Kotaku East

In Japan, You Can Visit the Totoro House. For Real.

When Studio Ghibli fans visit Japan, they typically make a beeline for the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. But there’s another spot that should be on any fan’s list. Make that every fan’s list. Back in 2005, a full-scale replica of Satsuki and Mei’s house from My Neighbor Totoro was created for the World’s Fair held…

Inside a Swanky Tokyo Shop for PC Gamers

This month, a new shop dedicated to PC gaming opened in Tokyo’s Akihabara. It’s called G-Tune: Garage and looks pretty slick. The retail space sells G-Tune computers, which are branded the “ultimate gaming machine.” In case you are not familiar with them, they’ve been around for a while from Tokyo-based Mouse Computer. The shop puts…

Why You Shouldn’t Get Chinese Script Tattoos (If You Can’t Read Them)

Chinese characters are beautiful. That’s perhaps why many Westerners find the notion of the script etched on their bodies so appealing. If only they could read the tattoos! Enter blog Hanzi Smatter For years now, the site, which is run by a blogger named Tian, has been helping readers decipher the meaning of Chinese (or…

Japanese Anime Comes Alive with These Amazing Sand Sculptures

It’s summer! Time to hit the beach, get a tan, and look at giant sand sculptures of anime characters. Yay! In the past few years, sand art has become increasingly popular in Japan with more and more beachfront cities holding sand art festivals. And this being Japan, some of the sand artists look to Japanese…

Apple Stores in China Don’t Actually Require Scalped Tickets

Last week, 9to5 Macran a piece from the Beijing Evening News about Apple store scalpers selling Genius Bar reservations. In their article, the Beijing Evening News claims that it’s impossible to make an appointment at the Genius Bar without purchasing one from a scalper. But is it really? Scalpers in China are old news: they’re…

China’s First-Person Military Shooter Has a Terrible Message

At first, I was intrigued by the idea of a game about the Chinese military, the People’s Liberation Army. But now after spending a weekend with the Glorious Mission Online’ s public release, the novelty has worn off. Originally slated to be a People’s Liberation Army training game akin to America’s Army, Glorious Mission Online…

In This Game, the Characters Have Penis Names

The game’s developers are so not dicking around, because doing so would be a complete cock up. Ikare Chinpo-ya (いかれちんぽ屋) is an upcoming boys’ love computer game that features a protagonist named, literally, “Angry Cock Merchant” (“Ikare Chinpo-ya” or いかれちんぽ屋). There’s also his mouse friend named “Benis” (“Benisu” or ベニス), the “Detective of Buck Naked”…

According to Bloomberg (via Destructoid), around twenty companies are interested in acquiring Index Corporation’s holdings, such as video game brand Atlus. Candidates, which include Sega Sammy, could be named this week, and a deal could be finalized by the month’s end.

App Vulnerability Could Cause Toilet Terror

Smart toilet? Ha, more like scary toilet that can suddenly run amuck and squirt water up your butt. Last December, Kotaku reported that Inax, a Japanese toilet brand, was rolling out an Android app called My Satis for the teched out Satis toilet. The app allows people to do basic things like flush (and select…

I Played the Oculus Rift for Five Hours Straight

As a gamer, I rarely play in short chunks. I’d rather play hours at a time. So ever since I learned of Oculus Rift, I’ve been consumed by one burning question: will playing the Oculus Rift for long stretches make you sick? Well this week I got the chance to test this out on the…

Hey Japan, Sorry for That Stupid Napoleon Dynamite Title

When Napoleon Dynamite was released in Japan way back in 2006, it wasn’t called Napoleon Dynamite. It had a dumb name. Because of that, in 2013, there are apologies. Instead of Napoleon Dynamite, the flick’s title was Bus Man (バス男 or “Basu Otoko”). The name and even the movie’s poster art were supposed to ride…

Burger King Employee Makes a Bed of Buns, Pisses People Off

Well, at least he’s not licking them, I guess, making out with them or whipping out his privates, like some fast food employees have done in the West. Make that, former fast food employees. This photo was uploaded by Japanese Twitter user @inotayuta, whose account has since been deleted. In the pic, he’s sprawled out…

If You Like the Ace Attorney Series, You’ll Like Dual Destinies

Just over a week ago, Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, the first main series Ace Attorney game in over five years, was released in Japan. And while real time has passed, not much has changed in the world of Ace Attorney. It is still filled with excellent mysteries, crazy characters, and over-the-top courtroom drama. [This import…

Here’s an Odd-Looking 3DS Attachment

Gaist Crusher is an upcoming 3DS game from Capcom and Treasure of Sin & Punishment and Ikaruga fame. Gaist Crusher is aimed at kids. And it has one strange-looking add-on. See that? That’s a special cover that players can use to attach various “Gai Metals” to their 3DS. Each Gai Metal can transform into various…

The New Ace Combat Hits This Year, Will Be A Free-To-Play Game

Today, Namco Bandai announced that the recently revealedAce Combat Infinity, their newest entry into the long-standing Ace Combat series of flight-action games, will hit the PS3 “later in 2013” as a free-to-play title. Infinity will have both a single-player story campaign and team co-op multiplayer at launch, and is said to “combine features that are…

Red Data Girl Is a Different Kind of Fantasy Anime

As the spring anime season hit its mid-way point, I called Red Data Girl one of the five anime you should be watching. And while it is definitely one of the more low-key anime in that bunch, it is also the most real on an emotional level. Good – A Modern Japanese Fantasy Tale When…

Have Japanese Art Styles Gotten Better? Or Worse?

Time marches on. Things change. So do styles. But how did Japan’s animation and manga styles evolve? Twitter user @mayousa_desuga uploaded the above comparison between two children’s book versions of The Little Mermaid: one published in 1985 and the other published this year. The story is the same, but the art style is… different. It…

Amazing Fireworks for Japanese Comic Book Nerds

It’s summer! All across Japan, there are huge (and impressive) fireworks displays. And yesterday, some of Japan’s most popular manga characters got their own. Above is a fireworks version of Doraemon, the popular robotic cat from the future. For years now, Doraemon fireworks have been launched into the air. There are also Hello Kitty fireworks.…

God Eater 2 Looks Good on the PSP. It Looks Fantastic on the Vita

Namco Bandai’s hunting action game, God Eater 2–or as I like to call it, Monster Hunter with plot–is scheduled for release in Japan this upcoming November. In the meantime, both a PSP and a PS Vita version demo has been made available on the Japanese PlayStation Store, making comparisons possible. “The PSP version was so…

Xbox 360 and Windows MMORPG Monster Hunter Frontier G is coming to the PS3 and the Wii U this fall in Japan.