-
Kotaku EastJapanJapanese Town Got Covid-19 Money So They Built A Giant Squid Statue
The town of Noto in Ishikawa received millions of yen due to the impact of covid-19. The money was part of a rural revitalization project to help the countryside in the wake of the virus. According to Yahoo! News Japan, local governments such as Noto’s would decide how to spend the money, such as infection…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanResident Evil Village Makes For A Delightfully Demented Puppet Show
Resident Evil Village the video game? Seems scary! But the puppet show? Absolutely adorable and totally messed up. It’s reminiscent of a Japanese children’s program, but with puppet versions of the game’s terrifying characters and inevitable bloodshed. “Come to Resident Evil Village,” they sing. “We’re all a pleasant bunch. Not, not, not scary!” Hijinks ensues…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 30, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanGodzilla vs. Kong Delayed In Japan Due To Covid-19
Originally slated for release on May 14, the Japanese release of Godzilla vs. Kong has been delayed due to the state of covid-19 in the country. As Eiga.com reports, the new release date has yet to be decided, but once it is, the new schedule will be announced on Toho’s official site. Currently, four prefectures…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 30, 2021 -
Kotaku EastChinaGiant Gundam Statue Finished In China
A life-sized, one-to-one scale Freedom Gundam statue has been completed in Shanghai. The 59-foot Freedom Gundam went up in front of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Shanghai Jinqiao, making this the first official giant Gundam to go up outside Japan. This is not the first life-sized one to go up in China. Way back in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 30, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanJapanese Pop Star Teams Up With Square Enix For Some Fancy CG
Koichi Domoto, one half of the Japanese boy band Kinki Kids, has roped in Square Enix for his upcoming solo album Playful. It’s Domoto’s first standalone project in six years, and the album also comes with a bonus short movie. So far, there have been a handful of teasers released, allowing fans to see how…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2021 -
Kotaku EastChinaReport: Knife-Wielding Man Arrested At Genshin Impact Developer’s Headquarters
According to Sina, one of China’s largest news portals, a man was recently arrested at Mihoyo’s Shanghai headquarters. It is believed the suspect intended to stab the company’s founders and then take his own life. The man had purchased two knives and had researched Mihoyo’s founders online. He was arrested on the company grounds, and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanOpening Osaka’s Super Nintendo World Last Month Seems Like A Mistake
On March 18, Shigeru Miyamoto appeared at the Super Nintendo World opening at Universal Studios Japan. For the photos, he seems to have briefly removed his mask, which was probably safe. However, in light of the ensuing state of emergency, the photos reflect poorly on the seriousness of the pandemic, especially now it’s been announced…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 23, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanManga Artist Hiro Mashima Is Teaming Up With Square Enix For A Totally New RPG
Award-winning manga artist Hiro Mashima, best known for the smash hit Fairy Tail, is joining forces with Square Enix for an entirely new fantasy role-playing game called Gate of Nightmares for iOS and Android. Check out the debut trailer below: Mashima designed the characters and the game’s overall look, while Jin Fujisawa, a Dragon Quest…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 22, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanSquare Enix Launches A Photobook Service In Japan For Final Fantasy XIV
If photo books are good enough to revive your digital pics, then surely the same goes for your life in Final Fantasy XIV In Japan, Square Enix is rolling out a new service called Final Fantasy XIV Custom Order Photobook: Memories of Light. It works like Apple’s photobooks, but with in-game screenshots that customers lay…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 21, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanJapan’s Fraudulent Composer Returns Years Later With New Music
In 2014, it was revealed that Mamoru Samuragochi, who was called “Japan’s Beethoven,” was not actually deaf. What’s more, he also used a ghostwriter for his music. Before the news broke, the accepted story was that Samuragochi had a degenerative hearing condition that left him deaf by age 35. As I noted at the time,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 21, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanA Pokémon-Themed Fossil Exhibit Opening In Japan
In what seems like an inevitability, a touring exhibition called Pokémon Kaseki Hakubutsukan (ポケモン化石博物館) or “Pokémon Fossil Museum” will open this summer in Japan. According to the official announcement, the exhibition will let visitors observe and compare fossils from dinosaurs and other creatures as well as extinct plants with Pocket Monsters, with the idea of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 20, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanJapan’s Biggest Indie Game Event Will Be Held This September In-Person
BitSummit, Japan’s biggest indie game event, will be held this September in Kyoto. It will, however, not be open to international attendees, only Japan residents. Last year’s in-person event was cancelled due to covid-19 and held online. “In consideration of the coronavirus pandemic, we will be limiting the attendees to developers, publishers, media, and sponsors…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 20, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanSquare Enix Denies Report The Company Is Up For Sale
After an unconfirmed report that multiple buyers were looking at acquiring Square Enix, the Tokyo-based game maker released a statement denying it. “Bloomberg has reported today that there is interest from several buyers to acquire Square Enix,” the statement reads. “However, this report is not based on any announcement by Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.”…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 16, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanStripper Arrested In Japan For Stripping
The Japanese media is reporting that a professional stripper has been arrested for stripping at a strip club in Tokyo. According to ANN News and Mainichi Shimbun, a 38-year-old dancer at Theater Ueno in Tokyo appeared on stage at around 12:30am sans underwear as 15 customers watched. One reported that a light was shone on…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 16, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanYu-Gi-Oh! Collection Auctioned As Revenge On Cheating Husband, Apparently
Recently on Yahoo! Auctions Japan, a seller posted images of unopened Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, writing the following: “This is the first time I’ve sold something (here). I’m putting up my husband’s collection as revenge for getting cheated on.” The seller, a Chiba-based Yahoo! Auctions user with the handle “dnlay04438“, added that the cards were still unopened…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanOn-Demand Printing For New Pokémon Snap Comes To Japanese Convenience Stores
Starting April 30, Lawson convenience stores across Japan will be offering a New Pokémon Snap printing service. That way players can print out their favorite photographs As the official site (via Yahoo! News and Nintendo Life) explains, the game data needs to be transferred to a smart device or PC. Then, users access the special…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanSatoru Iwata Seemed Like A Truly Good Dude
Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata made a huge impact on gaming. The exec had the rare combination of technical knowledge and business savvy. He also seemed like a really good dude. Sadly, Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015, at the age of 55. In the newly released English translation of Ask Iwata, which is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 13, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanForget CG, Japanese Drink Company Shows The Magic Of Practical Effects
Drink maker Pocari Sweat has made a number of terrific commercials over the years. This latest one, which uses a bunch of practical effects, is one of its most impressive to date In it, Sena Nakajima is walking down the hall at school, but then stops, turns around, and starts pushing her way through the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 9, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanGenshin Impact Replaces Famed Idol Group’s Iconic Signs In Akihabara
If you’ve been to Tokyo’s Akihabara in the past decade, you’ve seen the large signs for pop group AKB48 on the side of the Don Quijote building. They have now been replaced. At one time, AKB48 was the biggest-selling pop troupe in the country. You couldn’t turn on the television without being bombarded by group…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 7, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanToday, Atlus Celebrates Its Birthday
Famed role-playing game maker Atlus is celebrating a milestone. Today in 1986, the company was founded. Happy birthday Atlus! In its early years, Atlus sold karaoke equipment, before releasing its first game Puzzle Boy for the Game Boy in 1989. The company’s first arcade game, BlaZeon, followed three years later. During the 1990s, Atlus caused…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 7, 2021