Kotaku East

Here’s the latest trailer for Level-5’s newest project The Snack World. It will get a TV anime series in Japan starting this spring, a 3DS game this summer, and an smartphone title this December. Might be worth keeping an eye out on this one. 

Pancake Baths Open In Japan

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Morinaga hot cake mix, special pancake baths are opening at a resort in Kanagawa Prefecture for a limited time. While the baths aren’t actually filled with pancake mix, each hotto keeki ofuro (ホットケーキお風呂), or “hot cake bath,” does smell like vanilla and maple, reminding bathers of a delicious breakfast.…

Bring Me The Head Of The Giant Gundam

Just look at that! Workers pulling the head right off of the life-sized Gundam. This giant Gundam went up in 2009 and this fall, a new giant Gundam, RX-0 Unicorn Gundam,will go up at the same location. Via Twitter user yoshi115t, these images of the head removal are surreal.  Have a look at more photos…

Hunter X Hunter Brings Its Ridiculous Hair To Monster Hunter

Out of all the Monster Hunter XX collaborations, this one is the silliest. Hunter X Hunter is teaming up with the latest MH release, bringing the iconic hair and threads worn by Gon after he transformed into an older version of himself in the manga. This outfit has already over-the-top cosplay, and now it’s doing…

A Better Look At Boruto, The New Naruto Spin-Off TV Anime

This isn’t the first Boruto TV anime trailer, nor is it hardly our first look at the character. It is, however, a better look at what to expect in the upcoming anime series. The teaser that hit last December didn’t quite set the tone like this latest trailer. Here’s the earlier teaser: Compare with the…

Koi. Meiji Jingu Gyoen, Tokyo, Japan. By Timothy Shill. 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!

Original Ghost In The Shell Anime Actors Dubbing The Live-Action Movie In Japan 

The original Ghost in the Shell voice actors will be once again reprising their roles in the upcoming Hollywood film’s Japanese language dub. According to Natalie, Akio Otsuka will be voicing Batou as did in the 1995 Ghost in the Shell anime feature, its 2004 sequel Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and Stand Alone…

Japanese McDonald’s Picks A “Yucky” Name For Its Burger

Recently in Japan, McDonald’s unveiled a new hamburger with a most unfortunate name that sounds exactly like “yucky” in English. This is the “Yakkii” (ヤッキー or yakkii) burger as in “shogayaki” or “pork fried with ginger” (“shoga” is “pork,” while “yaki” is “grilled” or “fried.”) But in Japanese, when people refer to shogayaki, they say,…

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Teaming Up With Monster Hunter XX

Hey, you’ve got some Breath of the Wild in my Monster Hunter XX! The upcoming Capcom title is getting a special in-game crossover with the latest Zelda According to Inside, by completing special DLC event quests, players can get Zelda gear.  This isn’t the only collaboration. As Inside reports, there are also crossovers with Garo…

The Nintendo Switch Makes Its Japanese Classroom Debut

Why study during class breaks when you can play the Nintendo Switch? Images are popping up online, showing junior high and high school kids playing the Nintendo Switch. Obviously, many, if not most, schools do not allow students to bring game hardware. Depending on the school, some won’t even allow smartphones! You bring any of…

Japanese “Bunny Bread” Looks Cute Enough To Eat 

One of the best things about Japan is its bread. And one of the best things about said bread is how creative it can be. “Usagi pan” (うさぎパン) or “rabbit bread” is not new. For a while, certain bakers have fashioned buns into bunnies—or other animals as well. And so on. What is new is…

The Nintendo Switch’s First Week Game Sales In Japan

Early sales figures showed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sales numbers for Japan, but for those who wonder how the other Switch titles did, let’s find out! For the week of February 27 to March 5, five of the top ten games are Switch releases. Not bad for games on sale only…

Here’s The First Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Live-Action Movie Teaser

This August, a live-action Jojo flick is hitting Japanese movie theaters. Have a look at the first teaser. Titled JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter 1, the film is directed by Takashi Miike of Ichi the Killer and Audition fame. In recent years, Miike has been helming game, manga and anime adaptations like Ace…

Jackie Chan’s Most Gruelling Scene Ever

Not the most dangerous. Not the most painful*. Or, maybe, not even the most difficult per se. But if movie lore is true, then 1982’s Dragon Lord could be the most gruelling scene Jackie Chan has done for one simple reason: An insane number of takes. Usually, movie directors get what they need in a…

The First Nintendo Switch Sales Numbers For Japan

The Nintendo Switch has sold an estimated 330,637 units in its first three days on sale in Japan. That’s according to Famitsu, which adds that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sold an estimated 190,060 copies in the country. That figure is retail only and does not include downloads.  These early figures are…

The Nintendo Switch is getting a fight stick. Japanese peripheral maker Hori will release a Hayabusa stick for the Switch. Details to come at a later date, and no word yet on an international release.

Gintama Movie Actors Compared With The Anime 

If the point was to find actors who looked like the anime characters, then I guess the filmmakers did that! Via Twitter user Nanazawa, here are how the real-life actors stack up to their anime counterparts.  The Gintama movie opens this July in Japan. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you…

Godzilla Resurgence won Best Picture at this year’s Japan Academy Prize awards, beating out Your Name. In case you missed them, check out Kotaku’s Godzilla Resurgence review here and our Your Name impressions here. 

In Japan, “Meat Cakes” Are A Thing

Who said cakes have do be made of sugar and spice and crap like that? Behold, meat cakes. As noted on Matome Naver and Sankei News, “meat cakes” (肉ケーキ or “niku keeki”) first started catching on a few years back. Now, they’re appearing more and more at yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurants across the country. See,…

Peace in the City. Kagoshima, Japan. By Luke Flynn 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!