Kotaku East

Hatsune Miku And Her Virtual Hair Are Selling Shampoo In Japan 

Hatsune Miku might be virtual, but that isn’t stopping her and her blue-green hair from appearing in a shampoo spot with the very real Scarlett Johansson. Lux released a web teaser in which Miku announces that she will be starring in her first shampoo commercial. She also says it’s the first time she’s worked with…

Osanbashi Pier. Yokohama, Japan. By Florian Kaib JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

Man Thinks He’s Destroying The Internet, Gets Arrested

After participating in a local neighborhood square dance, a man in China apparently became worried that photos would end up online. According to several major Chinese news sites (here, here, and here) and noted by The Nanfang, a man in Weifang became upset after photos were taken of him square dancing, an activity often enjoyed…

Another Pokémon Go Death Reported In Japan

In the Japanese city of Kasugai, a 29-year-old woman was fatally hit by a car as she crossed the street on her bicycle. The driver had been playing Pokémon Go. This is the second report this week of a Pokémon Go player allegedly hitting and killing a pedestrian. On Wednesday, Kotaku reported that two women…

The View From Mt. Fuji. By Hiro Tanaka. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

The Five Biggest Selling PS4 Games In Japan

Here we go. Famitsu has calculated a list of the top five selling PS4 games in Japan, and the results probably won’t surprise you. Maybe they will! The results are sales estimates dating from each game’s release to August 21, 2016. 5. Dark Souls III (release date 3/24/2016) 321,931 copies sold 4. Dragon Quest Heroes:…

Hollywood’s Ghost In The Shell Cast Photos Apparently Leaked

We’ve already gotten glimpses of Scarlett Johansson as The Major and Pilou Asbæk as Batou. If theseleaked photos are to be believed, here is our first look at the other members of Public Security Section 9. Of course, Section 9 is the intelligence department in the Ghost in the Shell universe and headed up by…

Woman Killed By Pokémon Go Driver

Last night at around 7:25pm in the Japanese city Tokushima, two women were hit while crossing the street, fatally injuring one of them. The driver, 39 year-old Keiji Goh, admitted he wasn’t watching the road ahead, because he was playing Pokémon Go According to ANN, one of the women, 72 year-old Sachiko Nakanishi, was transported…

Bleach‘s Manga Artist Makes The Coolest Anniversary Drawing

Viz Media is celebrating its 30th anniversary, so congrats to Viz! To mark the occasion, famed manga artists sent signed drawings to the company. One of them in particular, however, stands out in the cool drawing department. As pointed out on 2ch, Twitter user Robert snapped these, among other, signed drawings. Most of them are…

Capcom Is Making A 3DS Game That Uses Train Passes

According to Famitsu, Capcom is developing a new 3DS title that uses smart cards for an upcoming title. These cards, also known as IC cards, are issued by Japanese railway companies and used as train passes and digital money cards. Players simply touch their train pass on the handheld’s bottom screen and will get items…

The Secret Message Hidden On Sega’s Arcade Bags

For the past two years, Sega Japan has been hiding a coded message on the plastic bags it gives out to those who win crane game prizes. Nobody realized they contained a secret message. That is, until now. Sega’s crane games are called UFO Catchers, and as I wrote in Arcade Mania, they are typically…

How Much Japanese Game Developers Make

Curious? A recent poll of nearly two thousand Japanese game developers reveals the average salaries for various jobs within the industry. Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association carried out the poll, which can be read here in full here (via Cheesemeister). A total of 1,808 individuals replied to this average 2015 salary question. Note that not all…

Life-Sized Anime Figures Sure Are Expensive

This is Mumei from the anime Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Okay, it’s not actually Mumei, but a life-sized statue. An extremely expensive one, at that. Measuring around 5.5 feet tall and weighing a whopping 103.6 pounds, the statue is priced at 2,500,000 yen (US$24,988). Only ten of these will be produced, and those in…

Pokémon Go Stampedes in Taiwan 

Damn. This is not scene from a disaster movie. These are apparently Pokémon Go players in Taiwan. The above and below images come via Taiwan’s Eastern Broadcasting Company. They are incredible. As startling as they are, wait until you see one of these stampedes in motion. As Time and That’s Mag points out, the above…

Dotonbori. Osaka, Japan. By Kris Labang. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

Giant Snorlax Cushions Are A Bad Idea

Make that, owning a giant Snorlax cushion is a terrible notion. The concept of them is fine. The reality is not. As Kotaku previously posted, Bandai Namco is releasing a huge Snorlax cushion that measures 130cm (4.2 feet) across and 150cm (4.9 feet) tall. It seems like a good idea. And hey, what’s 52,000 yen…

The Tokyo Olympics Could Be The Geekiest Olympics Yet

As reported earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared at the 2016 Rio Olympics’ closing ceremony as Mario. But that wasn’t the only Japanese pop culture cameo. Other iconic characters from gaming and anime popped up in a Tokyo Olympics promotional clip shown during this year’s closing ceremony, Such as Pac-Man. Captain Tsubasa from the…

Official Look At Super Saiyan Rose In Dragon Ball Super

Previously, Kotaku reported that leaks could indicate a pink-hair Super Saiyan was a thing. Now, we can confirm that for sure. Meet Super Saiyan Rose. The official reveal was in a teaser for next week’s Dragon Ball Super. The on-screen text reads and “Black Goku Rematch! Super Saiyan Rose Appears!!” and corresponds to the previously…

Hamster Vs. Super Mario Bros. Level 1-1

Oh, this is just a hamster trying to clear the hamster version of the very first stage in Super Mario Bros. That’s all. Yes, this stage is shorter, and yes, you can’t go down the first pipe in the real game. But put those concerns aside, because we have a Hamster trying to put on…

A Godzilla anime from Polygon Pictures is slated for release next year in Japan. According to Famitsu, Hiroyuki Seshita and Kobun Shizuno are co-directing, while Gen Urobuchi is penning the script. No word yet on an international release. Pictured is the anime’s first teaser image.