SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Video game localization company Sekai Project explained to the Hardcore Gamer website its reasons for removing DEADFACTORY’s Yohjo Simulator game from Steam on November 20.

Global, Japan
(explained • reason • removal • Steam • video games • Yohjo Simulator)

New Legend of Zelda tabletop book heading to gamer book shelves

Anime News Network
Dec 2, 2015

Global, Japan
(book • Legends of Localization • nintendo • the legend of Zelda • video games)

The life of Satoru Iwata, late Nintendo CEO, remembered in documentary

Anime News Network
Nov 27, 2015

Thousands paid their respect when Nintendo company president Satoru Iwata passed away in July, facing the brunt of typhoon at his service in Kyoto or leaving notes and letters at The Nintendo World Store in New York and the Nintendo headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

Global, Japan
(documentary • history • in memory • nintendo • Satoru Iwata • video • video games)

The 21st century Game Boy we wish Nintendo were working on【Pics】

Philip Kendall
Nov 26, 2015

We’re sure Nintendo is busy creating something new and exciting to release into the world, but we kind of wish this is what they were working on…

Global
(consoles • design • Florian Renner • Game Boy • nintendo • tech • video games)

Yo-kai ruin very important meeting at Nintendo

Anime News Network
Nov 24, 2015

Why did Bill Trinen eat all the doughnuts? Yo-kai is why!

Global, Japan
(funny • nintendo • video • video games • Yo-Kai Watch)

Yo-kai watch what the western Yo-kai Watch doesn’t want you to yo-kai watch

Master Blaster
Nov 23, 2015

With Yo-Kai Watch finally exported overseas, many await the inevitable changes due to localization and censorship that will occur. After all, if it can happen to Doraemon, it can happen to any series. Sure enough, the English version of Yo-kai Watch anime did not fail to disappoint.

Global, Japan
(anime • censorship • localization • video • Yo-Kai Watch)

We asked: “What are the hardest and best things about dating a Japanese person?”

Audrey Akcasu
Nov 23, 2015

Looking for romance in Japan? Learn from our experience! Here a few things we’ve learned from foreigners who’ve dated in Japan.

Global, Japan
(dating • differences • romance)

Only 11% of Japanese people “willing to fight for their country”

Master Blaster
Nov 21, 2015

WIN Gallup International recently announced the results of their international survey on people’s willingness to fight for their country. Despite recent changes to the constitution, it turns out Japanese Johnnies are least likely to get their guns among all nations surveyed.

Global, Japan
(nationalism • poll • survey • war • WIN Gallup International)

“Supercute cooking” expert Yuki teaches us how to make Spirited Away’s “No-Face” yakisoba

ロケットニュース24
Nov 20, 2015

So hungry you could devour an entire onsen resort’s worth of food? Time to make some noodles—with a twist!

Global, Japan
(cooking • healthy • kaonashi • No Face • spirited away • supercute food • Yuki • Yukitchen)

9 ways Tokyo could become more foreigner-friendly in time for the 2020 Olympics

Evie Nyan
Nov 20, 2015

Despite Japan’s relative safety, abundance of delicious food, fascinating culture, and friendly people, the country still lags behind as a tourist destination for foreign travellers. So the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are the perfect opportunity for Japan to show off its famed omotenashi hospitality to the droves of foreign visitors who’ll be pouring into Tokyo to spectate.

As foreigners who’ve been living in Japan for a while, we think we might have some pretty good ideas about certain things Japan could do in order to make things a little easier on this influx of foreign guests…

Global, Japan
(2020 • culture • Olympics • Tokyo Olympics • tourism • visit Japan)

Ask Mr. Sato Episode 1 – Love, Dreams, Cats vs Dogs【Video】

ロケットニュース24
Nov 19, 2015

Episode 1 of our brand new series, Ask Mr. Sato, is here! Join us at the link below to listen to the great man’s sagely advice!

Global, Japan
(advice • agony uncle • Ask Mr. Sato • cats vs dogs • life • Mr. Sato • Q&A • video)

Japan surprised to find Justin Bieber and world praying for them

Master Blaster
Nov 17, 2015

On the morning of Saturday, November 14, many Japanese Beliebers, along with some Non-Beliebers and Agnobiebers, awoke and checked into Twitter as usual only to find the famous Canadian pop star declaring that he was praying for their souls right alongside those of the people of Paris.

Confused and a little concerned, I—a card-carrying Agnobeiber—showed the above tweet to my coworkers, all of whom were equally baffled as to why Justin Bieber should be praying for them, considering nothing out of the ordinary happened here in Japan.

Global, Internet, Japan
(#PrayForJapan • Justin Bieber • misinformation • social media • Tohoku Earthquake • twitter)

Why do Japanese gamers spend so much more money on mobile games than anyone else?

ロケットニュース24
Nov 17, 2015

Japanese smartphone and tablet gamers spend a disproportionate amount of money on mobile games compared to the much larger mobile markets of North America and China, according to a new report from EEDAR – a video gaming analytics consultancy. This is despite the fact that the Japanese mobile gaming population is just a third of that of North America and a mere eighth of the Chinese gaming population.

Global, Internet, Japan
(Android • iPhone • mobile games • Smartphones • video games)

The original Pokémon games are coming to Nintendo’s 3DS Virtual Console early next year!

Krista Rogers
Nov 14, 2015

We’ve got some fantastic news for children of the ’90s who once made it (and still make it) their quest to catch ’em all: The original first-generation Pokémon games are coming to the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console early next year!

Global, Internet, Japan
(3DS • first generation • Game Boy • Game Boy Color • nintendo • Pokemon • Virtual Console)

Relive the adventure in HD! “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD” to be released in March

Krista Rogers
Nov 14, 2015

The most recent episode of Nintendo Direct included some exciting news for fans of the soon-to-be 30-year-old Legend of Zelda video game series. In the broadcast, Nintendo executives announced that a high-definition version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess would be released for the Wii U on March 4, 2016 internationally, and on March 10 in Japan.

Global, Japan
(Amiibo • HD • link • nintendo • remake • the legend of Zelda • Twilight Princess • Wii U • Wolf Link)

Smartphone smash Neko Atsume heads west, we talk to the localization team behind it【Interview】

Mike
Nov 13, 2015

**As further proof that cats rule the Internet and humanity at large, the relaxed, mostly goal-less mobile app time waster, Neko Atsume—**which tasks players with simply collecting a bunch of cartoon cats and kind of just watching them do stuff—proved a massive success in Japan despite a distinctive lack of explosions, destruction and, er, constantly running from left to right that are the typical hallmark of successful mobile games.

In fact, the game is so popular among cat lovers (read: everyone) that the Japanese version of the game began trending abroad, even though the large majority of fans surely had to resort to Internet guides to make any sense of the Japanese kanji plastered all over the in-game menus and inventory.

Said fans were in for a great surprise, though, when last week, developer Hit-Point updated the game with full English support thanks to renowned localization agency 8-4. We had a chance to sit down with the 8-4 team and chat about the behind-the-scenes work that went into localizing the app for an English speaking audience.

Global, Japan
(apps • developer • interview • Kitty Collector • localization • localizationlocalization • mobile • neko atsume • Smartphones)

The Moogle is out of the bag! Final Fantasy staple will be part of FF XV

KK Miller
Nov 12, 2015

While the stories for Final Fantasy games generally have nothing to do with each other, there have been a few threads that tangentially tie the games together, such as magic, a character named Cid, and an airship. Another popular element is a set of characters that have been around since the third installment of the game, the humble Moogles.

So when the official Final Fantasy XV Twitter account polled its followers to see if they wanted the beloved Moogles in the franchise’s newest game, the obvious answer was a resounding, “Of course, kupo!”