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July 16, 2024
 

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Shaun McKenna

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Shaun McKenna
Shaun McKenna joined The Japan Times in 2007. He was the Music and Entertainment editor until 2019 when he became the Senior Commissioning Editor at the newspaper. He now also hosts and produces the Deep Dive podcast.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 21, 2015
Crystal "Monsoon"
When I was first listening to Crystal's "Typhoon," I was, coincidentally, also watching radar visuals of Super Typhoon Atsani's approach to Japan — and they matched the music perfectly.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 13, 2015
Don't let your Japanese get derailed when you're angry
While Japan's train system is universally lauded as punctual and convenient, there's always that one person on the daily commute that ticks you off.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 4, 2014
Ryoji Ikeda, DJ Krush are among the many guests at this fall's Red Bull Music Academy in Tokyo
Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) announced a series of performances Monday that will take place during a month of activities this fall.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 10, 2014
Sapphire Slows, Haioka and Albino Sound to represent Japan at Red Bull Music Academy
Sixty musicians have been chosen to take part in this year's Red Bull Music Academy, with Japanese artists taking three of the available spots.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2014
Kanye West cancels Fuji Rock headline spot
Kanye West has canceled his headline appearance at this year's Fuji Rock Festival "due to artist circumstances," according to festival organizers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 26, 2013
CSS, Makoto Ozone and Shonen Knife get a round of shows in before New Year's
With the year winding down and the holiday season approaching, the concert scene in Japan gets pretty quiet. Although there will be a few international acts headed here in the middle of December, your best shot for a live performance might be checking out local acts before they go into hibernation for...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 19, 2013
Japanoise: Music at the Edge of Circulation
There are some genres of music that Japan excels in. Recently, acts here have been appropriating the dance music styles of dubstep and juke to create a sound that feels like a real contribution to the global music scene. Before all this, though, there was noise.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 19, 2013
Loco in Yokohama
I remember heading to the pub years ago, after teaching English at a high school, to swap horror stories with my peers. Baye McNeil's "Loco in Yokohama" is, in that sense, a trip down memory lane.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 30, 2013
Fairley tries to avoid spoilers but it's all part of the game
The standard opening line when speaking to someone about the TV series "Game of Thrones" basically amounts to a spoiler alert.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / IN THE RECORD
Jun 20, 2013
In the record bag: Mark Birtles
Born in Nottingham, England, Mark Birtles began DJing in Leeds before coming to Japan in 2008. He is one half of the Tokyo Indie events team, which has hosted DJ gigs with touring bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Metronomy, Mystery Jets and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He let us have a look in his record bag and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 23, 2013
June: Taicoclub, Tokyo Camp kick off festival season
Students are counting down the days till school lets out, while urban commuters are starting to sweat the impending heat. Summer is coming, and a sure sign of that is that music festivals are starting to kick up around the country.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 2, 2013
Pianist Onishi to come out of retirement
Pianist Junko Onishi will come out of retirement to perform one more time, at the finale of this year's Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 29, 2013
Early quake relief project 'Nihon Kizuna' to hold two-year anniversary event
Laurent Fintoni was visiting Japan in March 2011 when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. The 33-year-old writer and DJ quickly contacted friends in the music scene here and abroad to produce "Nihon Kizuna," one of the first albums to aid disaster relief.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 28, 2013
Japanese acts play music ambassadors at Canadian Music Week
After rock group Jake Stone Garage hit the final chord of one of their powerful guitar-heavy songs, the crowd let out a few hoots and applauded politely.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 14, 2013
My Bloody Valentine hit the decks in Shibuya
My Bloody Valentine bassist Debbie Googe manned the decks for a rare DJ set at a Tokyo Indie event in Tokyo on Friday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 3, 2013
January: Spirit of punk alive as Patti Smith, Death Grips come to Japan
The new year is starting out with a slew of potentially great gigs throughout the country.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 29, 2012
2.5D wants to change how you see Japan
A crowd much smaller than solo-guitarist Miyavi is accustomed to has gathered to hear an intimate set at the 2.5D studio in Shibuya's Parco Part 1 building. About a third of the 80 or so people have gathered around the stage so close that they can almost touch the artist. They don't try, of course,...
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Jul 24, 2012
Today's J-blip: A song for Ichiro Suzuki
'Don't you know, he beats the throw!' Ben Gibbard's indie-pop tribute to Ichiro.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / IN THE RECORD
May 17, 2012
A Taut Line
Tokyo-based British DJ/producer Matt Lyne, aka A Taut Line, coruns the record label Diskotopia, with Brian Durr, aka BD1982. A Taut Line's melodic broken house, garage and techno productions are just as influenced by the Chicago jazz and postrock scenes as by the 1980s Chicago house scene. Meanwhile,...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 9, 2011
Sendai to hold jazz festival
In times of trouble music can soothe the soul. And if anyone's souls needed soothing, it would be the people of Sendai.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
Amid same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'
A lesbian couple, consisting of a 35-year-old woman (left) and 40-year-old woman, cover their faces with bouquets as they pose for wedding photos in Yokohama on Nov. 1.
China and Russia conduct joint Pacific military patrol
The Russian corvette Gromkiy enters the Chinese port of Zhanjiang as part of a joint China-Russia naval exercise on Saturday.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.
How to tweak your diet when temperatures spike
Most people think of hydration as a strictly liquid-based concept, but eating foods with high water content is an essential part of making it through a Japanese summer unscathed.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

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