Fans of Japanese pop group AKB48 will be subjected to airport-style security should they attend the group's upcoming handshaking event.

Ever wonder what kind of person would want to shake hands with a Japanese love doll?

You might think that the samurai no longer exist in Japan. That the samurai officially vanished when they were banned from carrying swords in the late 19th century. That might be true, but samurai still exist in Japan. Today, they just wield glowsticks instead.

He's called the "Sailor Suit Old Man." And he's called that for good reason, too. Whenever you see Hideaki Kobayashi on the weekend, he's dressed as a Japanese schoolgirl.

If you've ever been to an idol (virtual or real!) concert, you are familiar with Japanese nerd dancing. It's called "otagei" (オタ芸) or "wotagei" (ヲタ芸), which is short for "otaku" (geek) and "gei" (芸), which can mean "performance" in Japanese. In short, it's a bunch of geeks dancing!

The eternal question of whether or not otaku (geeks) like anime ladies over real ladies has apparently been answered. Or something!

Gundam models are called "Gunpla" (ガンプラ) in Japanese. And at this year's Gunpla Expo, there were plenty of them. The event, which runs until November 25 in Tokyo's Akihabara, not only showcases upcoming models, but also the work of master Gunpla builders and famous fans. Let's have a look.

Politicians with, let's say, interesting backgrounds are nothing new. People have entered politics from acting, modeling, and, yes, even hardcore pornography. Jobs are jobs. Politics, however, is a calling. Rie Sasaki is answering that call. What makes Sasaki so noteworthy is that she could be Japan's first elected…

The Wii U is out in North America, but Japan will have to wait until December to get the new Nintendo console. To build hype, Nintendo is now running commercials for the hardware. But that's not the only game in town. There are entire channels filled to the brim with wonderful Japanese commercials. Some of them are…

Making it in the Japanese entertainment industry ain't easy. You need to stand out! And being cute is no longer enough. Just ask BiS. The group's name stands for "Brand-new Idol Society", and the girls have been doing an array of publicity stunts to build a fan base. Their latest? Auctioning themselves off to be…

Rigor mortis has set in. They are unable to walk. But with their arms outstretched, they hop as they search the night for prey to bite. That's how they absorb the essence of their victims. They're called "jiangshi" and are China's vampire zombies.

Add Haruna Anno, retro game idol and retro game museum curator, to the chorus of cries saying that Resident Evil has lost the plot.

Hatsune Miku proved that virtual idols could be big business. There are Miku video games, live concerts, and endless merchandising. So it shouldn't come as a complete surprise that Fuji TV is rolling out its own virtual idol, a "digital announcer" named Lune Anri.

In the past we here at Kotaku East have talked a lot about Hatsune Miku and some of Japan's other virtual idols. But the one thing we haven't really touched on so far are the numerous fictional singers of Japan. While initially designed to be pop stars in manga or anime, these singers have transcended their fictional…

Standing out in the world of Japanese pin-up models is not easy. Being attractive is often not enough! Anna Amamiya decided the best way for her to separate herself from the competition was an anime mask.

Earlier this year, AKB48—Japan's biggest girl group—released a candy commercial that grossed out pretty much the entire country. This year, AKB48 is back with a new ad that won't gross everyone out. It'll freak them out instead. Progress!

There's this notion that "kawaii" (可愛い) or "cute" rules Japan. That's not entirely true. Everything isn't simply cute—and kawaii isn't the only game in town. There's also gurokawaii (グロカワイイ). This is the world of the grotesque and sadistic filtered through kawaii. This is the world of Momoka Kinoshita.

From what I remember, the 1990s were a good time. We didn't really have the internet then, but we had good music, good movies, and good video games. This isn't about any of those—especially the good video games bit. It's about a Sega Saturn booklet that is so awful, it's awesome.