Kotaku East

Japan Learns the Correct Way To Use “F**k”

One of the things I’ve noticed about living in Japan is that the country’s non-native speakers are fuck all at using the fucking f-word. Good thing there’s a new book that aims to correct that! As noted by Kotaku reader Chris Hill, Japan recently got a new English instruction book called How to Use Fuck…

Japanese Castle Roof Is So Damn White It’s Bewildering People

Wow. The newly refurbished roof of Himeji Castle is really, really white. No wonder people in Japan are bewildered. This isn’t what people are used to! Himeji Castle is one of Japan’s most famous and most beautiful castles. It is a World Heritage Site, and if you ever visit Japan, you need to visit it.…

Ten Awesome Anime Openings and Endings from Spring 2014

I love anime music and it is one of the main things I look forward to each new anime season. And as we have 60 new anime this season, we also have 60 new openings and endings—in addition to the new second-half themes from the winter anime that are still on the air. So below…

Japanese Games with Unfortunately Perverted-Sounding Titles

A lot of time and effort goes into choosing a game title. But sometimes despite this effort, some game titles may invoke a sexual vibe quite by accident. This is especially true of the following Japanese games. Sometimes these names were the fault of the original Japanese creators who likely didn’t realize the English sexual…

Thank You Arnold Schwarzenegger, For the Japanese Commercials

I grew up during the 1980s. And like most kids, I watched a bunch of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. If only I had lived in Japan. I could’ve grown up with something even better: His commercials. But good news! After a long absence, Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to Japanese advertising, appearing in a Kowa coffee commercial.…

Check Out the 109 New Final Fantasy Tracks in Theatrhythm: Curtain Call

While growing up, I, of course, knew the Mario and Sonic themes, but it wasn’t until I first played Final Fantasy VI that game music really started to affect me. To say I have a soft spot for the series’ music is an understatement—which is why I am ecstatic that Theatrhythm: Curtain Call has 109…

This Pokemon Trainer Totally Looks Like…Audrey Hepburn?

Any old movie fans out there? In yesterday’s Pokemon episode, trainer Diantha made her anime debut. She might remind you of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. In Pokemon: XY, Diantha is a famous movie actress—as well as a Pokemon trainer. She also looks somewhat familiar! As pointed out by Japanese site Pokemon-Matome, Diantha recreates an…

First Look at Maple Story 2 Gameplay

Check out a sneak peek at Maple Story 2, which is slated to go into close beta this year in South Korea. The game’s release date is still TBA. 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…

Ike Joins Super Smash Bros., Gets Compared to a Gorilla in Japan

Nintendo just announced that Ike from Fire Emblem is returning to Smash Bros. So, he’s not a new character to the series, but he now looks…different. And in Japan, some are mocking his pumped up appearance. On popular game sites like Hachima and My Game News Flash, there are commenters calling the muscular Ike a…

The Latest Idolm@ster Game is All Fan Service, in a Good Way

Coming off of their recent movie release, THE IDOLM@STER girls are back with a new game that looks like it’s learned from past mistakes. The latest addition to Bandai Namco’s ever popular IDOLM@STER franchise, THE IDOLM@STER ONE FOR ALL came out on the PS3 last week and so I decided to see what it had…

Yokai Watch Could be the Next Pokemon

“Yokai Watch? WTF is that?” was my first response when I heard about the 3DS game that had Brian ransacking toy stores Yokai Watch (妖怪ウォッチ) is pretty much a Pokemon style game from Level-5 of Professor Layton fame, where the objective is to collect cute little fairy-like monsters – called Yokai – to battle with.…

I Wish Video Games Had High-Speed Gesture Tech Like This

The Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory at the University of Tokyo recently showed off its very cool 3D gesture tech. Using high-speed camera, the system is able to track hand movements at 500 frames per second. The lab hopes the tech can be used by surgeons. I say bring on the video games. High Speed Gesture Recognition…

Zelda Spin-Off Doesn’t Have Dungeons, It’s Got Armies

Hyrule Warriors is Zelda meets hack-and-slash. It’s an idea just crazy enough to work. “With the Warriors series, we’ve had collaborations with Gundam, Fist of the North Star, and One Piece, but we also wanted to do something with Nintendo.” Hyrule Warriors producer, Hisashi Koinuma said in an interview with Weekly Famitsu. According to Koinuma,…

Japan Did BioShock In 1973

SF Magazine is a well-known sci-fi magazine in Japan. Launching in 1959, it’s still published today. And in July 1973, the cover looked like BioShock BioShock was released decades later in 2007 (the above image features a still from the 2010 sequel). But wow, look at the similarities—especially the similarities with the Little Sister from…

Cats Videos Are Better with Sports Announcers

In your time on the internet, you’ve probably seen a ton of cat videos. Cute ones, funny ones, and jumping ones. But, you know what was missing from them? Taiwanese baseball announcers, that’s what. Recently, the Facebook page for internet feline friends MuMu and MianMian uploaded the following YouTube clip, which features an audio track…

Good news, Dragon Quest fans! DQ creator Yuji Horii tells VJump that the next Dragon Quest won’t be a smartphone game, but perhaps, more of a weighty title. Meaning? Don’t expect a casual game, but hopefully, something closer to a traditional DQ experience.

Japanese Selfie Trend Will Leave You Shaking Your Head

It seems like there’s always a new photo trend, doesn’t it? Some are big. Some are small. Well, this one could have you shaking your head. Literally. Earlier this week, head-shaking photos were uploaded to bulletin board Viper 2ch, with the original uploader writing, “You’re able to forget your troubles hahahahahaha.” In Japanese, this is…

That’s One Giant Sailor Moon Head

It really is. But getting your hands on this collectible Pullip doll is bound to be difficult. Pullip is a line of fashion dolls, and the latest addition is a limited edition Sailor Moon doll that is priced at 17,280 yen (US$171). The doll even comes with a cute little Luna plush toy. Pre-orders start…

Demon Souls and Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki has been named the president of From Software, the company said in an official release. That’s terrific news for fans of those games. Good news for him, too.

It’s X-Men: Days of Future Past Meets…Japanese Professional Baseball

One of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, the Hanshin Tigers, released a new poster that looks exactly like the poster for X-Men: Days of Future Past. That’s no accident. To promote the movie’s release, as well as an upcoming interleague game with the Tigers’ minor league all-stars, posters have been plastered near Osaka Station as…