Kotaku East

You’d Never Skip Class at This Chinese Elementary School

In the city of Shenzhen, a Super Mario Bros. mural was recently added to the side of an elementary school. Flickr user DCMaster first spotted the mural, which appears to be more than just a painting. If you look closely, you’ll see how the characters actually appear in relief. And as one Kotaku reader pointed…

The global PS4 beta for Final Fantasy XIV begins on February 22, 2014. An April 2014 release date was also announced. That’s for Japan and,it seems, North America. [Thanks, Alex!]

Ghost in the Shell Arise 2 Has More Action than Mystery

Five months ago saw the release of Ghost in the Shell: Arise border: 1 Ghost Pain in theaters across Japan. This past weekend saw the second release of the four-part series with Ghost in the Shell: Arise border: 2 Ghost Whisper—a story very much on the other end of the mystery-action spectrum. Good – The…

Gaming Handheld Allegedly Used in Horrible Bullying Incident [Update]

A portable gaming machine was apparently used in an alleged bullying incident that left one kid humiliated and claiming mental anguish. According to Japanese wire service Jiji Press, a sixth grade boy in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan was allegedly bullied in between May 2012 and this past September by seven other children in the same sports…

Amazon Cardboard Boxes Make a Beautiful Buddhist Temple

What do you do with your Amazon cardboard boxes? Throw them away? An individual in Japan turned them into one of the country’s most famous temples, the Byodoin. The templeis a national treasure in Japan and is featured on the back of ten yen coins. NicoNico Douga user Upuaza Touryou took around five months to…

Lightning Returns Has a Lot of Fun Playing Around with Music

This past week, as I’ve been working my way through Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, I’ve noticed the game has—whether it’s minstrels, treasure boxes, or even the crowd at the coliseum—loads of aural Easter eggs just waiting to be uncovered. Want to see some of them in action? Check out the video above. Lightning Returns:…

Diplomat Accused of Embassy Arson Looks Dumb in Body Paint

Thirty-year-old Japanese diplomat Shinya Yamada is accused of embezzling US$260,000 and torching the Japanese embassy in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Serious allegations. Leave it to the Japanese media to use a stupid pic. As pointed out on 2ch, Japan’s largest internet forum, Nippon TV used the above pic of Yamada, which appears to be…

Wanna Know What Happens After Persona 4? There’s a Manga for That

Is the wait for Persona 5 enough to drive you insane? Are you dying to know the fates of all your favorite characters from Persona 3 and 4—and Persona 4: Arena only served to whet your appetite? Well, you could always pick up a copy of manga Persona X Detective Naoto to get a teaser…

The Craziest Otaku in the World

That’s not my opinion, mind you. That’s what people online in Japan are saying. This is Melonpan, a geek from Switzerland who has been amusing the internet for the past few years with his antics. Perhaps you’re a fan. Or maybe you remember the time he jumped out of a plane with a hug pillow.…

For Ten Bucks, Delicious Hamburgers Should Look Better

You know, ten bucks is a lot for a hamburger. Especially from a fast food joint. And especially when it doesn’t look so delicious. But what if it tastes good? Last week, Japanese fast food chain Lotteria launched its latest “Reward Burger” (ご褒美バーガー or “Gohoubi Baagaa”). Called the Japanese Black Cattle Beef Hamburg Steak Burger,…

When K-Pop Meets Chinese Traffic Police, Hilarity Ensues

Today, December 2, 12/2, is just a regular day in the world—except for traffic police in China. Today, the numbers correlate with the phone number for Chinese traffic police, 122, and because of that the fine traffic cops of Huizhou city in Guangdong province have released a nifty music video. Set to the infectious Korean…

Japanese Weather Reports Are More Adorable with Anime Characters

In most countries, the weather report is not cute. The weatherman or the weatherwoman might be attractive (they might not!), but the report itself is probably fairly bland. Not in Japan. NHK, Japan’s most respected broadcaster, has used anime-inspired characters for weather reports for the past few years. In February 2009, NHK’s News Watch 9…

Sexually Harass a Radish, While Wearing a Futuristic Helmet

Sexual harassment is awful. Don’t do it. But I guess it’s okay to feel up a radish? While wearing a helmet? Maybe not. In the below video, courtesy of our Gizmodo Japan colleagues, you can see a “substitutional reality” or “SR” system used with a radish harassing tech Kotaku previously featured. The tech is called…

Report: Chinese Government To Loosen Grip On Online Games

China’s Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily reports that the two Chinese ministries responsible for monitoring and approving online games will revise their criteria in terms of approving what games get released in China. In a quote within the People’s Daily, which printed the Guangzhou Daily report, Ministry of Culture Cultural and Internet Commerce department head…

The Scariest Tire Commercial I’ve Ever Seen

How often have you seen a tire commercial with a health warning in front of it? Fukuoka-based tire retailer Autoway‘s latest online spot takes a page from Japanese horror for this reminder of dangerous winter roads. The video was uploaded in mid-November, and now has over 400,000 views on YouTube. 雪道ｺﾜｲ [AutowayTire@YouTube] To contact the…

All-Female Marching Bands Make Taiwanese Funerals More Lively

In the past, funeral processions in Taiwan featured traditional Chinese instruments. Now, some sport marching bands, complete with baton twirling and go-go boots. For the past few years, funeral service Yuan-Rong Life has offered a marching troupe called “Xiu Juan Female Music Band” for services. Yuan-Rong Life tells Kotaku that each session lasts about two…

In the wake of child predators using the 3DS, Nintendo is reminding Japanese parents about locking the 3DS and the WiiU’s internet capabilities. 保護者による使用制限機能について [Nintendo@YouTube] 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 the latest talking…

People Are Saying a K-Pop Group Ripped Off Lupin III‘s Theme

Popular Korean group Crayon Pop gets flak for its alleged costume knocks-offs. And now some are wondering if the group’s newest single, “Lonely Christmas,” doesn’t rip off the theme song for anime Lupin III Here is “Lonely Christmas.” And here is the Lupin III theme from 1978. One Korean YouTube user even made a direct…

Lady Gaga Just Out-Cuted Japan

Sorry, Japanese pop stars. Tonight, you were defeated. You had a worthy adversary. But you were no match in a ridiculous cute battle with Lady Gaga. In English, “kawaii” is typically translated as “cute,” but abroad, it’s become shorthand for teeth-hurtlingly adorable anime, manga, and video game characters, as well as ridiculously colorful fashion. (In…

Watch Us Play Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII was released last week in Japan. As we’ve noted before, Lightning Returns is a massive departure from the previous games in the XIII series with fast-paced action and an open world to explore. But how does it work in action? Check out our video to find out. Lightning Returns: Final…