Kotaku East Archives - Page 53 of 501

Porn Star Comes To The Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch exclusive Oshiete Onedari Shogi (Teach Me Japanese Chess Pretty Please) has players give shogi hints and tips to adult video actress Airi Satou as well as cosplayers Yui Uno and Inori Hanamiya. For a reward, players get photos and clips of them in bikinis, maid outfits and more. In total, there are over…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 15, 2019

Kotaku East

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Remember

Another idol group has been tossed into the dustbin of history. This one especially hurts. Happy trails, Nine Muses. In the past, I’ve made no secret of my belief that Nine Muses (well, more like Four Muses by the time this goodbye song came out) was one of the most underappreciated, hidden gems of mainstream…

By Seung Park Published February 15, 2019

Kotaku East

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: DALLA DALLA

ITZY is the newest girl group on the block, and they bring some eye-opening pedigree to the saturated K-Pop idol market. First, they hail from JYP Entertainment, which is reason enough to pay attention. JYP is one of the oldest and most storied agencies in Korea that drove groups like Twice, 2PM and GOT7 to…

By Seung Park Published February 14, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

Pokémon‘s Former Rival Yokai Watch Is Having A Terrible Time In Japan

In 2014, the popularity of Yokai Watch exploded in Japan. It seemed like Pokémon was going to be eclipsed and overtaken. For a time, it was. That summer in Japan, there were massive lines for the latest Yokai Watch toys. Children, mine included, memorized the show’s theme song and dance. Level-5’s Yokai Watch was a…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 13, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

Poop Museum Coming To Japan

This spring in Yokohama, the Unko Museum will delight young and old alike with cute poop. It’s not the first exhibition dedicated to dookie. There is the National Poo Museum on the Isle of Wight, which is temporarily closed, and the Shit Museum in Northern Italy. Yes, that’s its name, the Shit Museum. Those seem…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 12, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

The Sophia Portrait From Xenogears Replicated For Only $360

While the portrait of Sophia looked impressive in Xenogears, it might look even better on your wall. According to Hachima, Square Enix is selling a high-quality replica version of the painting in a fancy frame based on the original game data. Priced at 39,800 yen ($361), the portrait is to celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 11, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

The Mystery Why Dinosaur Jr.’s 25-Year-Old Song Is Topping The Charts In Japan

“Over Your Shoulder” might be a good tune, but there seems to be more explaining why the 25-year-old song is charting in Japan, surpassing even Ariana Grande. The Dinosaur Jr. track hit 18 on Billboard Japan’s Hot 100 chart and number one on the country’s overseas chart This is due to YouTube views and not…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 11, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

Why Kit Kats Are Good Luck For Japanese Students

Like teenagers across Japan, my eldest son is taking high school entrance exams. Earlier today, my wife returned from our local supermarket in Osaka with a bag of Kit Kats. The snacks are for more than eating. They’re for good luck. In Japanese, Kit Kat is Kitto Katto (キットカット). The Japanese word kitto can mean…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 7, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

The Japanese Internet Reacts To The Ariana Grande Tattoo Fiasco

Since Ariana Grande revealed her new tattoo last week, the pop star has been criticized in the English-speaking world for cultural appropriation. But what does the Japanese internet think? Let’s find out! Japanese website Front Row recently explained how Grande was being called out in the English-speaking internet for cultural appropriation, which in Japanese is bunka…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 7, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

Japan’s Blueberry Cheese Burger Looks Freaky But Delicious

Japan’s Freshness Burger has upped its bonkers burger game with its latest release: the Blueberry Cheese Burger. As ASCII points out, Freshness Burger previously released a Peach Burger, which was beef, bacon, a slice of peach and cheese, and a Mango Burger, which was beef, a huge mango slices and onions This time around, Freshness…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 6, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

How K-Pop Revived Black Sickness Masks In Japan

It’s flu and cold season. That means people in Japan are wearing sickness masks in public. Either they are ill or are trying to avoid a cold. The default is still the white sickness mask, but recently, black ones are becoming more popular among the country’s youth. This recent trend in Japan appears to be…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 6, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

Taco Bell Made A Special Burrito Just For Osaka

To celebrate the opening of a new Taco Ball in Osaka’s Umeda, the fast-food chain decided to turn the city’s soul food into a burrito. Okonomiyakiis one of Osaka’s signature dishes. Made with cabbage, flour, egg, strips of pork and crunchy tempura bits, okonomiyaki means “however you like,” so people add all sorts of other…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 6, 2019

Kotaku East

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Tears Attack

Throughout the run of this column, I’ve noted several Korean reality programs like K-Pop Star, Produce 101, and the like that revolve around making people famous. For every contestant that hits the big time—like Kang Daniel, Akdong Musician, and others—there are dozens more that don’t quite have that “it” quality to get them through to…

By Seung Park Published February 6, 2019

Kotaku East

The Hypnotic World of Fake Japanese Food

At many Japanese restaurants, there is plastic food out front. The fake meals function as supplements to the menu so people can see what the meals actually look like. And the way this phony food is made is fascinating. As previously posted, plastic food is called “shokuhin sample” (食品サンプル) or “food sample” in Japanese. Many…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 5, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

Snack Packaging Turned Into Amazing Art

Snack packaging gets a second life as wonderful papercraft thanks to a Japanese art student. Harukiru, a student at Kobe Design University, makes these striking sculptures by cutting up the packing with scissors or a blade. Kotaku previously featured his paper gun that shoots wooden bullets. These days, he’s best known for his snack packaging…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 5, 2019

Kotaku East

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: We’ll Be Alright

It’s the start of another week. Here’s a soothing indie track to get things started on the right foot. The indie duo OuiOui has been pumping out chill R&B singles perfect for late-night listening since last year. Blueny and Meijee released their first song, Thinkin’ Bout You, in March 2018, and We’ll Be Alright is…

By Seung Park Published February 5, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

One Way To Make Kemono Friends 2 Better

You might say there are multiple ways Kemono Friends season two could be made better, but a relatively easy one that would be fixing where the characters are looking. The big difference between the first and second seasons of Kemono Friends, the absence of director Tatsuki, who was pulled from season two. Twitter user Goodsleepy2…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 4, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

The Best Japanese Snow Sculptures Of 2019

The Sapporo Snow Festival is in underway in Hokkaido, Japan. These are some of the best snow sculptures on display. Have a look! The Japanese military pitches in to build the most massive of the snow sculptures The 2019 Sapporo Snow Festival runs until February 11.

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 4, 2019

Kotaku EastJapan

First Nintendo Store Opening In Japan

This fall, Japan is getting its first Nintendo Store. Called Nintendo Tokyo, the official shop will be located in the brand new Shibuya Parco building. Like the Nintendo New York, Nintendo Tokyo will be packed with merch, games, hardware, demo stations and more. Nintendo says it will also use the new store to make announcements…

By Brian Ashcraft Published February 1, 2019

Kotaku East

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Face

No K-Pop band has ever had quite a comeback story like NU’EST has. The five-member band was one of the bigger debuts of 2012, an impressive feat considering that the year was notoriously stacked with high-interest boy group debuts (EXO, BtoB and B.A.P would all debut in that same year). However, NU’EST’s popularity would soon…

By Seung Park Published February 1, 2019