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July 16, 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
Aug 4, 2018
There's nothing new about Japan's online backlash against tourists
The internet loves a clapback, so when writer Melissa Martin shared a few snappy responses from a monk named Daniel Kimura to less-than-positive reviews of a temple doubling as lodging on Mount Koya, Twitter embraced it. The tweet garnered more than 17,000 retweets and 38,000 likes, with many digitally...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Aug 4, 2018
Pablo teams up with Mister Donut for a cheesy collaboration
Mister Donut stores across Japan have partnered with the Osaka-based Pablo to create six rare cheese-flavored doughnuts and tarts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 28, 2018
Soaring temperatures force Japan to confront entrenched ideas on handling the heat
A  heat wave has gripped Japan over the past week or so, peaking with the highest temperature ever recorded in the country on Monday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 28, 2018
Tokyo barbecue joints to get summer sizzling
Grabbing your own grill and heading out to your preferred park or public space is the traditional way to approach barbecuing but in recent years, new spaces to barbecue in Tokyo and its surrounding areas have popped up for people of all grilling levels.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jul 28, 2018
Calbee's edamame and cheese-flavored chips: Hardly unique, but good with a drink
On their own, edamame already make for a solid snack, especially when paired with a glass of beer. But snack manufacturer Calbee sees opportunities to experiment everywhere.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 27, 2018
Sally Amaki's life as an animated idol-pop star
Though she liked anime growing up, Sally Amaki never thought she'd grow up to be an anime character.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 21, 2018
Plight of 'Mizuho refugees' stirs debate on banking services in Japan
Imagine wrapping up a tough work week and jumping into a three-day weekend. Maybe you just plan on lounging around at home with the air conditioner on at full blast. Or perhaps you’ll hit the road and head out of the city to get a welcome break from urban life. At some point you’ll probably need...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 21, 2018
Ginza Cozy Corner's sweet take on the 'Summer Holidays'
Ginza Cozy Corner is serving up all the flavors of summer with their adorable nine-piece 'Summer Holidays' cake set.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jul 18, 2018
Da Pump scores an unexpected summer hit with 'U.S.A.'
The highly coveted song of the summer needs to cut across demographics and unite one nation under a beat. Think Len's "Steal My Sunshine" in 1999, Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" in 2013 or Luis Fonsi's "Despacito" in 2017. Who'd have thought that, in 2018 Japan, the uniting beat would be Eurobeat?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jul 14, 2018
Don't scoff at vanilla: Seven-Eleven's Waffle Cone Milk Vanilla is simply delicious
Seven-Eleven's Waffle Cone Milk Vanilla ice cream might not be 'offbeat,' but sometimes classic flavors are all you need to survive the summer.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 14, 2018
Recent flooding highlights power of social media in a disaster
Online users in Japan followed the storms that lead to devastating floods and landslides in the western part of the country closely as they unfolded last week. The topic remained central to discussion on social media as the days went on and the full extent of the damage became clear.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 13, 2018
Oshu: A semi-rural city with a major league star
Oshu, the home of the Los Angeles Angels' two-way baseball star Shohei Ohtani, is dotted with unassuming tributes to this home-grown hero.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 7, 2018
Restaurant chains are taking the smoking ban into their own hands
Although the anti-smoking laws recently passed by Japan's national government have yet to go into effect, several popular restaurant chains have already gone completely smoke-free. But will that be enough to help make Japan a smoke-free country by 2020?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 7, 2018
Grab a cookie (or five) to share at Tokyo Station's Country Ma'am Tea House
At its new pop-up shop, Country Ma'am gives some of its long-running cookies a classy teatime upgrade.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 30, 2018
Celebrating the memes the 2018 soccer World Cup has created
Japan’s surprising success at the 2018 World Cup in Russia has dominated headlines and morning shows domestically. News organizations abroad, however, honed in on a very different topic — trash.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 30, 2018
Embrace traditional Japanese flavors with Seven-Eleven's brown sugar kuzukiri
Seven-Eleven's mix-it-yourself brown sugar kuzukiri is a cool, refreshing summer treat.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 26, 2018
Behind the ever-changing sound of Wednesday Campanella
It's a sure bet that when Wednesday Campanella plays a festival lineup, frontwoman Kom_I will steal the show.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 23, 2018
Struggling to stay on top of fake social media posts in a disaster
Shortly after the Kansai region was rattled by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake on June 18, photos of the damage started popping up on social media. Tweets showed a bookstore that looked as if it had been turned upside-down, a damaged electronic sign at a train station and shattered glass in front of a ticket...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 23, 2018
Lawson's mango and milk soft cream: even better for the waffle cone
Lawson's seasonal soft cream brings plenty of sweetness and mango flavor.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jun 21, 2018
Online media pick up #MeToo stories the major outlets miss
The Japanese media love a scandal and so far 2018 hasn't disappointed in that regard. Two recent stories centered around J-pop idols have been mostly ignored by mainstream outlets, but both have taken off online thanks to web publications, hinting at a shift unfolding in the nation's news landscape.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
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.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
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.
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.

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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