Kotaku East

“I feel terribly sorry that I have kept my audience waiting for such a long time.” Fumito Ueda, creator of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, talking to Edge about The Last Guardian and its various delays

Japan’s Hammock Cafes Are Perfect for Lazy People

Cafes are a great place to have a cup of coffee, talk, and relax. Sofas are nice and all, but the world’s cafes really need to take a lesson from a handful of Japanese cafes: Hammocks. In Japan, there are at least four (maybe more!) hammock cafes as well as cafes that also have hammocks.…

First Look at Hayao Miyazaki’s New Manga

While famed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki retired from feature films earlier this fall, he’s still hard at work drawing manga. And damn, his current work looks great. Miyazaki is known for famed anime like My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service, among many others. This week’s episode of NHK series The Professional featured Hayao Miyazaki.…

The Worst Black Belts Are the Best Black Belts

To get a black belt, you must train. You must focus. You also must flail like a goof ball. But, be sure to do it quickly. Black Belt Test SFII Edition [Dominic Moschitti@YouTube via ネタりか] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your…

Blizzard’s Hearthstone Might Have Competition in China

Blizzard Entertainment’s upcoming digital trading card game, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, is eagerly awaited by fans all around the world. In China, the game is currently in a semi-open beta. Things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows for Blizzard, however, as there are issues abound and competitors to squash. Late last week, Hearthstone’s Chinese card store…

Ghost In The Shell: Arise‘s Newest Ad Is A 3-Minute Mini-Episode

The four-part OVA series, Ghost in the Shell: Arise doesn’t even feign hiding product placement and ads. Two weeks before the premiere of the second part of the series, Production I.G has released an exclusive mini-episode, which basically is an ad for a Japanese company. But it’s still three minutes of new GitS footage! You…

These Are China’s Biggest Online Games

China’s online game market is breaking sales records year-on-year in the world’s most populous nation. In 2013, this market alone is poised to make over $11 billion, according to Gameindustry.biz. But which are country’s favorite online games? Let’s take a look. Left without a console market due to the exorbitant prices of consoles (and a…

Which Is Faster: a Japanese Woman or a Komodo Dragon?

Adventurer and Japanese celebrity Ayako Imoto raced a Komodo Dragon. And by “raced,” I mean she ran for her life. And she did so with a slab of meat tied around her waist. Oh, and wearing a kimono. Ever try running while wearing a kimono? It’s not easy. Try it while a large lizard carnivore…

China’s Space Capsule Hotel Has Robot Staff

It’s not staffed entirely by robots, mind you. There are earthlings on duty, too! Recently, a “space-themed” capsule hotel has opened in Shenzhen, China, reports website The Nanfang Insider. The hotel has a groovy 2001 vibe going on: There’s a robot doorman, it seems, and a waiter bot to bring you the drinks you order…

Screw McNuggets, China Has Spicy McPork Balls

Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt is said to be a big fan of pork. It’s also been said that when Bolt was in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics, he ate nothing but McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets. Now with McDonald’s China introducing the lovechild of pork and McNuggets, maybe Usain Bolt might just come back to China.…

Final Fantasy X & X-2 Out for PS3 on March 18

Squeenix has revealed the Western release dates for of their upcoming HD remasters for FFX and FFX-2 Both North America and Europe will be getting the games in March next year, on the 18th and on the 21st, respectively. In Japan, the compilation is still set to release in late December. We also have two…

Someone Wants To Pay $9,000 for a Gundam Model

And no, it’s not made out of gold. But the winning bidder must be made out of money. According to Itai News, a completed RX-93 ν Gundam model sold for 926,001 yen (US$9,261) in an online auction. Bidding started at 100 yen, which is about one dollar. The actual model, in its unpainted and disassembled…

Rumors of Alleged Foxconn PS4 Sabotage Are Sketchy, At Best

Last month, Kotaku reported that student interns were allegedly forced to manufacture the PlayStation 4. With the PS4 now out, rumors have popped up that some of those alleged student interns sabotaged Sony’s gaming console. Those rumors are spreading online, but, juicy as they are, they’re very thin. Here’s what Kotaku has sorted through and…

Five Important Things to Know About the Vita TV

Dying to own a Vita TV so you can play Vita games on your giant flat screen TV? Well, before you shell out the big bucks to import one, there are some things about the Vita TV you should probably know. 1) You Can’t Use Your Western PSN account As I booted up the Vita…

Inside Japan’s Squirrel Gardens. Yes, Squirrel Gardens!

Hey, that’s what they’re called! The actual name is “squirrel garden” (“risu-en” or リス園 in Japanese). And if you like squirrels, this is a little slice of squirrel heaven. Recently on 2ch, a net user posted photos from a recent visit to a squirrel park. They’re zoos that specialize in squirrels, and depending on where…

Street Fighter’s Producer Doubts Capcom Would Hire Him Today

If you’re a fan of Capcom’s Street Fighter series, you’ve probably heard of Yoshinori Ono: he’s been the series’ executive producer since Street Fighter IV, which was released back in 2009. But he didn’t start out that way. “At the time, I liked games and was more interested in composing music for them rather than…

The Ragnarok Creator’s New Game Will Have 80 Classes. Eighty.

Hakkyu Kim, who a long, long time ago created the crazy popular MMORPG Ragnarok Online, recently took the show floor over at South Korea’s G-Star convention to talk about his new game, Tree of Savior—a game that will no doubt drive altoholics insane with its huge amount of classes. According to Korean news site inven…

The Five Anime of Fall 2013 You Should Be Watching

When the fall 2013 anime season started early last month, I told you a little bit about each anime and where to watch them. However, with 49 new anime to watch this fall, one can’t help but ask: Which of them should you be watching? Now, as we have hit the half-way point of the…

The Worst Outfit Ever Worn on South Korean Television

Mind you, I haven’t seen every single get-up ever worn on Korean television, but I can confidently say this one is the worst. It really is. Either they picked the wrong background or the wrong outfit to go with said background. The outfit appeared on a Korean shopping channel. Last week, it began to go…

So Many Different Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes Bundles in Japan!

When Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes goes on sale next spring, Japanese gamers will have a bundle of different bundles to choose from. First, they can get the retail version, which is 2,980 yen (around US$30) and available for the PS4, the PS3, and the Xbox 360. They can also get a slightly cheaper…