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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
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Sep 18, 2015
Starbucks Japan melted autumn and mixed it with coffee
"Fall melted in a cup" isn't the most attractive of tag lines, but that's what Starbucks Japan is using to promote its seasonally limited Roasted Nutty Chestnut line of drinks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Sep 11, 2015
Grand Kirin's new IPA is a reminder to put quality before convenience
It was fascinating to watch Japan's major breweries stumble over themselves as they tried to replicate craft beer — but the amusement is starting to wear off. Now, consumers are left with a lot of big-company brews on convenience-store shelves that are mediocre at best. Kirin has been particularly...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Sep 4, 2015
Lotte's koala cookies come in a new limited-edition flavor
Lotte's "Koara no Machi" ("Koala's March") brand of cookies has added a not-so-radical new flavor to its roster: cocoa and milk.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Aug 28, 2015
Coco's American Hot Apple Pie
Bring a friend next time you visit Coco's, because the family restaurant's new American Hot Apple Pie might prove overwhelming for one person alone.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 21, 2015
Zedd pleases, D'Angelo scores at this year's Summer Sonic
An important moment in the life of any music fan comes when they go to a festival they've been attending for several years and think — "Man, am I old?"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 21, 2015
Various artists "Fogpak #13"
Since 2012, the "Fogpak" compilation series has promoted independent electronic acts from Japan (and, lately, abroad). In recent months, Fogpak's support of fledgling producers has become crucial — the Internet used to be a real alternative to the musical mainstream, but major labels have gotten keen...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Aug 21, 2015
Chip burgers and burger chips hit convenience stores
Fast-food chain Lotteria is currently selling a limited-edition burger containing a handful of Calbee potato chips placed on top of the meat patty. For those not ready to sink their teeth into that crunchy creation, Lotteria and Calbee have also teamed up on a special chip that tastes like Lotteria's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Aug 14, 2015
Ice Monster pops its head into Roppongi's Mercedes-Benz dealership
Ice Monster, a Taiwanese shaved-ice store with a branch in Tokyo's Harajuku neighborhood, has opened a new pop-up restaurant in the Mercedes-Benz Connection store in Roppongi.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 9, 2015
Even if you don't see Yasutaka Nakata at Summer Sonic, you'll probably hear him
Punters heading off to Makuhari Messe this weekend for SonicMania — the all-night event preceding the annual Summer Sonic music festival — should try to arrive at the venue early to secure a prime spot for the evening's first act: pop trio Perfume.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Aug 7, 2015
Tokyo's gourmet popcorn trend gets convenient
Has Tokyo's infatuation with gourmet popcorn ended? The line outside the Garrett popcorn branch in Harajuku still snakes around the corner, but other hyped popcorn outposts in the city are often empty out front.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 31, 2015
Ben & Jerry's may have cooked up their best ice cream pun yet
Ben & Jerry's ice cream-flavor puns have always been top-notch ("Cherry Garcia" is a prime example), but its latest Japan-only flavor takes things to a new level.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jul 24, 2015
Fruit candy that tastes like salmon
Here's an appealing idea: candy containing small amounts of fish. That's exactly the draw of the limited-edition "salted salmon flavor" variety of Puccho, a popular soft candy usually available in fruit flavors.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 17, 2015
Ten years on, Maltine sticks to its guns on free music
Tomohiro Konuta sometimes imagines an alternate world where he's not running a music label.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 17, 2015
Mister Donut is building a pastry bridge to Brooklyn
Mister Donut recently unveiled their summer doughnut roster and it's themed on Brooklyn, New York. Well, it's "Brooklyn themed" in the sense it combines several foodstuffs together into one, in the style of New York-born fusion treats such as the Cronut.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jul 10, 2015
'Super sour lemon' potato chips are not an entirely terrible idea
In the crowded and frequently disappointing world of novelty potato chips, a "super sour lemon" flavor seems especially unneeded.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 3, 2015
Stratified flavors in Seven-Eleven's new Japonais ice cream
For the last few years, Haagen-Dazs has been teaming up with Seven-Eleven Japan for a special series of ice creams called Japonais.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 28, 2015
Rap gets a new delivery from a wave of female artists
Hip-hop is a major force on the American music charts, but its presence has been less prominent in Japan. Elements of the wider culture have found their way into teenage wardrobes and pop-video dance routines, but even Japanese rappers admit they have a hard time grabbing the attention of new fans.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 26, 2015
Pirate ships, cruises, riverbanks and urban campsites: New twists on the beer-garden formula in Tokyo
One way to look at the arrival of summer in Japan is to focus on the bad side of the season, such as the sticky humidity, the need to have the air-conditioner blasting cold air for the next three months. All power to you, but consider how no other time of the year can you enjoy drinking and eating outdoors...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 26, 2015
'Gelato on a stick' comes to Tokyo
The first Japanese outpost of Popbar — a franchise offering "handcrafted gelato on a stick" — opened June 26 in Shibuya, Tokyo (www.pop-bar.com/japan), and early reports indicate the line snakes well around the corner.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 19, 2015
Noah takes inspiration from Hokkaido on 'Sivutie'
The way Ayuko Kurasaki, who creates music as Noah, describes her childhood home of Chitose in Hokkaido is so lovely that I'm surprised it isn't being used in tourism ads.
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.
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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