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November 22, 2024
 

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Patrick St. Michel
Patrick St. Michel is a Tokyo-based writer with a focus on Japanese music. He runs the blog Make Believe Melodies, which has focused on Japanese independent music since 2009. Besides The Japan Times, he also contributes to MTV 81 and The Atlantic.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 5, 2020
Japan’s netizens make up for traditional media outlets' shortcomings in addressing Black Lives Matter
Social media users have offered a broader perspective of commentary on protests against systemic racism happening abroad.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 4, 2020
Strawberry Milk Ice Candy: A cool treat for a hot season
Strawberry sweets specialist Ichibiko has just released three refreshing strawberry-milk ice bars.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 27, 2020
The hits and misses of 2020’s summer sodas
Every summer, drink companies release unique, limited-edition beverages. The 2020 editions have just arrived, and initial reviews are mixed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 20, 2020
Lawson finds itself lampooned for rebranding design effort
Most complaints have centered around the minimal information that is included on the packaging.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 20, 2020
Boozy classics and cute cakes to gift the dads in your life
Anyone still searching for a Father's Day gift is cutting it close. Here's two sweet options for the perfect last-minute gift.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jun 19, 2020
YouTuber Laranzo Dacres highlights the experience of being Black in Japan
The YouTube channel The Black Experience Japan explores the lives of black people living in Japan through interviews and a journalistic approach.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 13, 2020
Decadence is the name of the game for the newest crop of konbini sweets
We all deserve to treat ourselves sometimes. So why not try one (or all) of the indulgent convenience store desserts that debuted this past week.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jun 12, 2020
The summer of our discontent
With the news that this year’s Fuji Rock Festival would be postponed until 2021, summer 2020 became the season of no music in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 9, 2020
Let's discuss the death of Hana Kimura
A Japan Times article looks at the death of a reality TV show star and issues of cyberbullying surrounding it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 6, 2020
'This is a pen': Taking a preposterous COVID-19 hypothesis to another level on social media
Social media users clamor to produce parodies of pronunciation re-enactment.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 6, 2020
Mister Donuts celebrates its 50th with a matcha-chocolate collaboration
The celebratory “Matcha no Odoroki Series” brings together the talents of patissier Toshi Yoroizuka and Kyoto-based green tea producer Gion Tsujiri.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2020
Summer's Fuji Rock Festival postponed due to COVID-19 concerns
Smash Japan announced today that the 2020 edition of Fuji Rock Festival will be postponed until August 2021 due to ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 4, 2020
Okamoto's: Rock, rap and the road less traveled
The four-piece band marks 10 years of bucking expectations and musical risk-taking.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 1, 2020
E-ticketing platform Zaiko's livestream success sees unwelcome imitators
The ticketing company pivoted to livestreaming events when the coronavirus struck, a move that may change how we experience music in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 30, 2020
Public begins to wake up to sheer volume of harassment online
Social media users want abusers to drop their veil of anonymity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 30, 2020
Salted egg potato chips: Rich, crispy and craveable
One recent food fad in Singapore has been salted duck-egg potato chips. Now, snack maker Calbee has gotten in on the action.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 23, 2020
Crowdfunding campaigns offer hope to ailing firms facing COVID-19 insolvency
Communities rally behind their favorite establishments, but can they save them all?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
May 23, 2020
McDonald’s ramune McShake: Summery, sweet and nostalgic
McDonald's Japan's ramune-flavored McShake is a creamy take on the candy version of the citrusy soda.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 22, 2020
Daiki Tsuneta: From the top of the charts to the great unknown
King Gnu frontman, Daiki Tsuneta, heads for further glory as he pushes forward with his side project, Millennium Parade.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
May 22, 2020
Ayumi Hamasaki TV drama stays on the right side of absurdity
A new drama series highlighting the life of the J-pop star at her peak has fascinated viewers with its hammed-up acting and over-the-top antics.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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