Digital | ON: GAMES Aug 26, 2018
by Brian Ashcraft
The upcoming month brings with it the "Marvel's Spider-Man" PS4 game and console release, an all-women SNK game and the expo for all gamers — Tokyo Game Show.
Business / Corporate Jul 24, 2018
Toymaker Bandai Co. says it will enter China's growing baby toy market next March by offering a range of products featuring characters from a popular Japanese picture book series. While the Chinese baby toy market has been expanding following the abolition of its one-child policy, ...
Business Feb 9, 2018
At last, Japan gives nod to gaming as a profession
by Yuji Nakamura and Yuki Furukawa
A skinny chain smoker with pale skin, Yota Kachi doesn't look much like a professional athlete. But this weekend, the 31-year-old will get a chance to become one by playing video games. Japan will begin the process of legalizing paid esports with a tournament near ...
Digital | ON: GAMES Oct 22, 2017
Fun with zombies, kaiju and Mario in your living room
by Brian Ashcraft
Hungry for a new PSVR experience? For those who haven't yet purchased the PlayStation VR, Sony is releasing an updated version, model number CUH-ZVR2. Unlike the original PSVR, the new one has a new processor unit, integrated stereo earphone cables and a slimmer connection lead. In ...
Digital | ON: TECH Oct 15, 2017
by Chiho Komoriya
Haro, the cute robot mascot of the anime series "Mobile Suit Gundam," is about to get real.
Digital | ON: GAMES Sep 24, 2017
Better games for serious hardware
by Brian Ashcraft
Get the Playstation 4 revved "Gran Turismo Sport" is Sony's long-running "Gran Turismo" game's PlayStation 4 debut. The first "GT" was released in 1997 on the PlayStation 1, and 20 years later, "Gran Turismo" is still going strong, holding on to its title as "the ...
Lifestyle Aug 19, 2017
Gachapon: Tracing the evolution of Japan's colorful toy capsules
by Tim Hornyak
Where else but Japan could you buy a miniature version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" figure crouching over a squat toilet, horror-struck? It's one of thousands of ingeniously designed trinkets you can buy for a pittance from toy machines across the nation. They're subversive, ...
Business Aug 17, 2017
Japan's first Gundam Base to woo model-building fans in Odaiba
by Daisuke Kikuchi
Bandai Co. is looking to tap Japan's expanding tourism market by opening a Tokyo shop dedicated to selling, building and painting plastic models of robots from its popular Gundam franchise. Gundam Base Tokyo — set to open Saturday in the Odaiba district — will let ...
Digital | ON: TECH Apr 16, 2017
Technological fun for the home
by Chiho Komoriya
Gadget maker Cerevo has taken advantage of the hype surrounding this month's release of the Hollywood version of "Ghost in the Shell" by producing a 1/8 scale robot model of the original anime's AI combat-vehicle Tachikoma.
Digital | ON: TECH May 14, 2016
Gadgets and apps to help get up in the morning and enjoy the sky at night
by Chiho Komoriya
King Jim provides a useful buzz in the ear Dozing off on trains is a common phenomenon in Japan, but you can't really set a noisy alarm to wake you up before your stop. Stationery and electronic goods company King Jim has taken on that ...
Digital | ON: TECH Apr 18, 2015
Smart watches for tech-savvy kids; BotsNew virtual reality goggles; miniature iDoll robots
by Chiho Komoriya
Smart watches for tech-savvy kids Apple Watches will be far too expensive for kids, but that won't stop them from wanting one when it comes out this month. Takara Tomy, however, is already prepared to meet that demand. The toy manufacturer is about to release ...
Art | Japan Pulse Sep 26, 2014
J-blip: Morphing time for Okamoto's 'Tower of the Sun'
by Tom Hanaway
Bandai is turning Osaka's iconic building into its newest transforming toy robot.