Brian Ashcraft

Hello Gaijin-san Face, Open Wide!

This week, Japanese restaurant chain Gusto started running a new series of commercials. It features the above woman, a “handsome foreign man” as the chain’s website says, and two comedians. So, what’s the problem? The two Japanese comedians in the commercial, Ungirls, can be funny—at times. For this spot, they are “disguised”. This is a…

Watch StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm‘s Opening Right Here

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is the upcoming expansion for StarCraft II. And as this opening cinematic shows, it starts with a bang. Heart of the Swarm will be out this March. The next expansion, Legacy of the Void, will be out at a later date. In case you missed it, check out Kotaku‘s…

The Goal of This 3DS Game: Catch Your Cheating Boyfriend

Men, don’t trust ’em! The Uwaki Kareshi (THE 浮気彼氏) or “The Cheating Boyfriend” is built around the idea of confronting your wayward love. During the investigation mode, you search your boyfriend’s room for suspicious items like, oh I dunno, women’s perfume or a hostess’s business card. Then, you confront the guy and try to catch…

This Is a Marathon. A Cosplay Marathon.

The next Tokyo Marathon takes place in late February. Last fall it was named one of the six World Marathon Majors, joining the likes of New York, Boston, London, and more. But, the Tokyo Marathon is just filled with your typical marathon runners. There are also a noticeable group of cosplay runners dressed up as…

This Might Be North Korea’s Newest Prison Camp

Late last week, Google Earth updated satellite imagery that blogger and internet sleuth Curtis Melvin (via WSFJ) thinks could show the country’s latest gulag. As the Wall Street Journal points out, there are six gulags in North Korea, not including this possible one. They are located in mountainous regions. Some are larger than major cities…

How to Make Ash and Pikachu Totally Freaky

This is Pikachu, and his trainer, Ash (or “Satoshi” as he’s called in Japan). This is how they’ve looked in the Pokémon anime. Nothing really strange here at all. Ash and Pikachu, hanging out. Got it. But if you, like Twitter user @KoTa_OTL want to mix things up and get crazy, here ya go: This…

For Over $450, You Too Can Live in Japanese Nerd Heaven. (Well, In a Box.)

Tokyo’s Akihabara is Japanese nerd heaven. If you are a geek in Tokyo, then you’ll want to spend some time in Akihabara. Maybe you’ll want to live there. Then maybe you can live here? You get one room, a bunk bed, a space under your bunk bed, a TV, an air conditioner and a shower…

Forget Final Fantasy for a Minute, These Vegetable Fairies Are Magical

Yoshitaka Amano has an impressive resume that’s a lot more than just Final Fantasy. Before joining Square Enix, he designed characters for a slew of classic anime, such as Gatchaman. And since stepping down as lead character creator after Final Fantasy VI, Amano has teamed up with a variety of folks, including Neil Gaiman. But…

Super-Slim PS3 Is Coming in Blue and in Red

Later this month in Japan, the 250GB super slim PS3 will be available in Azurite Blue and Garnet Red. Each is priced at ¥24,980 (US$279). If you haven’t seen it, check out how the super-slim PS3 looks compared to other modern consoles. 「プレイステーション ３」（CECH-4000Bシリーズ） [PlayStation]

Finding Porn While Searching for Pokémon X? Maybe You’re Doing It Wrong.

The new Pokémon games are titled Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Have you ever searched either of those games on Google? If you are stumbling upon pornography, it might not be Pokémon, it could be you. Kotaku has been getting tips that point out entering “Pokemon X Videos” on Google turns up X-rated porn. Forums,…

One of the Most Impressive Nintendo Collections in Japan

By day, Tokyo resident Isao Yamazaki is a website developer. By night, he’s at home, perusing one of the most amazing Nintendo collections you can find in Japan or anywhere else. Yamazaki fell in love with Nintendo early on. “I started collecting Nintendo items 30 years ago, in 1982,” he told website Before Mario. “My…

This Isn’t Real Sushi. These Are Diapers.

How cute. Japanese company Wire Orange is offering “Diaper Sushi” (“omutsu zushi” or おむつ寿司) as a present for new mothers. The gift set is designed to look like sushi. Often in Japan, sushi is used in celebrations and special dinners, whether that’s going out to eat, ordering sushi for home delivery, or making it at…

Gold medal judoka Kaori Matsumoto is voicing a motorcycle cop in upcoming anime Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods

The Clever Optical Illusions and Camera Tricks of Figure Photography

Kotaku previously showed how skilled photographer Yoshinobu Kimura is at using tilt-shift photography, Photoshop, and figurines to make toys appear larger than life. Literally. Here’s another look at Kimura’s work, showing off his ability to breathe life into plastic figures and statues by using computer sofward to digitally add them to a variety of backgrounds.…

The Poetry and Humor of Japan’s iPhone Hero

Earlier this month, a Japanese performance artist who goes by Morishowta became a viral hit on Western websites like sister site Gizmodo with his Taxi Driver inspired iPhone quick-draw sleeve. But his work is far more interesting than just the quick-draw sleeve. Morishowta’s short movies follow his brilliant plans to make devices or eat soumen…

Mario Kart isn’t on iTunes, but a Mario Kart “cheat” app is.

This Super Sonico Statue Is Truly Enormous

Remember that Queen’s Blade statue? The jumbo one with silly proportions that an 88 year-old gentleman was thrilled to hold? Well, there’s another huge statue slated for release. It also has silly proportions. This is an unpainted prototype statue of Super Sonico, the mascot character for adult PC game maker Nitroplus. The figure is 1/2…

More Hope for Final Fantasy Versus XIII. I Guess?

Back in 2006, Square Enix unveiled three games: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Agito XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII. All three were linked by a mythos centered on crystals, and the series was dubbed “Fabula Nova Crystallis”. And somewhere along the way to 2013, Final Fantasy Agito XIII was renamed Final Fantasy Type-0, while…

Rumor: Monster Hunter 4 Is Headed to the PS Vita [Update]

Oh boy. If this is true (big if!), the PS Vita could be poised for, ahem, a monster comeback. According to Japanese game magazine Game Lab, Nintendo 3DS exclusive Monster Hunter 4 was delayed to summer for a reason other than “improving quality”. That reason is apparently that the game is also being developed for…

Why PC Gaming Is Still Niche in Japan

Cold rain drizzles outside. Inside, everything is pink, round, and frilly. The first floor of this otaku (geek) retailer is plastered with release info for new PC games—adult PC games. A young clerk in glasses near the 18-and-up section taps away on a computer, probably checking inventory. I approach, excusing myself for asking a sudden,…