Kotaku East

Thousands Of Fake Pokémon Plush Toys Caught In South Korea 

In South Korea, authorities have seized a massive haul of fake plush toys. Reports put the total at 530,000 phoney plushies. Think they caught them all? According to Yonhap News, the unofficial plushies were smuggled into South Korea between April 25 and June 2. They were then illegally circulated in arcades as crane game prizes.…

Tecmo Is Making Dead Or Alive You Can Smell

Why only play Dead or Alive when you can smell it? Tecmo Koei is working hard to make that happen. Dead or Alive VR already launched earlier this year, and it was pretty much as expected. Now, according to Dengeki Online, Tecmo Koei announced it’s bringing the the bikini spin-off series to its VR Sense…

Body Paint Makes For Colorful Japanese Fashion 

Welcome to the world of “ishoku-hada” (異色肌), which can mean “unique skin” or even “remarkable skin.” It’s inspired by the otherworldly characters who appear in anime, movies, and video games. Note: Some images might be NSFW. “For a while, I’ve been doing ishoku-hada cosplay,” Miyako (top photo), who works as a DJ and model, tells…

Japanese Train Station Looks Like Something Out Of Fallout

One hundred and thirty feet underground, this dystopian station might looks like a bunker in the Fallout games, but at least the trains aren’t late. After all, it’s in Japan. This is Tsutsuishi Station in Niigata. It’s unlike any station you’ll see in the country. Lee Chapman at Tokyo Times explains: First built in 1912,…

Gion District. Kyoto, Japan. By Anthony Di Virgilio JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Super Mario Postage Stamps Coming To Japan 

Today in Japan, the country’s postal service is releasingan official set of Super Mario stamps. This is not the first Mario stamp set to be released in Japan, as another one came out a few years back. As Famitsu notes, one set is 820 yen ($7.30) and most certainly will 1Up any letter. Kotaku East…

The Nintendo Switch has sold over a million consoles in Japan, Famitsu reports. According to its data, Nintendo has sold 1,016,473 Switch consoles between March 3 and June 25. It’s also sold 501,614 copies of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and 460,480 copies of The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild.

Fidget Spinners Make For Some Good Anime Shit 

You just thought fidget spinners were a way to help with nervous energy? Nope! Animator Naoki Yoshibe (aka Yotube on Twitter) recently bought a fidget spinner and created an awesome GIF with it. Here’s a quick clip that shows how the GIF was created. Looks like he bought another one. Follow Yotube for more cool…

Trying To Buy A Nintendo Switch In Japan: A Story In Four Photos

Platinum Games developer Hideki Kamiya recently tried to get a Nintendo Switch. He documented the experience in four photos. As Kotaku previously reported, it’s not easy getting a Switch in Japan! Things have been so difficult that Nintendo apologized. We have no idea if Kamiya has another Switch (or if there’s one at Platinum’s office),…

Nintendo Switch Versus PS4: An Updated Japanese Sales Comparison

The Nintendo Switch has only been out since March. It’s now June, and the console is clearly having one helluva run in Japan. Let’s see how the Switch’s Japanese sales numbers compare to another blockbuster console, the PS4. This story was originally published on April 20, 2017. It has since been updated. As Kotaku previously…

Nintendo 3DS game The Snack World has been delayed Originally scheduled for a July 13 release in Japan, it has been moved to August 10. The reason developer Level-5 gives is to “further improve quality” and to make playing enjoyable for all.

Glover Garden at Night. Nagasaki, Japan. By Henry M. Solórzano. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Historic Japanese Starbucks Doesn’t Even Look Like A Starbucks

One of the best-preserved streets in Kyoto is Ninen-zaka. A Starbucks just opened in the area, but you could walk by and not even know it. It looks like the only way you’d know it was a Starbucks is by the noren, or the curtain hanging out front, with the chain’s logo. Opening on June…

The Largest Hello Kitty Goods Collection In The World

This is Masao Gunji. For the past 35 years, he has been collecting Hello Kitty stuff. He has amused the largest collection of its kind. Recently, Gunji was on Japanese television talking about his collection, saying that if he goes to the same shop, he ends up buying Hello Kitty that’s still on the shelf.…

Pikachu Marriage Forms Help You Choose Your Spouse 

Japanese wedding magazine Zexy is including a Pikachu-themed marriage form for people to fill out. They can then take it to City Hall and get hitched. As Anime News Network (via AnimeAnime) points out, this isn’t the first of its kind: Japan has already seen Sailor Moon, One Piece, and Detective Conan. Kotaku East is…

This September, there will be two Dragon Ball “fan runs,” which appear to be folks in Dragon Ball shirts participating in runs. The Tokyo area Dragon Ball run will be held September 10, while the Aichi Prefecture area one is September 23. 

Japan’s Fighting Robots Are The Future Of Sumo

Tiny battle robots facing off in a small ring, knocking the crap out of each other. The future of sumo is now. Since 1990, this yearly robot sumo competition has been held in Japan. The Japan Times, where I am a columnist, reports that starting in 2014, international teams have been invited to battle. Via…

An Insider’s Look At Working In The Anime Business

So you dream of moving to Japan and making anime. But what’s it really like? Just ask Thomas Romain. Born in France, the 39-year-old Romain moved to Tokyo in 2003 to work as co-director and art director on a French-Japanese anime series called Oban Star-racers. “This was a show originally created by a friend, Savin…

Nintendo apologized for Switch shortages in Japan, saying it will ship more units in July and August for the Splatoon 2 launch. Nintendo also said it’s ramping up Switch production for later this year. 

Ride A Dragon Ball Flying Nimbus, See Things In 3D

Indoor amusement park J-World Tokyo is rolling out a new Dragon Ball themed “virtual roller coaster” called “Zenkai Flying Nimbus.” As Famitsu notes, the Flying Nimbus attraction holds two riders. It doesn’t move, but it lets riders experience the thrill of flying through the air Dragon Ball style by projecting 3D images on a screen.…