Kotaku East

Lonely Gamer Spawns Springtime Anime Art Meme in Japan

It’s springtime in Japan. That means, friends and family gather to sit under cherry blossoms and eat, drink, and be merry. This guy, however, is all alone. On Japanese television, people were being asked what time they arrived to get a spot to enjoy hanami (花見) or “cherry blossom viewing.” “I got here a little…

​Retired Porn Star’s Mobile Game Commercial Gets Banned in China

Until he retired last year, Taka Kato was one of Japan’s most famous male porn stars. He recently appeared in a Chinese mobile game commercial, which has raised the ire of the Chinese government. In the commercial, Kato talked about he’s known as “Goldfinger.” With his raised two fingers, Kato says, “I’ve brought happiness to…

Japan Is Good at Pigeon Masks

Last year, some members of a Japanese comedy site decided to troll Google Street View with pigeon masks. That was just the beginning. This weekend, the same site, Daily Portal Z, held a “Hato Event” at Osaka’s Grand Front shopping center. (In Japanese, “hato” means pigeon.) For the event, people could wear a pigeon mask…

These Are Japanese “Contact Lens Tweezers”

Wear contacts? Don’t want to stick your fingers in your eyes? A Japanese company has created a contraption called “Meruru.” In short, you are looking at contact lens tweezers. You don’t have to use your fingers to remove your lens, but you can use this silicone set, which seems slightly scary. According to the company,…

Witch Craft Works is a Fun Twist on Knight and Princess Tales

When I was growing up, everyone knew that boys get to be the knights and girls the princesses. But Witch Craft Works has a lot of fun turning this idea on its head. Good – Gender Role Inversion As an anime series, Witch Craft Works is a fantasy/fairy tale story built around an inversion of…

The Madoka Magica PSP Game is Getting a Fan Translation

2011’s Madoka Magica is an amazing little anime that plays on your expectations of what a magical girl anime should be and blindsides you with a compelling story filled with twists and turns. The PlayStation Portable game, Madoka Magica Portable, goes a step further. It shows you the myriad of ways the tale could have…

I am Genuinely Surprised to See a Kinect in This Anime

Games and game systems pop up semi-frequently in anime. But given the utter failure of the Xbox 360 in Japan, I was more than a little surprised to see a Kinect in a recent episode of lesbian romantic comedy Sakura Trick In a scene in the eighth episode of Sakura Trick, sporty girl Yu is…

Social Game Company President Sued for an Alleged Forced Abortion

According to reports out of Japan, the president of social gaming giant Gree, Yoshikazu Tanaka, is being sued for allegedly making a young woman get an abortion. Gree is one of the biggest social game companies in Japan. Forbes said its founder is Asia’s youngest self-made billionaire and called him one of “The World’s 12…

A Look at Japan’s Modern Day Samurai

You might think that the samurai no longer exist in Japan. That the samurai officially vanished when they were banned from carrying swords in the late 19th century. That might be true, but samurai still exist in Japan. Today, they just wield glowsticks instead. This Cup Noodle ad is titled “Present-Day Samurai” (現代のサムライ or Gendai…

Behold, Extreme Japanese Apologizing

In Japan, if you really screw up, just saying you’re sorry won’t cut it. You might have to grovel. And this is some of the most extreme Japanese grovelling you’ll see. As previously mentioned, prostrating yourself (土下座 or dogeza) is a way to apologize when words alone won’t cut it. It’s a pose that empowers…

Young Cosplayer Lost Over 100 Pounds After Fat Shaming

This is 19 year-old Kanna Motoyoshi. She got into cosplay as a way to show her love for anime character Tieria Erde from Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Not everyone was so receptive, however. Kanna didn’t always look like this. For example, in junior high school, she weighed around 176 pounds. As the screenshot says, this…

PS4 bling for Final Fantasy XIV fans: This laser-etched, FFXIV-branded HDD bay cover for the PlayStation 4 has recently been announced for pre-order on Sony’s Japanese webstore. Famitsureports that the plastic cover is limited to 1,400 units, with its price and release date as of yet unrevealed.

What Could Kill Japanese Arcades

As if Japanese arcades didn’t have enough hassles on their plate already. For Japanese arcades, offering up new and exciting ways of entertainment that people can’t experience at home has always been the main focus. However, with the technological advancement of home consoles and the smartphone gaming bubble still going strong, this is becoming harder…

Brace Yourselves, Macross Fans, a New TV Series is Coming

Hang on and wait for the music. Last night, after the rerun of episode 25 of Macross F on Japan’s Tokyo MX channel, fans were treated to a surprise bulletin announcing a new Macross TV series. For those unfamiliar, Macross is a sci-fi space opera anime that originally aired in Japan 1982 – some of…

Probably the Worst Diary of Anne Frank Cover Ever

Usually, covers of The Diary of Anne Frank feature black and white photos of its author, Anne Frank. Or, you might see tasteful illustrations. You don’t usually see photos like this! In South Korea, these are the kind of covers you’ll typically see for The Diary of Anne Frank (aka The Diary of a Young…

Killing Corrupt Politicians is Wrong, but Satisfying in this Manga

I’ve read a lot of fantastic fictional manga over my life, and few have I ever wished would actually come true more than this one. Japan is getting a sales tax hike starting next month. I won’t bore you with the details, but basically the people who believe it’s necessary, believe it’s necessary, the people…

Japan sure loves smartphone games. A new report (via TechInAsia) states that smartphone games now make up half of the country’s gaming market, increasing 178 percent compared to last year. Wowzers.

Handshakes Don’t Get Much Cuter Than with Otters

In Japan, popstars and celebrities aren’t the only ones with handshaking events: Otters have them, too. According to GetNews, the Ichikawa Zoological & Botanical Garden is rolling out a new “handshake corner” (握手コーナー or “akushu koonaa”) for visitors to greet otters. This isn’t the first zoo in Japan to offer this, and several other zoos…

Street Fighter II Characters Are Very Sorry for Screwing Up

What did Ryu do? Why is he grovelling? Because of a new series of collectible figurines. As noted by Twitter user Bruce Hsiang, the series is called “Dogeza Strap” (土下座ストラップ), and the straps are for your smartphone or portable game devices. “Dogeza” (土下座) is a type of bowing that’s typically reserved for bowing before incredibly…

Compare How Awful China’s Pollution Is To Where You Live

China’s pollution is bad. It’s a huge problem. The air quality in Beijing has even been compared to a nuclear winter. But how does that compare to where you live? Website Air Pollution in Asia (via Beijing Cream) tracks China’s Air Quality Index in real time—as well as in other locations around the world. Thus,…