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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 EastK-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 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Smartphone Mario Kart Delayed To This Summer In Japan
When Mario Kart Tour was first announced last year, it was slated for release on Android and iOS sometime before March 2019. Now, in Japan, the smartphone game has been pushed back to summer. Nintendo of America has yet to announce whether or not the U.S. release has also been delayed. This article will be…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 31, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Ariana Grande’s New Kanji Tattoo Is An Unfortunate Mistake [Update: She “Fixed” The Tattoo]
To celebrate her newest single “7 Rings,” pop star Ariana Grande got a kanji tattoo. Unfortunately, it’s wrong. Update January 31 – 4:30 am: Ariana Grande got her tattoo “fixed,” but at best, it’s still an odd kanji tattoo. At worst, she’s made the tattoo worse. Japanese can be read in vertical columns going right…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 31, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Childish
Sometimes, you need a break from the flashy, whiz-bang, (over)produced pomp and circumstance of mainstream K-Pop. I’ve covered a lot of indies in this column; and yet, I have a feeling no one will complain if I cover one more today. Especially if said indie song is as chill, comforting, and heartwarming as LambC’s Childish…
By Seung Park Published January 31, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Japan Is Getting Yet Another Hello Kitty Train
Last year, a Hello Kitty theme bullet train service began in Japan. This year, an airport express train does likewise. As Japan Trends reports, the train is a Hello Kitty-covered Haruka Direct Express train that transports travelers from Kyoto to Kansai International Airport. The outside is Hello Kitty themed and inside walls are tastefully decorated…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 30, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: I Don’t Need A Man
Every decent-sized agency has a “forgotten” artist: someone under their label that doesn’t quite get the investment that their bigger and more popular labelmates might. SM Entertainment had TRAX and CSJH. YG has iKon. And, perhaps most infamously, JYP Entertainment had Miss A. While Miss A had a relatively short lifespan—from 2010 to 2015—they left…
By Seung Park Published January 30, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapan
This Kirby-Themed Food Looks Excellent
One of the problems with game-themed food is that sometimes, but not always, it looks clumsy. Recreating stuff with food is hard! Why have the edibles do all the work? As Yukawa Net reports, Japan’s Kirby Cafes current menu is getting a new array of additional meals. The food previously served looked good, but the establishments…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 29, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanNaomi Osaka And The Expectations Put Upon Biracial Japanese
Earlier this week, Naomi Osaka fielded a question from a Japanese reporter who wanted the tennis star to reply in Japanese. “I’m going to say it in English,” Osaka replied. The reporter said kongurachureeshon (congratulations) instead of omedetou gozaimasu, Japanese for “congratulations,” before going into a question about the difficulty of playing the left-handed player…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 29, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Honey Tea
When I was sick as a kid, my mom would sometimes brew a pot of piping-hot yuzu tea, into which she would always squeeze in a dab of honey. Runny nose? Sore throat? General listlessness? Honey tea was the all-in-one cure. Honey Tea makes me feel twelve years old again, with a mug of tea…
By Seung Park Published January 29, 2019 -
Kotaku EastSouth Korea
Massive Lines In South Korea For The PlayStation 4
This week, PlayStation Korea rolled out price cuts for the PS4 and PS4 Pro for a limited time only. Folks have lined up in droves. The PlayStation 4 launched in South Korea on December 17, 2013. The PS4 Pro is originally 498,000 South Korean Won ($444), but it’s marked down to 348,000 KRW ($311), while…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 25, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Japan Celebrates Kingdom Hearts III‘s Launch With Excellent Fan Art
Today in Japan, it finally happened. Kingdom Hearts III went on sale in Japan. What better way to celebrate that than with lovely fan art? On Twitter, Japanese fans have been posting their celebratory art and writing omedetou (おめでとう) or “congrats,” among other well-wishes Here are some of the standouts: Expect the game to be…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 25, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: I’m In Love
I’m In Love was SECRET’s last Korean single before their premature disbandment last year. If they had to end—and in my opinion, they didn’t—I’m glad they went out with this one. There were two sides to SECRET’s coin: the energetic, brass-filled side exemplified by I’m In Love, Madonna and Poison—and the kitschy, cute concept they started…
By Seung Park Published January 25, 2019 -
Kotaku East
Silly Doodles Make School Books Fun
There’s doodling in your textbook. And then, there’s elevating these drawings to a wonderfully twisted art form. Previously, Kotaku showed off inventive school text drawings from throughout Asia. Here are some more terrific textbook doodles Chanta is pushing the envelope even further, by erasing and redrawing the textbook images—instead of simply doodling over them. The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 24, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Straw
Let’s balance out yesterday’s intensely saccharine, one-dimensional pick with something from the opposite end of the spectrum. Straw’s music video is unsettling, thought-provoking, and defies simple explanation. I recommend listening to Straw twice; once accompanied by the video, and once without. The song itself starts out on an upbeat note (I couldn’t help but be…
By Seung Park Published January 24, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanWe Didn’t Intend To Whitewash Tennis Star, Says Noodle Maker [Update]
Last year, US Open champ Naomi Osaka signed a deal to appear in Nissin Cup Noodle commercials. The latest one, an anime version, has been criticized for whitewashing the biracial tennis star. Prince of Tennis manga artist Takeshi Konomi drew the ad, which also features fellow Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori. Update January 25 –…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 23, 2019 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Q&A
When a major agency debuts a new girl group and said group’s first music video is a love letter to video games, that makes my job a little easier. Cherry Bullet is the new girl group from FNC Entertainment, and as far as girl group names go, we’ve seen worse (remember these poor ladies?). It…
By Seung Park Published January 23, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Man Arrested For Allegedly Selling A Customized Anime Figure In Japan
A 39-year-old man has been arrested in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan for allegedly customizing and selling an unauthorized customized anime figure. According to The Sankei Shimbun and Mainichi (via ANN), the man allegedly took the head from a Love Live figure of character Nico Yazawa and put it on the body of a Darjeeling figure from…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 22, 2019