Brian Ashcraft

The Evolution of Japanese Schoolgirl Uniforms

Ch-ch-ch-changes. Over the years, Japanese schoolgirl outfits certainly have evolved. How much have they changed? See for yourself. The image spans from the Meiji Era (1868 to 1912) to the modern day. While the 1950s and 1960s didn’t didn’t see huge jumps in style, the last few decades certainly have! This image appeared on Twitter…

Inside Hayao Miyazaki’s Former “Retirement Place”

Did you hear Hayao Miyazaki is retiring? Bummer! Thing is, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Miyazaki is retiring. In fact, he’s officially quit Studio Ghibli before, only to return. As a couple Japanese Twitter users have pointed out, Miyazaki has “retired” several times—five times by somepeople’s count or once every three years…

Ever want to open a game bar in Japan? Matt Bloch talks to Japanator about doing just that with his Osaka-based watering hole Space Station. It’s apparently the only foreign-run video game bar in Japan!

Hayao Miyazaki Is Retiring

The famed director of My Neighbor Totoro and numerous other classic anime is retiring. The recently released Kaze Tachinu will be the 72 year-old Miyazaki’s final feature film. According to Japan’s Cinema Today, Studio Ghibli exec Kouji Hoshino announced the news this Sunday at the Venice Film Festival, where Kaze Tachinu is being shown. “Please…

Game Developer Says His Son Has Been Kidnapped

The last time game programmer Kris Morness says he saw his 5 year-old son, Maximus, was on July 25 this year. It was a Thursday, and they talked on Skype. Everything seemed normal, but normal can be deceiving. That was the last time Morness has seen—or heard from—his son. Now, he’s doing everything to get…

How to Get Software Developers Out of Bed

Mornings suck! At one Japanese company, the software developers kept coming in after noon. But now, there looks to be a solution: Food and aerobics. At Tokyo-based Dwango, software developers, who work on its tech platform and who make Wii U and PS Vita apps roll in after noon, were chronically coming in late to…

In Japan, There Are Fake Noses for You To Pick

Remember, you can pick your friends. You can pick your nose. But you can’t pick your friend’s nose. So pick this phoney nose! From the folks at Bandai, here’s a line of synthetic rubber noses called “Hojirerun desu” (ほじれるんです), which means they are “pickable.” These are capsule toys and starting next month, they’ll be sold…

Someone Wants $10 Million for This Yu-Gi-Oh Card

This isn’t just any Yu-Gi-Oh card. It is apparently a one of a kind Yu-Gi-Oh card. And it’s one that has an astronomical price tag: a cool ten million bucks! Printed on stainless steel, this unique Black Luster Soldier card was given to the winner of the first nationwide Yu-Gi-Oh tournament in Japan in 1999.…

No More New PlayStation Home Content for Japan

Today, Sony announced that PlayStation Home will no longer be updated with new content in Japan. In an official release, Sony stated that starting this September, new PlayStation Home content will end in Japan. It will end in other Asian regions in March 2014. New PlayStation Home content will continue to be released in North…

Grumpy Cat, Meet Disappointed Cat

Aw, how adorable! But what’s troubling you, Disappointed Cat? Is it us? We are sorry! This is Foo-chan, a 3 year-old Chinchilla Golden with his own Twitter account and Tumblr. The feline’s owner uploads regular pics of Foo-chan to share the cute pet with the internet. But Foo-chan’s heavy brow makes him look… worried. Like,…

Video Game CEO Becomes a Professional Baseball Pitcher

Some people dream of being a game company boss. Former Korean game company boss Min Huh dreams of playing professional baseball. And those dreams are now a reality. According to Korean site Inven and MSN Korea (via tipster Sang), Huh recently joined the independent pro baseball team Rockland Boulders as a pitcher in the Can-Am…

Is Japanese Toast Art the Next Big Thing?

You’ve probably seen Japanese cappuccino art, right? It’s incredible. But have you seen Japanese toast art? This is the work of Hittomii, who enjoys bringing anime characters to the breakfast table. Here, have a look: Earlier this spring, Hittomii began uploading toast art in earnest. Prior to these, Hittomii concentrated mainly on character cookies. The…

Female Train Station Employee Judo Flips Violent Male Passenger

In Japan, a twenty-one year-old female train station employee was allegedly attacked by a 34 year-old passenger who refused to pay the full train fare. According to Yomiuri, the suspect, Hiroshi Ebina, allegedly struck the station clerk in the face after she told him to pay up. The employee then subdued the 34 year-old man…

Online in Japan, the Nintendo 2DS Baffles Many

Yesterday, Nintendo of America revealed a new handheld: the Nintendo 2DS. Kotaku checked it out and chronicledthe reaction in the West. But what about the reaction in Nintendo’s home turf of Japan? Not… good. On 2ch, Japan’s largest web forum, the reaction was rough. At first, many 2ch commenters thought the announcement was a prank.…

The Japanese Girlfriend Pillow Resurfaces (Or Does It?)

In the past few weeks, the international media has been reporting on a Japanese pillow that’s shaped like a woman’s lap. It’s being sold at Narita Airport, outside Tokyo, and the foreign press is lapping the pillow up and claiming it’s experiencing a resurgence. But is it really? Dubbed the “Hizamakura” (“lap pillow”), it originally…

Female League of Legends Characters Banned at an Iranian Tournament

League of Legends’ female characters wear revealing outfits—too revealing for Iranian hardliners. And thus, too revealing for an Iranian eSports tournament. According to Iran’s World Cyber Games Facebook page (via LoL Forums), the tournament has banned female League of Legends characters. They were banned to comply with Iranian customs. The following League of Legends characters…

Battlestar Galactica Confused with Futuristic Aircraft Carriers

The Japanese language version of Chinese state media site China.org.cn recently ran an article titled “Four Major Trends in Aircraft Carrier Development.” Guess one of those trends is Battlestar Galactica art. China.org.cn (AKA China Internet Information Center) is a Chinese Government-authorized website (read: state media) and translates articles into a variety of languages, such as…

What Can You Do with a Broken Nintendo DS?

You can play Game Boy Advance games, that’s what! Who needs dual screens? Who? While the Nintendo DS and DS Lite have GBA slots, the Nintendo DSi, released in 2008, does not. こいつのDSレベル高い [Twitter] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice…

Twitter Is Where People Go When Witnessing Crimes

Honestly don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone tweet a photo of an armed robbery in progress. Well, I have now. The tweet read, “There’s a robber now at Kurumaya Ramen,” tweeted @0503Daiki. The photo, which has now been retweeted over six thousand times, shows a man in a white t-shirt, brandishing a knife at…

Final Fantasy XIV Is So Popular, Square Enix is Halting Sales

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn‘s launch is experiencing crowded servers. So what is Square Enix’s temporary workaround? Stop digital download sales. In an official notice on Square Enix’s Facebook page, the company writes: Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn, we are currently experiencing extremely long wait times…