Kotaku East

Why Is There a Tattoo Stigma in Japan?

Public pools. Gyms. Resorts. It’s common to see “no tattoos allowed” signs at establishments like this. In Japan, there is certainly a stigma towards tattoos. But why? The easiest explanation, of course, is that Japanese gangsters (the yakuza) traditionally mark their bodies with tattoos. But not everyone who has tattoos in Japan is in organized…

The Anohana Movie is a Decent Epilogue But a Poor Film

Last week we took a look at Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day—one of the saddest yet most uplifting anime series I have ever seen. This weekend, the Anohana movie was released in Japanese theaters. And while some parts of it work well, others neuter the emotional power of the series. Good – A…

Coca-Cola Spends 4 Years Developing a Warm Carbonated Drink For Japan

Is hot ginger ale a thing? In Japan, it apparently will be—or wants to be. Whichever. This fall, Coca-Cola Japan is rolling out cans of “hot” Canada Dry Ginger Ale. That’s right, they’ve figured out how to can warm carbonated drinks—something that took four years of research. Hot (well, warm) canned drinks are not new…

The Witch and the Hundred Knight Is Fun, yet Flawed

Summoned by the swamp witch Metallica to take down her witchy foes, you take control of the Hundred Knight and hack n’ slash your way across the land. If that sounds like fun, great. It is. But that’s not to say there aren’t more than a few flaws in The Witch and the Hundred Knight…

This Loading Icon Is Terrifying as All Hell

This past weekend I picked up a copy of the new fighting game, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle. But it only took a few seconds before I was greeted with the creepiest loading icon of all time. I mean look at it! It’s a guy’s face getting ripped off layer by layer! For those who…

Stealing $5,000 with a Drill Bit

Not a drill. A drill bit. You know, the part you must stick in an electric drill. FNN and TomoNews report that early morning on September 1, a hooded man wearing a jumpsuit and a surgical mask entered a karaoke parlor in Higashiosaka City and started waving a drill bit at the staffer who had…

Guess who is publishing Diablo III‘s Japanese language version? Square Enix! The localized version is slated to be out next year in Japan and will be released under Square Enix’s Extreme Edges banner.

China’s Embarrassing Childhood Photos

Chalk it up to growing pains, but everyone has embarrassing photos. Some people’s are just more embarrassing than others. Here’s a proud look at some of China’s delightfully awkward childhood photos. Recently on Chinese micro-blog Sina Weibo, people have been uploading their most painful pics, using a tag which translates in English as, “showing off…

China’s Domestic Animation Is Getting Better… Says China

Chinese animation’s always sorta been the bastard child of Asia. Not that Chinese animation isn’t any good—in fact, it’s getting better. Now, the country’s official news source has come out with articles talking about how China’s animation is getting better and how more people are watching domestically-created programs. In two separate articles written on China’s…

Check Out China’s Fan-Made Mechanical Iron Man Helmet

Earlier this year we interviewed Chinese prop maker Wang Xiao Kang and showed off some of his spectacular works in progress. This time around, Wang’s finally ready to show off his finished product, a fully mechanised Iron Man Mark III helmet. Not only has Wang finished his Mark III helmet, he is now also ready…

What? Bravely Default is evolving! On December 5, Japan is getting an updated and expanded re-release of the interestingly-named 3DS JRPG, titled Bravely Default: For the Sequel. Nintendo, who’s publishing Bravely Default in the West, wasn’t able to confirm to Siliconera which version they’d be bringing over next year UPDATE: The game’s official Twitter feed…

Introducing The Wonderfully Weird Hello Kitty Beer

From toys to snack cakes, Sanrio’s ever-famous cat can be seen peddling everything. Including beer. Now, the Internet and history has shown that Hello Kitty has graced the face of beer bottles before: At one point there was even a Hello Kitty licensed beer which was produced by Becks. However, this time, her feline visage…

Oh, It’s Just a 17-Ton Robotic Bug

A Japanese engineer named Hitoshi Takahashi spent 11 years creating this huge, diesel-powered bug bot from nothing. And now, as he did recently in Ibaraki Prefecture, he shows up in parking lots and amazes everyone. Here, you can see Takahashi when he was 50 years old, starting work on the Kabutom RX-01 in 1998. Alone.…

The Evolution of Japanese Schoolgirl Uniforms

Ch-ch-ch-changes. Over the years, Japanese schoolgirl outfits certainly have evolved. How much have they changed? See for yourself. The image spans from the Meiji Era (1868 to 1912) to the modern day. While the 1950s and 1960s didn’t didn’t see huge jumps in style, the last few decades certainly have! This image appeared on Twitter…

Inside Hayao Miyazaki’s Former “Retirement Place”

Did you hear Hayao Miyazaki is retiring? Bummer! Thing is, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Miyazaki is retiring. In fact, he’s officially quit Studio Ghibli before, only to return. As a couple Japanese Twitter users have pointed out, Miyazaki has “retired” several times—five times by somepeople’s count or once every three years…

Ever want to open a game bar in Japan? Matt Bloch talks to Japanator about doing just that with his Osaka-based watering hole Space Station. It’s apparently the only foreign-run video game bar in Japan!

Game Developer Says His Son Has Been Kidnapped

The last time game programmer Kris Morness says he saw his 5 year-old son, Maximus, was on July 25 this year. It was a Thursday, and they talked on Skype. Everything seemed normal, but normal can be deceiving. That was the last time Morness has seen—or heard from—his son. Now, he’s doing everything to get…

How to Get Software Developers Out of Bed

Mornings suck! At one Japanese company, the software developers kept coming in after noon. But now, there looks to be a solution: Food and aerobics. At Tokyo-based Dwango, software developers, who work on its tech platform and who make Wii U and PS Vita apps roll in after noon, were chronically coming in late to…

An Anime That Will Make Even the Most Jaded Heart Weep

The thing I love about many new anime films is that they often serve to introduce me to excellent series I missed out on during the years when I didn’t watch any anime. One of these is Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day—a beautiful, heartbreaking story about loss. And as the theatrical film of…

Producer Avi Arad On Mass Effect, Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid Movies

Avi Arad, the man who helped put many comic book heroes on the big screen, including Spider-Man, Blade, and Iron Man, is at it again. This time, he’s set his sights on turning video game adaptations into Hollywood blockbusters, just the way comic book movies have become. During a recent interview in Beijing, Arad spoke…