Kotaku East

Sometimes, Interaction with Foreigners Is Awkward, Even in Japanese Anime

The long pauses. The nervous gestures. They’re not quite sure what to say, and thus, neither are you. Sometimes when foreigners interact with Japanese people, things can get awkward. Very, very awkward. Good thing there’s anime to remind us how awkward! Japan is around 98.5 percent Japanese. Within that, there are small groups of are…

Nintendo Is Charging People to Change TV Channels (No, Really)

With Nintendo TVii, the Kyoto-based game maker is bringing streaming video to the GamePad. Starting on December 8 in Japan, gamers can watch the pictures as they fly through the air via the comfort of the Wii U GamePad. But if you want easy channel changing, you must barf up extra cash. On December 8,…

Getting Up Close and Personal with Square Enix’s New Engine Blew My Mind

This last Friday and Saturday in Tokyo, Square Enix held their 2012 Open Conference. While there was some talk about the relaunch of Final Fantasy XIV, the majority of the two-day event focused on Agni’s Philosophy: Final Fantasy. Agni’s Philosophy is the real-time tech demo of Square’s new Luminous Engine that was first presented at…

Parents, Please Don’t Name Your Kid “Pikachu”

For decades, no, centuries, Japanese parents were happy giving their kids regular Japanese names. Sure, there have been trends, but the latest one is producing some kids with peculiar names—and even worries about bullying. Japanese names are slightly different from English ones. Traditionally, first names were selected based on the number of brush strokes in…

Let’s Go With Uncle Go, One of China’s Most Interesting Indie Games

Over the last three years, I’ve been attending the Game Developers Conference China (not to be confused with the China Game Developers Conference) and I’ve had the opportunity to sit down and enjoy the creations of many independent developers show casing their work for the Independent Game Festival China. I’ve got around to playing FTL:…

This Bonsai Tree Made Entirely of LEGO Makes Me Wish I Had LEGO Scissors

Seeing the original Karate Kid as, um, a kid, I was amazed that there were little trees that needed to be cut with little scissors. Those trees, of course, are bonsai trees. Via botanical artist Makoto Azuma, come these bonsai trees made out of LEGO. All that’s missing are little LEGO clippers! As website Spoon…

Here’s What Makes a Final Fantasy, According to Square Enix

This last weekend in Tokyo, Square Enix held an open conference centered around its real-time tech demo, Agni’s Philosophy: Final Fantasy. While presenting the technical aspects was paramount in the design of Agni’s Philosophy (as it was meant to showcase the detail and flexibility of Square’s new Luminous Engine), its creators were adamant it feel…

New Final Fantasy XIV Director Talks About What Went Wrong With The Original

Naoki Yoshida is about as far away from the stereotypical image of a Japanese businessman as you are likely to get. Clad in designer jeans with expertly styled hair and numerous finger rings, he looks more like a rock star than anything else. His business card even features a caricature of himself smoking while relaxing…

Between Dec. 1 and Feb 28, Japanese rental store Tsutaya is renting copies of Dragon Quest X free of charge.

Some of the Smallest (and Most Amazing) Figures on Earth

Welcome to the realm of dust particles and hair strands. Tinyland! It’s also the scale at which some truly minuscule—and impressive—sculptures have dazzled Japan, a country with a long tradition of making things small. For several years now, these carved figures have appeared on Japanese bulletin boards. The figures are called “100 Yen Coin Person”…

Third Grader Dazzles Twitter with Her Amazing Doodle

Some say artistic talent is innate. Other claim it’s the result of hard work. Whatever it is, this Japanese third grader has it. On November 24, a Japanese Twitter user named Shin_Toto uploaded the above image online, writing, “My daughter’s (third grade) drawing. Ball point pen on A4 photocopy paper. What’s the best way for…

Yes, the Wii U Also Works on Japanese Bullet Trains

For those worried that the Wii U doesn’t work on outside, say on Japanese high speed rail, take heart. Apparently, it does. And here’s the photo proof. Kuzo from Japanese site Rocket News recently boarded the Nozomi bullet train—the N700 series Nozomi, to be exact, which is outfitted with electric sockets and WiFi. Besides being…

This Lady Cosplays in Cute Outfits and Then Shoots Deadly Assault Rifles

Japan seems to have an idol for everything. Besides all the typical singing schoolgirl idols, there’s a glasses idol, a retro gaming idol, and even an “ugly” idol. So you can bet there’s also a military idol. Meet Mii Aihara. She got her start working at a Mia Cafe, a maid cafe in Tokyo’s geek…

Report: How Japanese Women Tell If Male Co-Workers Are Totally Unpopular

Are you a working dude? A popular working dude? If not, you might be giving off telltale signs to your female colleagues that you are not popular. Japanese research website Otome Sugoren (via Sugoren) regularly polls its women readers and has come up with the seven most popular ways women (in Japan, at least) know…

If Back to the Future Was Made by Japanese Geeks

It would probably feature a Delorean that looks like this. Behold, the itasha DMC-12, complete with an “OUTATIME” California plate. Itasha (痛車), literally “painmobile”, are cars covered with anime, manga, or video game themed stickers. This Delorean is wrapped in Japanese anime Haiyore! Nyaruko-san and was on display at a recent itasha gathering in Tokyo’s…

Let’s Overdose on All this Wonderful Mecha Plastic

Gundam models are called “Gunpla” (ガンプラ) in Japanese. And at this year’s Gunpla Expo, there were plenty of them. The event, which runs until November 25 in Tokyo’s Akihabara, not only showcases upcoming models, but also the work of master Gunpla builders and famous fans. Let’s have a look. Some of these are actually entries…

Navy Serviceman Says He Wasn’t “Totally Nude” at the Comic Cafe (But He Did Pee)

Manga cafes might be wretched hives of scum and villainy, but they are also a place where people unwind, read comics, play video games, and pass out after missing the last train. Maybe that’s what happened to 23 year-old Navy serviceman Oscar Hayes Weigle, and his buddy. If so, that’s easy to explain. What actually…

The Korean Rating Board apparently approved 3DS title Resident Evil: Revelations for PS3/Xbox 360. [Thanks Catmario!]

Animal Crossing: New Leaf Doesn’t Seem Like Digital Heroin. But It Is.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is currently one of the most popular 3DS games in Japan. It hit the shelves on November 8th, and as of the 18th, the game has sold 893,344 copies (not including the download version) and is well on its way to being a million seller hit. The game sells itself as…

R4 Cartridges Blocked in Japan by the Government

This has been a long legal rodeo, with Japanese authorities cracking down on the sale of R4 cartridges. Things are getting tougher for those gamers in Japan who don’t want to pony up cash for their games. R4 cartridges are devices that allow gamers to play pirated games on their Nintendo handhelds, which is why…