Kotaku East

Don’t Be Silly, Hello Kitty Is a Cat

Earlier today, numerous websites reported that Hello Kitty is not a cat. That’s not only an oversimplification, it’s also not quite true. Hello Kitty is a feline—just an anthropomorphic one, Sanrio told Kotaku. The whole Hello-Kitty-is-not-a-cat thing was set off by an L.A. Times article on an upcoming Hello Kitty at the Japanese American National…

More Silly Schoolbook Drawings from Japan

School books aren’t for studying, you know. They’re for drawing goofy pictures in. Because that certainly makes class time fly by. Previously, Kotaku introduced some of Japan’s wonderfully wacky schoolbook doodles. Sometimes, people draw over existing images or fill in what’s missing, while other times they go as far as erasing the original image to…

If Real Combat Was Like Online Shooters

Video games and real-life combat are obviously different. But what if real combat was like an online shooter? Well, it might be like this. Below, you can see a series of fun and clever South Korean commercials for Nexon’s online first-person shooter Sudden Attack via Siliconera. As tipster Sang points out, the ads star Kpop…

The Internet Reacts to the New Pokémon Fighting Game

There’s a new Pokémon game! It’s an action fighting game. For arcades. In Japan. I bet the internet has something to say about that. As previously reported, The Pokémon Company roped in Namco Bandai, the makers of Tekken, for the arcade game. It’s called Pokkén Tournament and will be out next year in Japan. And…

The History of Zelda as Told by Commercials

Everybody remember the Zelda rap? Well then, get ready for a drive down nostalgia lane where we are going to look at the history of the Zelda main series as told by its TV commercials. And while this is not all the Zelda commercials by any means, these peeks into the past, showing how the…

If You Like Video Games and Anime, You’ll Love These Japanese Sweets

Twitter user Otakumimakes Japanese sweets or “wagashi” (和菓子). Traditionally, they are served with tea and are inspired by nature or animals motifs. These sweets, however, are inspired by anime and video games. Otakumi crafts sweets at Kuramoto Hinode, a wagashi maker in Tokushima Prefecture. These wagashi are soft and called “nerikiri” (練り切り). They’re made from…

Ten Awesome Anime Openings and Endings from Summer 2014

New anime music is one of the things I look most forward to each season. And as we have 44 new anime for the summer season, we also have 44 new openings and endings—not to mention the new second-half themes from last season’s anime that are still on the air. So below are some of…

Watch Us Play Hyrule Warriors

Hyrule Warriors, the new game that crosses the world of Zelda with that of Dynasty Warriors, is already out in Japan. So join us as we talk a bit about what it is and how it plays. Hyrule Warriors was released on August 14, 2014, in Japan for the Nintendo Wii U. It will be…

Of Course, Japan Has a Mayonnaise Museum

If you’ve ever been to Japan, you know one thing: mayonnaise is very, very popular. Japanese people like putting mayo on all sorts of food. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that there is actually a mayonnaise museum in Tokyo. Dubbed MayoTerrace, the recently opened learning center was established by Kewpie, which was visited by a…

The upcoming Nobunaga’s Ambition isn’t set in 16th century Japan, but the modern day. Dubbed Nobunaga’s Ambition 201X, this RPG features a machine-gun-toting Nobunaga. The game is slated for iOS, Android, and PC (no word about a Western release). Let’s hope they do a version with Pokemon… and guns?

RoboCop Brought to Life in This Custom Sculpture

Hogap Lee is a brilliant sculptor. Kotaku has profiled his work before (remember this Dead Space piece?). Lee’s latest work is a RoboCop statue, fittingly called “Murphy.” It is fantastic. This is to give you an idea of scale. It’s much bigger than I thought it would be. Here, you can see a video of…

How One Gamer Went from “Addict” to Entrepreneur

For 15 years, a young Chinese man was called a video game addict. He was looked down upon because of his hobby. But now, 15 years later, he’s been vindicated. He’s now an manager for a e-sports club in China. IFeng.com brings us the story from the Chongqing Evening Post of 22 year-old Li Yang…

Toy Thief Escapes Internet Justice, Gets Arrested Instead

Junkies and drug addicts usually steal and sell goods to buy hard drugs, but for one Japanese otaku, his theft was fueled by a different sort of addiction. However, when he shoplifted a toy robot from the wrong guys, he became one of peaceful Japan’s most wanted criminals. This story originally appeared on Japan Subculture…

Chinese Billionaire Denies Faking an Ice Bucket Challenge

Guangbiao Chen, the Chinese Billionaire with an amazing business card, recently did an ice bucket challenge. Online in China, some folks are saying it was faked—something Chen denies. You might remember Chen as the moneybags who sold cans of air with his face on it and helped a charity stunt that promised to give money…

Fastfood Chain in Japan Serving Spaghetti Burgers

In short, it’s spaghetti plus a hamburger. A spaghetti burger. What could go wrong? While this certainly isn’t the first spaghetti burger, this is one of the first to be offered by a major fast food chain—in Japan, at least. Dubbed the Neapolitan Burger, the meal was created by famous Japanese chef Tatsuya Kawagoe. Served…

Batman Spotted on a Japanese Highway

Over the weekend, Twitter user Ryuuchan saw something most unusual on the highway: Batman. And not just Batman, but Batman on a Batcycle (nee, Batpod). Compare with The Dark Knight Rises: Ryuuchan certainly seemed surprised, and these photos, which were taken in Chiba Prefecture, have since been uploaded to 2ch, Japan’s largest webforum, and numerous…

Hyrule Warriors Victory Poses Make for Some Awesome Gifs

Having a characters strike a post-fight victory pose is hardly unique to Hyrule Warriors (the new Legend of Zelda/Dynasty Warriors spin-off game), but let me tell you one thing: those in Hyrule Warriors make for awesome gifs. Hyrule Warriors was released on August 14, 2014, in Japan for the Nintendo Wii U. It will be…

The Strangest Video Game Audition You Will Ever See

This is not hyperbole. I am being serious. The audition this gentleman gave for Sega’s upcoming Yakuza game is most unusual. Note: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. But that seems to be the point, because this happened: And then this: This hopeful’s name is Habu. He’s actually a comedian in Japan—though,…

PlayStation Home is ending its service in Japan. Today, Sonyannounced that Home’s service will end in Japan (and the rest of Asia) as of March 2015.

A Brief History of Non-Nintendo Made Zelda Games

Nintendo has a long history of keeping the development of their core titles in-house, so it’s a bit surprising when they allow another company to develop something as high profile as Hyrule Warriors. Or is it? This isn’t the first time a studio other than Nintendo has made a Zelda game. The Legend of Zelda…