Brian Ashcraft

Mysterious Chinese Restaurant in Tokyo Raises Eyebrows Online

Purges and harassment. Torture and destruction. And millions dead. Those are what China’s Cultural Revolutionevokes. And according to one Chinese news source, there’s a new Cultural Revolution-themed cafe. Xinhua, one of China’s largest news sources, ran images this week of the themed restaurant, which it claims is based in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro. Xinhua reports that it’s…

Stop The Twitter Stupidity, Says Local Japanese Government

This year in Japan, idiots on Twitter have got into all kinds of trouble. Dummies have been climbing into freezers and on subway tracks to snap Twitter pics. And now, one area in Japan has had enough. Kanagawa Prefecture is launching a public awareness campaign to help prevent future Twitter stupidity. Later this month, the…

Japanese Vending Machine Dispenses Latte Art

Over the years, Japan has seen an amazing array of vending machines. From sushi to bras, there have been some truly peculiar ones. But most serve drinks. One, however, serves latte art. Located at Tokyo’s Haneda Aiport, the “Yojiya Cafe Selection” vending machine claims to be the first in the country to offer “latte art.”…

Here’s a Marvelous New Dragon Quest 3DS XL

Early next year, Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Iru and Luca’s Marvelous Mysterious Key hits the Nintendo 3DS. To mark the occasion, Nintendo is releasing a special 3DS XL. Neat DQ print, no? Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Iru and Luca’s Marvelous Mysterious Key is a remake of Dragon Quest Monsters 2: The Mysterious Key to Malta,…

Japanese Towel Art to Delight and Amaze

Isamu Sasagawa just might be the greatest towel artist in Japan, if not the entire Earth. What is towel art? It’s folding towels to resemble things, whether that’s animals or figures from pop culture. (And yes, some people like to fold dicks with towels. Shame on them!) If you’ve stayed at Walt Disney World, you…

How Sony’s Hometown Studio Rose From the Ashes In Time for the PS4

The Tokyo-based Japan Studio, responsible for PlayStation 2 classics such as Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and the Ape Escape franchise, seemed A.W.O.L. for much of the PS3 generation. Now, on the eve of the PlayStation 4’s release, Japan Studio is trying to make a major comeback. I went to Tokyo to find out how.…

Check Out the Rejected Lightning Returns Logos

This is the Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy logo. You might have also seen this logo with an all-black background. But have you ever seen the rejected ones? At a recent event in Tokyo for Lightning Returns and Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD, Square Enix showed off the Lightning Returns logos it didn’t end up using. Below,…

Twitter Is Still Great at Finding Racists and Morons

Looking for idiots? Racists? What about insensitive people? Twitter is a good place to start. Last night, South Korean pop group Girls’s Generation won YTMA Video of the Year for “I Got a Boy,” beating the likes of Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, One Direction, and Lady Gaga. That’s some stiff competition, and Girls’…

This Persona 5 “Leaked Image” Looks Really Fake

Over the weekend, a “leaked” Persona 5 image appeared on Reddit. It looks super duper fake. So, so, so fake. Did I mention that it looks fake? A Redditor said the recently uploaded Atlus teaser site looked like this for “a good minute.” If that’s the case, it was created by Japanese people who have…

Some of the World’s Scariest Military Troops

Last month, Kotaku published images of Taiwanese special forces. They were totally frightening. But Taiwan doesn’t have a monopoly on scary troops. Other countries are ready to terrify you, too. On Twitter, many Japanese netizens are uploading photos of other scary special forces. Below, you can find some of the most intimidating troops from around…

If Attack on Titan Starred Japanese Fashion Models

Popular anime Attack on Titan does not star Japanese fashion models. But what if it did? What would it look like? Probably something like this. This is a spread from Japanese fashion mag Koakuma Ageha. It’s showing off Attack on Titan make up. No, Attack on Titan make up isn’t a thing among young Japanese…

See Shanghai Fly By One Man’s Window

If you’ve ever harbored any doubt that Shanghai is one spectacular city, then watch this video. Please. The megalopolis grows and pulsates right before your very eyes. The above video was filmed over a two-year period by photographer Joe Nafis. It’s beautiful. From the 23rd [Vimeo via ShanghaiIst] To contact the author of this post,…

Sony, it seems, is teasinga new version of the PocketStation. The device, originally released in 1999 and discontinued in 2002, was PlayStation 1 Memory Card peripheral with a monochrome LCD screen. But will it be new hardware or an app? An announcement is expected on November 5. [Thanks, Jan!]

The New Jackie Chan Movie Looks Incredible

I really don’t remember the last time I was excited for a Jackie Chan movie. Maybe 1996? It was sometime during the 20th century, that’s for sure. This movie, however, has my attention. Out this December in China, this is a reboot of Chan’s Police Story flicks, which already got a reboot. The title of…

New DualShock 3 Color Almost Lets You Peek Inside

I’m a sucker for clear electronics. I love seeing what’s inside. You know, the innards. Sony’s new DualShock 3 controller almost lets me do just that. As Gamer notes, the color is called “Crystal,” and it’s more of a frosted clear plastic. You may remember that Sony previously released a clear plastic DualShock 2 controller,…

Here’s What a Thousand Zombies Attacking Tokyo Looks Like

On Halloween, around a thousand zombies descended on Tokyo Tower. That’s a lot of zombies. The zombies weren’t real zombies (sorry!), but comprised of beauty school students, people who dig dressing as zombies, and former sumo champ Akebono, who also might dig zombie make-up but isn’t a beauty school student. The event was part of…

It was recently revealed that Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will be out March 6 next year in Japan.

I Can’t Stop Watching This Fan GIF

You know, I’ve never really thought how a fan oscillates. It’s never occurred to me to ponder for a second the way it moves and does its fan thing. But now I can’t stop watching this magical GIF explanation. So fascinating. This was originally shown on Japanese educational television. Educational, it is! こういう「仕組み」がわかるGIFとか画像あげてけ [Hayabusa] To…

Hello Kitty in Super Robot Form

When you think of Japanese “super robots,” iconic robots and mecha like Tetsujin 28-go and Mazinger Z come to mind. Soon, Hello Kitty will get in on the act. Super robots usually have pilots, and this Hello Kitty super robot is piloted by, well, Hello Kitty. This collectible is around 4-inches tall and has several…

For Having a Knife Stuck in His Head, This Guy Was Pretty Calm

I’ve never had a knife stuck in my head. I imagine I would either pass out or freak out. This gentleman was surprisingly calm. Note: This article contains content some readers might find unpleasant. In northeast China’s Jilin province, a man with a knife stuck in his head visited a local hospital, and according to…