Kotaku East

Looks Like A Pornstar Is In The Nintendo Switch

In Japan, there is an infamous gay porno called A Midsummer Night’s Lewd Dream. The flick has spawned seemingly endless memes online in Japan. It appears like one of its stars is in the Nintendo Switch’s Photo Album set-up screen. As Know Your Meme explains, A Midsummer’s Night Lewd Dream has often long been ridiculed…

People Line Up For The Nintendo Switch In Japan

It’s March 3 in Japan. The Nintendo Switch is officially on sale, and in some locations, there are the lines to prove it. Because of online sales, it’s increasingly hard to predict how a console will do by checking out launch day lines. That being said, folks came out in Tokyo to line up for…

Japanese Dude Really Wants You To Buy His Tea

There might be no better green tea ambassador in the world than this guy. This is Akihiro Kita. He appeared in this clip a few years ago, but it’s once again making the internet rounds. You might think, well, he’s just being selling because of he’s speaking English. Maybe! But he’s fun in Japanese, too.…

Isao Yamazaki, owner of the world’s most impressive Nintendo collection, talked about his favorite items and the company’s history with website Tofugu. You can read the interview here. 

The New Pokémon Movie Shows How Ash And Pikachu Became Friends 

Last December, we first got a look at upcoming Pokémon The Movie: I Choose You! The teaser made it seem like the flick was a reboot. The latest trailer confirms it, showing how Ash and Pikachu teamed up. Their relationship doesn’t start out so great, but Pikachu eventually warms to Ash. (That is, even after…

Ferry to Miyajima. Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. By Thomas Ito | Facebook | Instagram 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!

VR Machine Powered By…One Strong Dude 

Most VR machines I’ve seen recently are elaborate and high-tech (here and here, for example). This one, however, is different Via Toychan, the man on the platform is watching a VR rollercoaster simulator, which is made realer thanks to some analog elbow grease. Well, it’s probably more responsive than your typical VR set up. Kotaku…

Lucky Japanese Nintendo Fans Accidentally Got The Switch Early

The Nintendo Switch will be released on March 3 worldwide. Today, however, is March 1. Yet, a couple lucky folks in Japan apparently got their consoles delivered two days early. Via Splatoon Nawabari, here is a Switch that was sent out early. As the label says, it was slated to be delivered on March 3,…

First Look At The Final Fantasy XIV Themed TV Show’s Opening Credits 

In Japan, there’s an upcoming TV drama centered around Final Fantasy XIV. Previously, all we’ve seen were stills from the show. Now, we have the show’s intro sequence. Called Final Fantasy XIV: Daddy Of Light, the show follows the bond that develops between a son and a father while playing the popular MMORPG Final Fantasy…

Shinjuku Gyoen. Tokyo, Japan. By Tim 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!

Behold, Hardcore Anime Armor 

They’re called Love Livers (ラブライバー or rabu raibaa). And do they ever love schoolgirl anime Love Live. They even have the armor to prove it. Love Live—sorry Love Live!—follows of group of students who start an idol girl group to keep their school from closing. Diehard fans show their Love Live! affection by wearing a…

Usain Bolt Gets Long Overdue Pokémon Ad

This really should’ve happened years ago, but here we are, Usain Bolt and Pokémon together at last. In Japanese, “Bolt” is ボルト (boruto), and “volt” is ボルト (boruto), providing ample ground for endless Pokémon puns in Japanese, such as the Jyuu-man Boruto (100,000 volt, or “Thunderbolt” attack in English).  Kotaku East is your slice of…

Soon, You Can Spread Coffee On Your Toast In Japan

Mark your calendars. March 1, 2017 will be one to remember because on that day, people in Japan will be able to put coffee on their toast. What a time to be alive. According to Curazy, Snow Brand Milk is releasing a spreadable version of its coffee to mark the 55th anniversary of its release.…

Hayao Miyazaki’s Retirement Is Officially Over

Back in 2013, Hayao Miyazaki retired from feature filmmaking, saying, “This time is for real.” Now, his long time producer says Miyazaki is coming out of retirement for another full-length movie. Even though he had retired from features, Miyazaki continued to come into Studio Ghibli and work. After initially stepping away from directing features, Miyazaki…

Nintendo Is Suing Go-Karting Company Over Copyright Infringement

Today, Nintendo announced a lawsuit against a Tokyo-based kart rental service called MariCar. Tokyo has been home to a couple different karting businesses as the vehicles are street legal. Previously, Kotaku profiled Akiba Kart, a service renting out karts to those who want to explore the city’s geek district by go-kart.  The whole karting-on-Tokyo-streets thing…

China Now Has An Ugly, Giant Iron Man Statue

China has some rad giant statues, such as this Evangelion EVA-01 Test Typeand this badass panda. They’re great! The above faux Iron Man, however, is not.  According to CFCNews and Tencent (via ShanghaiIst), the giant Iron Man went up at a tourist spot World Cultural Heritage Expo Park in Anhui, China.  The 30-meter Iron Man…

Japanese Wrestling Photos That Look Photoshopped, But Aren’t

This week, a tag appeared on Twitter for wrestling photos that look so unreal you’d think they had to be Photoshopped. The tag reads #クソコラじゃないのにクソコラに見えるプロレス画像 or basically, “Even though they’re not crap Photoshops, pro wrestling images that appear ‘shopped.” As a rule of thumb, professional wrestling is filled with colorful characters and wild moments. Japanese…

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time Director’s Cut Is Getting An HD Version For PS4

In Japan, an HD version of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time Director’s Cut will be released on the PlayStation 4 sometime this year. The game will be download only. The official name of the full-HD up-rendered version is Ultimate Hits HD Star Ocean: Till the End of Time Director’s Cut. Jaggies and light…

Man Watches Anime About Animal Girls, Wonders Why It’s Popular In Japan

Kemono Friends is set in a safari with animals that are anime girls. YouTuber Reapers decided to watch it. Kemono Friends is a hit in Japan, and viaTwitter, here’s a selection of Reaper’s reactions as he watches the first six episodes. You can check out more reactions on Reapers’ YouTube anime channel and watch Kemono…

Mayonnaise Cafes Are Coming To Japan

Know this: Japan loves mayonnaise. In Japan, it’s slathered all sorts of eats, especially soul food like takoyaki and okonomiyaki But the country’s love affair with mayo didn’t begin until the 20th century after the first domestic maker Kewpie launched its maiden made-in-Japan mayonnaise in 1925. Kewpie was founded by Toichiro Nakashima, who had gone…