Late last year, a mouse pad for the character Kashino from browser game Azur Lane was announced. This was no ordinary mouse pad. Note: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. For well over a decade now, there have been mouse pads featuring characters’ chests (or even butts!), resulting in what’s known as…
This is like the fake food you see in front of Japanese restaurants, but with Nintendo characters. YouTuber Nendo Zaiker-Snail created this Mario sushi from polymer clay. You can see the process in the 12-minute Japanese language clip below. What really sticks out is how this seems somewhat possible with real sushi. Make the Mario…
Syphilis. Rabies. Ebola. While you’d probably not like to get any of these, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control has turned a host of sicknesses into manga-type characters to raise awareness. As Hachima reports, the Taiwan CDC has brought in talented artists to bring these horrible diseases to life as a way to inform the…
E. Honda’s Street Fighter II bathhouse stage is iconic. On the back wall is a mural with Mount Fuji, a kabuki actor, and the Rising Sun design. The mountain and the thespian stay in Capcom Arcade Stadium’s re-release, but the ray design does not. Here is how the stage appeared in the original Street Fighter…
During the Japanese version of this week’s Nintendo Direct, a pleasant surprise was announced: a summertime game with everyone’s favorite anime five-year-old from Crayon Shin-chan Called Crayon Shin-chan: Ora to Hakase no Natsuyasumi (Crayon Shin-chan: My Summer Vacation With The Professor), the game lets players enjoy summertime in a small town in Kyushu, Japan. This…
Wood carvings are one of Vietnam’s traditional handicrafts, but instead of religious-themed works, DWoodart Studio specializes in stunning sculptures of popular anime, manga, and video game characters. The artists first place (or sometimes draw) an illustration on a block of wood and use a chainsaw to cut away large slices. Then the sculpture is painstakingly…
Japanese whisky isn’t yet one hundred years old. The country set up its first proper whisky distillery in 1923. And from then until this year, there were zero codified rules about what exactly Japanese whisky was. Compared to Scotch and bourbon, the regulations regarding Japanese whisky have been lax at best. There has long been…
This weekend, north-eastern Japan was rocked by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake. Considering how devastating earthquakes can be, people were worried. Some called loved ones, others sent messages. And in Rainbow Six Siege, one player smashed a wall to check in on the rival team. As seen in the Twitter clips below, about an hour after…
Each year, fans send Valentine chocolates to Square Enix. Some are addressed to characters while others are for the game creators. It’s a way to say thanks. But this year, Square Enix is asking for fans to refrain. As Jiji reports, Square Enix posted a notice on its official site, citing the state of emergency…
This week, new vending machines that tell customers to fight the coronavirus were unveiled in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. As NHK reports, the samurai-themed machines have a pre-recorded message that states, “Fight the coronavirus! Wear a mask, wash your hands, and gargle.” When people get their drink, the message adds, “Well done! Always be prepared.” The…
At many arcades in Japan there is often an amusement cabinet called a punching machine that measures how hard one can punch. A sixteen-year-old has been arrested after kicking one. Here is a YouTube clip from 2012 showing a punching machine in action: According to Kobe Shimbun Next, a sixteen-year-old resident of Kakogawa city, was…
No doubt, the pandemic is bad for lots of businesses. But in Japan, it’s especially awful for arcades. Because Japan is currently under a state of emergency due to covid-19, nightspots have been ordered to close early. If they don’t, they risk fines. As AFP News reports, bars and restaurants get compensation from the government…
Official Pokémon retail shops released a Magnemite plushie featuring a pretty significant mistake. Many people might not even spot the error at first glance, but those who are drawn to the electric steel Pokémon certainly will. Compare the official art (above) with the plush toy mistake (below). Can you spot the snafu? Surely the big…
People in Aichi Prefecture, Japan have arrested a 23-year-old man for violating the country’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act. According to Asahi News, the suspect is accused of selling a modded Sobble. Last April, the suspect, an unemployed Nagoya resident, allegedly hacked the character via computer and sold it to a Kyoto man for 4,400 yen…
Square Enix has published Japanese-language guidelines for derivative fan creations. These guidelines cover Nier Replicant, Nier Gestalt, Nier: Automata, Nier Re[in]carnation, and Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139… In short, all the Nier games! As noted on Inside, these guidelines are broken down into several points, prohibiting things like payment for fan work, the use of Nier assets…
This weekend, a mob of PS5 shoppers caused chaos at the Yodobashi Camera retailer in Tokyo’s Akihabara. The police were called and sales were halted. Famitsu now reports that the retailer has instituted new requirements to purchase the Sony console. According to Famitsu, it’s necessary to have the store’s gold point plus Visa card and…
Starting today, the JR Yumesaki train line in Osaka is covered in Mario and friends to celebrate Super Nintendo World, which was supposed to open February 4. However, it has since been delayed. Again. Universal Studios Japan visitors will ride the train line to the theme park. Japan is currently under a state of emergency…
Do you like chocolate? What about ramen? Well, this Valentine’s Day in Japan, people can eat chocolate ramen. Once again, ramen chain Kourakuen is serving up “chocolate ramen” for a limited time only. The chocolate ramen is made with a shoyu (soy sauce) ramen base, then adding cacao oil and a chocolate bar. This isn’t a…
To mark the release of Monster Hunter Rise this March, Nintendo is releasing a special emblazoned Switch in Japan. Update January 27 – 7:08 AM: Nintendo UK has also announced this bundle. The hardware is tastefully covered in Monster Hunter motifs. Priced at 38,400 yen ($370), it also comes with Monster Hunter Rise preinstalled and…
The Pokémon Company issued a statement in Japan regarding cheats being used in Pokémon Sword and Shield, as well as in Pokémon Home In it, the game maker explains that a portion of players have been using “improperly altered data” while playing, and using both the aforementioned titles, which is causing issues for others and making…
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