With rumors about the LG Nexus 4 (aka LG Optimus G Nexus) piling up, some of you might have already forgotten about the original Optimus G we were so excited about just a few weeks back. The 4.7-inch beast was unveiled more than once, but as of now it has yet to see the light of day.

That should change in just a week’s time. Japan will be the first market to officially carry the LG Optimus G L-01 E. NTT DoCoMo is already offering the phone on pre-order, with the carrier planning to ship to folks in the land of the rising sun starting October 19.

There’s not much to set the Japanese Optimus G apart from the handheld expected to hit AT&T and Sprint, except maybe for the snazzy red coating that accompanies the much more standard black version.

As far as tech specs go, the G L-01 E is ready to bring some quad-core oomph with the new Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, but should also impress with its 4.7-inch True HD IPS LCD display and 13 MP rear-facing camera. The Android 4.0 ICS should be updated “soon” to 4.1 Jelly Bean, while the local touches of originality include DMB tuning, high-speed Xi-LTE and FeLiCa wallet support.

Still no words on when to expect the Optimus G to hit the US and Europe, but do watch this space for updates.