Kotaku East

On February 22, Nintendo is kicking off a software sale campaign in Japan. Know what else happens on February 22? The PS4 is released in Japan. But I’m sure that’s just a kwinky-dink.

Japan’s “Naked Festival” Is a Sea of Man Butt

In Japanese, “hadaka matsuri” (裸祭り) literally means “naked festival.” One of the most famous naked festivals was recently at Okayama, Japan. It looked like this! At a naked festival, the male participants aren’t actually naked. However, they are typically dressed only in fundoshi (ふんどし), which is a traditional Japanese loincloth, and hope to get lucky—rather,…

Japan’s Transformers Hotel Room Is More Than Meets the Eye

You heard me. Japan has a Transformers themed hotel room. It’s outfitted with toys and Transformers bed linen. What more could you need, really? The Asahikawa Grand Hotel, which is located in Hokkaido, teamed up with toy maker Takara Tomy to create this limited time only Transformers room. Below, you can see photos from Japanese…

Cool Anime Toys We Saw At Toy Fair

Yesterday, we showed some cute/sexy Nintendo toys from Good Smile. They do other stuff, too, like figures and statues for Attack on Titan, Steins;Gate and Bayonetta. A giant Bayonetta. Almost as big as a Titan. Go on; take a look. You’ll also see some Kill La Kill, Hatsune Miku and Ghost in the Shell stuff…

The Five Anime of Winter 2014 You Should Be Watching

There are a lot of new anime on the air right now—47 of them to be exact—and it can be more than a little difficult to know which ones to watch. Luckily, we at Kotaku East are here to help with our recommendations. As we hit the half-way point of the season, it is time…

Watch Us Play the New Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is the newest game in the long running series and the first on the Wii U. It has all the platforming you could want as well as returning characters Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong. Check out the video to see the game in action. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was…

Here’s an Officially Licensed Mario…Golf Bag

Mario golf. Get it? Well, if you have five hundred bucks, you can. According to NariNari, Japanese golf accessory company Enjoy Caddie Bag is releasing a Mario golf bag. Made of faux leather, the bag is covered in Mario—whether that’s small details like Super Star zippers or big details like the huge “M.” Here, have…

My Favorite Part of the New Donkey Kong is Bouncing Like Scrooge McDuck

This past weekend, I sat down and powered through the newest Donkey Kong title Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. And as I explored all the game has to offer, I found myself nearly giddy at Cranky Kong’s special ability: to bounce along on his cane like Scrooge McDuck in the NES classic DuckTales. I love…

Forgive Me If I Want to Snuggle This Disney Bus

I don’t ever recall having the desire to nuzzle a bus. Maybe the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro? This brand new “Duffy Bus” from Tokyo Disney Resort certainly invites snuggles. Come here, bus. How about a hug? Duffy, of course, is the Disney Bear. The character is popular enough in Japan to warrant his own…

Atlus (The Company) Is Back from the Dead

Last year, there was concern about Atlus. Its parent company, Index Corporation, was in a pickle, and the Atlus brand ended up in Sega’s hands. But Atlus is no longer simply a brand. Atlus is back! As a company, Atlus ceased to exist as a registered corporation in Japan a few years back. On paper,…

Flappy Bird Proficiency Required for Game Developer Job in China

Now…I’m not too sure I understand the whole Flappy Bird thing. I haven’t played the game, so while I might be in the dark, for potential employees of one Chinese game company, Flappy Bird knowledge might just be the way into a job. According to China News, an odd online job listing appeared online in…

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Is Getting Its Own PS4 Console

To mark MGS V: Ground Zeroes’ release, the Sony Store is releasing a special Ground Zeroes emblazoned PlayStation 4 in Japan. Via Kojima Productions‘ Twitter account, the limited edition console features the Fox Emblem—hence calling this PS4 the “Fox Edition.” Priced at 46,980 yen (US$462), the special console comes with a copy of the game…

Cease And Desist! Toei Animation Looks To Tackle Chinese Bootleggers

Toei Animation, the Japanese animation powerhouse behind some of our (and hopefully your) favourite animations, has started to investigate and send out cease and desist notices to Chinese companies for copyright infringement. Reported by Chinese gaming website Gamelook, Toei has reached out to a few Chinese gaming companies asking them to take down games that…

Okay, I Want This Arcade Game for My Living Room

Or my bedroom. Or the den. Or the dining room. Wherever, this huge cabinet can fit. It doesn’t matter. Steel Chronicle: Ganesh is an upcoming arcade game from Konami. The cabinet, which features huge screens inside, is very, very large. It also has feedback and a sound system to help immerse you even more. The…

China’s Communist Mouthpiece Wants Less Sex in Gaming

Sex sells. It’s a cheap and simple ploy that video game marketers have used for years. The Chinese game industry is no different. In recent years, famous Japanese adult film stars have been tapped to represent and market games to consumers, but now, one of the country’s biggest newspapers has come out against sex in…

The Littlest Attack on Titan Cosplayer Is Simply Adorable

Aw, look at that little kid! And her little Survey Corps outfit. So precious. Dressed as Attack on Titan character Sasha Braus, the kid (and what looks like a parent!) recently attended the Fancy Frontier comic and cosplay event in Taiwan. Neat little outfit. COS王 誕生!! [Fancy Frontier@Facebook] To contact the author of this post,…

Which Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Is Best? Here Are Comparisons

Upcoming stealth action game Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes will be released on old and new platforms. How different will they look? Konami released a handful of comparison images from the different versions of the game, explaining how the PS3 and PS4 versions stack up as well as the Xbox 360 and Xbox One…

Walkure Romanze is My “Guilty Pleasure Anime” from Last Season

Guilty pleasures. We all have them: Something you like but feel that you shouldn’t. Walkure Romanze is one of those for me. It has more than a few tropes I normally hate in anime, but these are combined with other aspects I truly love to create something I am embarrassed to admit I like. Good…

Animal Omelettes Make Mealtime Adorable

In Japan, there’s a dish called “omurice” (オムライス). It’s a type of omelette that is filled with rice. Kids, in particular, love it. There’s a way to make this tasty meal cuter: add animal characters. Here’s what omurice looks like: It’s rice wrapped in an omelette with ketchup or a sauce. Gosh, I wish this…

Giant Babies Born in China

This week in Shanwei, China, a mother gave birth to one big baby (pictured). How big? Try 7.12 kilograms—that’s 15.6 pounds. And that’s not even the biggest baby born in the country this month. Searchina reports (via Yahoo! News) that another mother—this one in a totally different city—also recently had a giant baby boy, who…