Kotaku East

As noted on Nintendo.co.jp, the 32GB Wii U Premium Set is no longer being manufactured for the Japanese market. The site says “end of production” (生産終了) for those consoles. No word on how this impacts gamers outside Japan.

That Chinese Passport Story Sure Looks Like a Hoax [Update: It’s Fake]

If it’s happening in Asia, it must be true, right? Like the Chinese kid who scribbled on his dad’s passport. Cute, sure, but it sure seems it could be a hoax. The story floating around says a four-year-old apparently drew all over his dad’s passport, making it impossible for the father to board a plane…

3DS strategy RPG Tales of the World: Reve Unitia got its first trailer at the Tales of Festival 2014 this weekend. It is scheduled for a Japanese release on October 23, 2014. A Bandai Namco representative has informed us that there are currently no plans to bring it West.

You Can Fuse With Your Teammates and More in the Next Tales Game

It was the annual Tales of Festival at the Yokohama Arena in Japan today with Tales of Festival 2014, and Bandai Namco had some interesting announcements for its latest Tales game, Tales of Zestiria –A new rival character The gray-haired, shirtless, pistol-wielding dude, Zabida (ザビーダ) is looking to be one of those reoccurring mid-boss battles…

Pikachu Is Finally Reunited with His Great Love: Ketchup

Among Pokemon fans, it’s well-known that Pikachu loves ketchup. Heck, back in 2000, Heinz even released a special edition ketchup with Pikachu on the bottle. But the character hasn’t been seen eating it in the anime for years. That is, until last night. As a refresher, here are scenes of yore featuring Pikachu eating ketchup.…

What’s New in Theatrhythm: Curtain Call

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, a music game built around the series’ excellent soundtracks, came out for the 3DS around two years ago. Now, a sequel, Theatrhythm: Curtain Call, is out in Japan and I am happy to report that it is far more than just an updated track list No Need to Touch and Flick In…

​Man Called ‘Gundam’ Allegedly Stole To Fund Arcade Habit

Forty-seven year-old Youji Nishikawa of Moriguchi City, Japan is accused of allegedly committing 31 counts of burglary, totaling the equivalent of US$25,500. What was all that money for? Gundam, apparently. “I’m from the Gundam generation,” Nishikawa is quoted as telling authorities, referring to those who grew up on the mecha in the late 1970s and…

If You Were Ever Bored in Class, Watch Tonari no Seki-kun

Every season there are many short-form anime that go largely ignored by anime fans. But every once in a while there is one that is too good to pass up—like last season’s imaginative high school comedy Tonari no Seki-kun: The Master of Killing Time. Good – A Comedic Setup with Infinite Iterations Rumi is a…

Drunk Shaming Campaign Might Get People Sued in Japan

A Japanese bar launched a “drunk shaming” public service announcement. It seems fake, but what the video is promoting could get people in trouble. According to Design Taxi, ad agency Ogilvy & Mather teamed up with Tokyo bar Yaocho to “shame” drunks. It’s supposed to be part of a viral campaign, which you can see…

Pizza Hut Is Releasing a Caramel Marshmallow Pizza in Japan

I have three words to say to this pizza: Get in my belly. Wait, that’s four. Pizza Hut is releasing a special Morinaga Milk Caramel and Marshmallow pizza as part of the candy’s one hundredth anniversary. Below, you can see photos, courtesy of website Gigazine. Just look at it. No dammit. Out of the box.…

​3D Cocktail Art Is Cute and Will Get You Drunk

In Japan, 3D latte art is a thing. We’ve seen numerous examples. But 3D cocktail art? Do tell. In the past few months, Tokyo bar Duke Capo has been getting more and more notice online in Japan for its adorable cocktail art, made from cream, chocolate sauce, and booze. Courtesy of IT Media, you can…

Japan’s Xbox One Exclusives, Translated For Your Convenience

Earlier this week, Japanese entertainment company Mages announced 3 Japanese games to come out for the Xbox One console. Considering the western-centric image the Xbox brand has had over the years, this is a good thing. The three titles, Psycho-Pass, mystereet F, and Chaos; Child are all text-based adventure games. Needless to say, for those…

It’s About Time Japan Got a Decent Game Museum

“There’s a middle-age Europe-themed amusement park in Japan that’s getting a game museum.” “… Wut?” So, apparently in Nagasaki – the place that was nuked in WWII (not Hiroshima, the other place) – there’s a theme park, a la Disneyland or Universal Studios, that has a middle-age European motif to it. Called “Huis Ten Bosch”…

Japanese Celebrity’s English Fail Is Truly Most Unfortunate

Ai Takahashi is a former member of Japanese pop group Morning Musume. And recently, she was photographed wearing a most unfortunate shirt. Note: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. Fellow former Morning Musume member Yuko Nakazawa uploaded a photo of the two, writing on her blog that Takahashi had come to Fukuoka…

Unforgettable Anime Figure Spawns a Memorable Meme

The recently revealed Gon from Hunter x Hunter figure is totally bonkers. You’ll never forget it! The meme it’s spawning in Japan will help make sure of that. Twitter user Orias59 noticed that the figure looks like the Spiral Rapier from Demon’s Souls. Here is that rare sword. And here is it is with added…

Real Super Mario Selling Cars In Japan (And He’s Kinda Hot)

This is actually happening. 8-bit Mario hops in a Mercedes Benz and starts hitting question boxes. Then, things get real. And somewhat hunky. GO! GLA TVCM 30秒 [MercedesBenzJapan] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you…

Meet Pushmo World It is the upcoming sequel to Intelligent Systems’ 3DS puzzle games, Pushmo and Crashmo, and it’s coming to the Japanese Wii U (yes, Wii U) eShop on June 19. UPDATE: Nintendo has confirmed that Pushmo World will also launch on the US (and EU) Wii U eShop on June 19.

Caramel Banana Sushi Exists in Japan

Goodness! Just when you thought unusual sushi couldn’t get any more, well, unusual, there’s this: Caramel banana sushi. Starting tomorrow, conveyor belt sushi chain Kura is offering it in Japan. Remember, sushi rice is made with vinegar. Caramel is sweet. Then, there are bananas to contend with. All at once. In your mouth. This is…

Will consoles ever catch on in South Korea? Iconic Korean game developer Jake Song doesn’t think so, recently saying, “Consoles are largely limited and have limited specs so there is a consensus that they are looked down upon from an online game developer’s point of view… The markets for consoles are limited to USA, Europe,…

Japanese Candy Art is Just Precious

This is “amezaiku” (飴細工) or, literally, “candy handiwork.” And there’s one way to best sum up this traditional craft: How sweet. In Japan, amezaiku has been practiced in various forms for around a thousand years or so. Artisans mold and snip piping hot taffy, creating animals, or more recently, anime characters before the candy hardens.…