A Japanese gamer poured 2,280 days worth of playtime into this Final Fantasy XI account. That’s over six years! But now, it’s time to part ways. The gamer is putting his or her Japanese account on the internet auction block, giving anyone with around the equivalent of US$4,500 the chance to own it—and all the…
Most janitors are satisfied with keeping things clean. This junior high school custodian might be, too, but also has a hankering to do something else: Draw incredible pictures. Spotted on a school cafeteria whiteboard, these awesome drawings depict things like Link from The Legend of Zelda. Here’s Midna and Wolf Link from Twilight Princess. These…
Meet Vanilla Chamu. She greets fellow Japanese people with a “bonjour” and claims to be from the Palace of Versailles. She’s not, of course. Recently, she was introduced on Japanese TV as “Osaka’s Plastic Surgery Cyborg”. This past April, Chamu appeared on Japanese variety show Watashi no Nani ga Ikenai no? (私の何がイケないの? or “Is There…
You’ve probably seenActresses without Teeth. Or Celebrities Without Eyebrows. Or Small Face Celebrities. Now, There’s Pin the Face on the Celeb. Lovely. On 2ch, Japan’s largest internet forum, a net user uploaded a series of “Pin the Face” style images of celebrities. Like the game Pin the Tail on the Donkey, physical features are being…
Japanese anime Attack on Titan has a powerful anime opening—it’s something Kotaku has covered before. But imagine something else for a minute. Something like…Attack on Coke. This video, courtesy of tipster Sang, is called “Attack on Coke”. Edited by a Korean fan of Attack on Titan, the parody sure is interesting! It features re-cut footage…
Has it really come to this? According to Kyodo News, sources say that the Kyoto-based game maker is trying to modify its game hardware so it can run smartphone apps. “The game console and software maker has offered professional-use conversion software to application developers so they can produce smartphone games that can be played on…
For decades, Osaka-based collectible maker Kaiyodo has been churning out plastic statues and figurines. At a new “Figure World” exhibition, Kaiyodo marks its 30th anniversary of making figurines and is putting a whole slew of plastic on display in Shibuya. At the exhibit, which nearing its end, there are Japanese and Western characters, with the…
In Japan, there are family crests called “kamon” (家紋). They’re similar to a coat of arms in the West. One Japanese Twitter user claims to have changed his family’s crest to a familiar mark: The Legend of Zelda Triforce. Apparently, the iconic symbol even ended up on the family’s gravestone. According to Twitter user @mahosyouzyo,…
Last year, Kotaku featured a Japanese “latte artist” named Kazuki Yamamoto. Taking inspiration from games and anime, he became famous for drawing characters in steamed milk. And now, he’s doing that in 3D. Forget drawing flowers and leaves! What makes Yamamoto’s milky coffee creations so much fun is how aware of geek culture they are.…
Last year, the “Shutdown Law” was created in South Korea to prevent gamers under sixteen from gaming during a six-hour block at night. A year later, it’s going to impact more than gamers under the age of sixteen. PlayStation gamers under 18 are getting screwed, too. The law went into effect July 1, 2012, and…
If you’ve been on the internet, I dunno, ever, you’ve probably seen those Expectations vs. Reality pictures. Well, Japan has them, too. In Japan, the meme is “Risou to Genjitsu” (理想と現実). “Risou” (理想) means “ideal”, “to” (と) is “and”, and “genjitsu” (現実) is “reality”. The meme works in the same way as its Western counterpart,…
Yu-Gi-Oh! is fun. The trading card game from Konami is fun, too. So why is Korea’s version an out-of-the-blue bummer? Recently on 2ch, Japan’s largest forum, one member uploaded photos of a Korean Yu-Gi-Oh! pack. Let’s have a look. Here’s the pack (obviously). Okay. Alright. Business as usual, until… You get to the missing child…
In Japan (and most of Asia), business cards are a big deal. You need business cards! There’s even a correct way to exchange them. So no wonder many Japanese cosplayers have business cards, too. Cosplayers having business cards is not new—and it’s not limited to Japan by any stretch. I’ve met plenty of Western cosplayers…
Back in 2012, game creator Hideo Kojima unveiled a new Zone of the Enders project titled “Enders Project”. And now in 2013, the project is currently suspended. On a recent episode of Hideo Kojima’s online radio show, the game creator talked about Z.O.E. and the Enders Project. While discussing the difficulty of bringing Zone of…
Remember when Metal Gear Solid 4 was launched? And how it was such a big deal that the game wasn’t coming to the Xbox 360? Remember that? On his online radio show, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima talked about why there wasn’t an Xbox 360 version of Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection. “I’m sorry…
There’s acting, overacting, and this. Whatever the hell this is, it’s amazing. Here are reaction shots from a South Korean TV drama called Maybe Love (사랑했나봐). The show follows the exploits of a woman whose life is destroyed after her best friend steals her husband. Here’s the show’s official English description via the program’s Korean…
Bloomberg (via Eurogamer) reports that an “unprecedented” number of Sony execs, including Kaz Hirai, won’t get annual bonuses. This comes as Sony’s electronics arm failed to turn a profit for the second straight year. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice…
There are two versions of Iron Man 3: One is the international version, and the other is the Chinese version, with added scenes. This version was made especially for the People’s Republic. But that certainly doesn’t mean everybody there likes it. This article might contain spoilers. Keep in mind that I’m not saying that China…
Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame signed on to play the lead in the Tokyo Vice film version. Tokyo Vice is Jake Adelstein’s memoirs from his crime reporter days and is definitely worth picking up. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your…
Yoko Shono is up bright and early daily for morning show Mezamashi TV, which is kind of like Today for Japan. And what seems like everyday at the nearly the exact same time, she makes what seems to be the exact same face. You must see it to believe it. Note: If you are prone…
Mode
Follow us
