Kotaku East

At a recent meeting, Nintendo honcho Satoru Iwata said (via Reuters Japan and Business Week) that Nintendo isn’t currently planning on lowering the Wii U’s price to improve sales.

That Huge Anime Inspired Hamburger Looks Gross

Today in Japan, fast food chain Lotteria launched its ridiculous nine-patty hamburger, which was inspired by anime Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo. While the promotional photo showed a proud hamburger, the real deal is…yeah Dubbed the “Q-Story Cheese Burger”, it’s priced at the equivalent of US$12.86. Here are various pics collected via Twitter: まいく,…

An Iron Man 3 Poster You Will Never Forget

In Taiwan, Iron Man 3 isn’t the only super hero movie debuting this spring. There’s another one. HK: Hentai Kamen is opening soon in Taiwan. This is why, according to Wow! News, internet users in Taiwan have whipped up this unforgettable Iron Man 3 and HK collaboration by combining movie posters as a gesture of…support.…

The Most Expensive Wii U System On Sale in Japan

A good rule of thumb is that if something needs to be wheeled in, it’s probably expensive. This is the JoySound Festa. It’s an on-demand karaoke system from Xing, a Japanese karaoke company (no, it’s not from Nintendo per se!). According to Sankei, the set-up uses the Wii U’s software, the Wii U GamePad, and…

In Japan, Saying “Thanks” with Mustard Is Possible But Not Recommended

Let’s say you eat out in Japan. And let’s say, the food is really good. Ditto for the service. How do you express your gratitude? Well, there’s always mustard… The phrase “Mustard Thanks” (“masutaado sankusu” or マスタードサンクス) started popping up increasingly online in Japan this past February and March. It supposedly refers to writing a…

The live-action Kiki’s Delivery Service movie rumor is true. Shimizu Takashi of The Grudge fame is directing, and 16 year-old Fuka Koshiba was picked out of 500 hopefuls to star as Kiki, Yomiuri reports. It is her feature film debut.

This Is Just a Middle-Aged Man Dressed as a Japanese Schoolgirl

He’s called the “Sailor Suit Old Man.” And he’s called that for good reason, too. Whenever you see Hideaki Kobayashi on the weekend, he’s dressed as a Japanese schoolgirl. Recently, Japanese sites and Twitter users in Tokyo have spotted an old guy dressed in a sailor style school uniform—a truly unusual sight to behold. People…

Satoru Iwata is taking over control of Nintendo of America. Its current CEO, Tatsumi Kimishima, will be moving to Kyoto to work as a managing director for Nintendo Japan, while Iwata will assume the role of Global President. So… a global president, direct to you! (Sorry.)

Muse Uses Japan’s Rising Sun Imagery, Forgets It Pisses People Off

British rockers Muse have a new music video out. It was shot in Tokyo, and it’s lighthearted and fun. Oh, except for the part that pissed people off. On YouTube and 2ch, commenters are pointing out that the video briefly featured Japan’s Rising Sun flag—something that angered people online. For many, it symbolizes the country’s…

The Steins;Gate Movie is an Emotional Ride Through Time

Richard: Today, myself and fellow Kotaku author Toshi Nakamura are here to look at the recently released movie sequel to the 2011 Steins;Gate anime: Steins;Gate: The Burden of Déjà Vu Toshi: Which was in turn based on a very successful visual novel. Richard: I very much enjoyed the anime series, saying it “might be the…

Diet Diet Revolution: How I Lost Weight Playing a Video Game

Growing up, I was a very thin kid. Thanks to an amazingly high metabolism, I could eat anything I wanted, as much as I wanted and never gain weight. Once I did nothing but eat junk food and play games over winter break in high school and lost 5 pounds—dropping me to 119 pounds. My…

Chinese Airline Dressing Up Flight Attendants as…Maids and Butlers

In China, one airline isn’t just flying the friendly skies. It’s cosplaying in them. Spring Airlines, a Shanghai-based budget airline, is dressing up its male cabin attendants as butlers and its female ones as maids. Some in China are pleased with the cosplay promotion, comparing it to Japan’s maid (and butler) cafes. Others are not.…

Here Are the Coolest Starbucks in Asia

Chain establishments can start to blur together. They start to seem the same, because they all look the same. That’s not always true for Starbucks, especially in Asia. Some of its ubiquitous coffee houses are not only unique, but so cool. Yes, most Starbucks in Asia do look like the Starbucks you’d see anywhere in…

The Special Attacks in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 Are Just Insane

Like most shonen anime and manga, One Piece is filled to the brim with crazy attacks and special moves. But what would these attacks be if they weren’t all given names to be shouted at maximum volume whenever said attack is used? With everything from the Gum Gum Elephant Gun to the Mirage Tempo: Fata…

How a Bill Gates Handshake Caused Controversy in South Korea

Bill Gates is dedicating his life to helping others. But let’s not judge him on that. Let’s judge him on how he shakes hands. Because that’s important. The above photo is all over the South Korean press. Gates is shaking hands with President Geun Hye Park. He has one hand in his pocket. That’s a…

Boring Tower Defense Game Spices Things Up With Poop

I don’t care for carrots. I don’t enjoy eating carrots. Throughout my lifetime, the few times I would knowingly eat carrots is when I’m consuming bahn mi, curry, or pot pies. Luckily, my disdain for carrots is only in the real world because saving carrots is literally the point of this tower defense game —…

Chinese People Pulling Insane Loads

Alain Delorme’s photo series “Totems” shows an another side of China’s migrant workers. Make that, a truly amazing side. According to Delorme, each worker in the photo looks “like a superhero able to carry around this kind of load.” The photos, however, have a meaning that’s deeper than the sheer spectacle. “It is above all…

From “Penis” to “Horse Salmon”, Foreign Names Can Be Funny in Japanese

You might think your name is normal in your family’s native tongue. Maybe it is. But put it in a different language, and sometimes, all hell can break loose. In Japanese, foreign words and names are written in a writing system called katakana. Unlike most Japanese names, which use kanji characters that have intrinsic meanings,…

Hong Kong Residents Supposedly Can’t Live Without Their Phones

Many people have called the dawn of the smartphone the death of manners and conversation. Some people are often too busy checking their phones to mind their manners. While it’s not really a huge deal, Hong Kong’s Ta Kung Newspaper says otherwise. Ta Kung Pao, a Beijing backed Hong Kong based newspaper, put out a…

Hey Children, Here’s a $20,000 Mecha Just for You!

The mecha wizards at Japan’s Sakakibara Machinery Works are back. Previously, the factory rolled out the Landwalker, a large mecha you could buy. And now? It has a newly revamped mecha for little kids. How sweet. As pointed out by sister site Gizmodo Japan, the Kid’s Walker Cyclops has a claw to grab things and…