katoh, a designer who does all sorts of goods. In his thirty-year career, he’s apparently designed over ten…

The Beauty of Japan’s Abandoned Ruins

Japan’s “haikyo” (廃墟), or “ruins,” are fascinating. They provide a look into a world which time forgot, but French photographer Jordy Meow hasn’t. Meow has been cataloging haikyo across Japan—from a deserted love hotel in Chiba to an abandoned theme park in Nara. The photos, courtesy of DailyGeekShow, are hauntingly beautiful: If you like Meow’s…

Oh Come On, Russia’s Freaky Mutant Looks So Fake

But that doesn’t mean it’s not scary! Last month, an “unknown creature” filmed climbing up an apartment building in Russia appeared on YouTube channel papotimes. You can watch the clip below. If you dare. And earlier this week, the video got a second wind, reappearing on another YouTube channel and website Before It’s News as…

First Look at Lupin III Live-Action Movie Actor in Costume? Maybe!

There’s a live-action Lupin the Third movie being made in Japan. Master thief Lupin is being played by Japanese actor Shun Oguri. Here’s what is being called the first look at him in costume. The image surfaced on 2ch, Japan’s largest forum, and looks to originally be from a Chinese social networking site. It might…

The Inevitable Black Friday Supercut Is Nutso

This Friday is Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Things are bound to get crazy, and maybe you were thinking of doing some shopping. This video might change your mind. Above is a supercut of the Black Friday shopping chaos. The footage is like something out of a zombie movie. If you…

Where Fashion Meets Japanese Fantasy and StarCraft II

Namechecking Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano? Running a StarCraft II team? Zhang Jingna is not your typical fashion photographer. Zhang (AKA “zemotion“) is one of the most talented young photographers in the world, shooting photos for Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and Photo Vogue as well as Mercedes Benz, Montblanc, and Lancôme, among many others. Along with…

New Pokémon Cheat Can Ruin Online Battles

A new Pokémon X/Y online battle exploit called “Battle Analyser” is ruining online play by intercepting data. This is not good. This is not good at all. As pointed out by NeoGAFforum member UltimateIke, here’s how the exploit program works: A PC is used as a wireless hotspot to intercept online data, scanning an opponent’s…

The Most Amazing 1.25 Seconds You’ll See This Week

Blink and you’ll miss it. So don’t blink and marvel at ninety-rounds spit out in just 1.25 seconds. Via Military.com and LiveLeak comes this clip of a M-134 “mini-gun” shooting through a ninety-round belt. Ninety Rounds in About 1.25 Seconds [Military.com via LiveLeak] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find…

Fifteen years in, and Lineage has made the equivalent of US$1.8 billion, NCsoft announced earlier this morning in South Korea. Talk about evergreen. [Thanks, Sang!]

GTA Online Bug Changing Characters’ Race and Gender in Japan

Today, Rockstar released the Beach Bum update in Japan for Grand Theft Auto V. It’s made players’ characters appear… different. On 2ch, Japan’s largest forum, and Twitter, GTA V owners showed how the update was changing their GTA Online characters’ looks. White characters are turning black, young characters are turning old, and female characters and…

Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare will also be on the PS4, a Korean game rating’s filing says. According to the Korean Game Rating Board, Electronic Arts registered the PS4/Xbox One/360 versions of the game this week. Kotaku is following up with Electronic Arts. [Thanks CatMario!]