Kotaku East

Man Allegedly Stole $13,900 Worth of Duel Masters Cards, Gets Arrested

A 33-year-old man has been arrested by the Tokyo police after he allegedly stole 34 Duel Masters cards worth 1.5 million yen ($13,907). Asahi Shimbun reports that on July 18 at around 5:20 a.m., suspect Kenshi Oba allegedly scaled construction scaffolding and broke into the second floor of a card shop. No staff members were…

Fans Mourn Following Kyoto Animation Tragedy

Last week, a fire set at Kyoto Animation left dozens injured and 34 people dead. There has been an outpouring of support from fans around the world. In Kyoto, people have been bringing flowers in memory of those who lost their lives and praying for the injured. As previously reported, people around the world have…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Shower

It’s always a fun, if slightly down-the-rabbit-hole-esque time whenever the irreverent rock duo Norazo releases a new song. Shower is no different. Shower is basically more of the same thing that Norazo has been known for since their debut in 2005. Even a quick glance at their previously-featured songs on this column, like Superman and…

Free!, Kyoto Animation’s popular swimming anime series, was supposed to get new info tomorrow about its upcoming Free! feature film. Those announcements have been canceled. [Update July 18 – 5:06 am: An earlier version of this story stated that the movie itself had been canceled. That is incorrect. We regret the error.]

Japan Now Has Gundam-Shaped Vending Machines

When you think of Japan, you probably think of Gundam. Maybe you think of vending machines. Now both have been joined into one single entity. Behold, the Gundam-shaped vending machine. As Waseda’s Jeffrey Hall points out, the vending machine has been rolled out at Aichi Prefecture’s Lagunasia water park. The machine has also been spotted…

Yu-Gi-Oh! Creator Apologizes After Criticizing The Current Japanese Government

Yesterday, Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi uploaded an original illustration to Instagram, urging his fellow Japanese citizens to vote in the upcoming election. But that wasn’t all he posted Speech bubbles in the illustration read “Honestly…It’s gotten hard to live in Japan” and “Dictatorship = The future is a dark dimension.” Yugi Mutou holds up two cards…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Fan

Growing up as a Korean-American in the Los Angeles suburbs, I was naturally surrounded by karaoke culture. Epik High’s seminal 2007 hit Fan is one of those songs imprinted upon my memories, thanks to that heady era of my youth. As someone who didn’t truly get into K-Pop until my college years (singing along to…

Japanese Restaurant Bans Japanese Customers, Says They’re Rude

This is a change. For years, there were stories of Japanese establishments with “Japanese-only” policies, refusing foreigners. But now, one noodle restaurant in Okinawa is refusing to serve Japanese customers, saying that they are ruder than the foreign patrons. According to Tokyo Reporter, ramen restaurant Menya Yaeyama Style has instituted a no-Japanese customer policy starting…

Japan Polled Over Nintendo Switch Lite Interest

Are folks in Japan interested in buying a Nintendo Switch Lite? Let’s see what a new poll on Japanese site Inside reveals. The poll asked Switch owners and non-owners whether or not they planned to purchase a Nintendo Switch Lite. There were over 3,000 replies (3,780 to be exact). Update: July 16 – 8 pm:…

This Huge Godzilla Collectible Is Only $600

Fans of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, listen up! Here is a new Godzilla statue, based on the King of the Monsters design, that measures 18.5 inches high and 38 inches long. According to Figsoku, the figure is slated for a November release in Japan. The highly detailed PVC statue lists for 66,000 yen ($611)…

Japan’s Bubble Tea Boom Is Creating Long Lines And Lots of Trash

You might call it bubble tea. You might call it boba tea. In Japan, it’s known as tapioca drink, or simply tapioca. And it’s taking over. Originally created in Taiwan, bubble tea first hit it big during the 1980s. According to TV show Matsuko no Shiranai Sekai SP, the drink first became popular in Japan…

Stay In A Japanese Castle For Only $9,000 A Night

Starting next year, Ozu Castle in Ehime Prefecture will open its doors to tourists willing to cough up a cool 1 million yen ($9,250) per couple for a night’s stay. This is not the only castle in Japan that will begin offering accommodations next year. Ozu Castle was originally built in 1331. According to Nikkei,…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Shining Road

Shining Road, from the long-running indie band Sultan Of The Disco, is a retro powerhouse. The video game-reminiscent music video is just an added bonus. Sultan Of The Disco is a five-member band which debuted in 2007. Although it fluctuates, their current lineup consists of Nazahm Sue, J.J. Hassan, Kim Kanji, G, and Hongki (all…

When Yu-Gi-Oh! Meets Tokyo Fashion

Recently Tokyo high schooler Makocha was featured on the popular Tokyo Fashion Instagram account, wearing a hoodie, cutout pants, Dr. Martens, and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Have a closer look at Makocha’s outfit. Each card is a piece of Exodia the Forbidden One Makocha’s chain motif works well thematically with the cards.

What One Ton Of Manga Looks Like

Have you ever wondered what a ton of manga looks like? You know, as in 2,204.62 pounds (the “ton” that people pretty much everywhere outside the U.S. use) of manga. It looks like this, apparently. Twitter user Pekin-san has a collection of Weekly Jump manga spanning 30 years. Another Twitter user did the math, calculating…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: I’m So Pretty

I imagine I’m So Pretty came about when someone asked, “how much brass can you fit into a song?” and the producers took that question as a personal challenge. Not that I’m complaining. NATURE is a nine-member rookie group who debuted in 2018 with Allegro Cantabile, which longtime manga and anime fans will instantly recognize…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Follow

If you like motorcycles, fake lightning effects, and a beat that absolutely slaps, Yunho’s Follow might be for you. True Colors, Yunho’s first mini album, released just last month, but he’s been around K-Pop for far longer than that. He debuted in 2004 under DBSK (also known as TVXQ), which means his entertainment career spans…

Alleged Manga Pirate Arrested After Japan Launches Global Manhunt

Romi Hoshino, the manager of now-shuttered site Manga-Mura, has been arrested in Manila. The site, which was taken offline in April 2018, was frequented by around 100 million people each month and made around 60,000 manga available free of charge, reports AFP. The Japanese government created a special task force to find Hoshino, a Japanese…

The Boy Band Anime That’s Drawing Crowds In Tokyo

Originally based on a smartphone game, Idolish 7 follows the adventures of a young woman who manages a boy band. Last week, a series of posters and digital ads went up in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro Station and fans came out in droves. So many people wanted to snap photos of the ads that the official Idolish…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: On A Rainy Day

There are some artists who are inextricably linked to a state of mind, or some kind of inner voice. For me, Younha’s voice is rain. It is the pitter-patter of soft raindrops on umbrellas; the rhythmic gurgle of an impromptu brook as it flows down the cracks of the sidewalk; the melancholy that often accompanies…