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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.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 23, 2014
Lower sales affected acts worldwide
The Japanese music market has faced hard times as of late. Starting with an announcement from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in March that the country's music sales dropped 16.7 percent in 2013, the past 12 months saw no particular upswing in physical or digital sales, therefore...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 16, 2014
Rock, J-pop and dance: Albums we liked in 2014
The year-end album charts in Japan have a tendency to prop up the same acts year after year: Exile, anything that ends in a "48," and almost every group from the Johnny & Associates stable of boy bands. Writers at The Japan Times, however, spent the year looking past the charts to find a few gems lurking...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2014
Taking vocal software beyond Miku
Tokyo-based electronic musician mus.hiba has worked with a handful of vocalists during his short stint as a producer. However, many of them haven't been human.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 18, 2014
Sumi surprises with impressive debut
Sumi "Resurrect My Independence" (Self-released)
CULTURE / Music
Nov 18, 2014
Arashi sure to delight fans with typical fare on 'The Digitalian'
Arashi "The Digitalian" (J Storm)
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Oct 24, 2014
Nico Nico moves into Ikebukuro
Since launching in 2006, online video-sharing service Nico Nico (originally Nico Nico Douga) has become one of Japan's central hubs for aspiring artists and entertainers to share their talents with users across the country. They've fostered a millions-strong community capable of influencing mainstream...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 14, 2014
Takeuchi sticks to what she knows on 'Trad'
Mariya Takeuchi "Trad" (Warner Music Japan)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 14, 2014
Smany's sophomore outing shows subdued promise
Smany "Polyphenic" (Bunkai-kei records)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 7, 2014
Ryan Hemsworth gives Japan's budding music producers some support overseas
Canadian music producer and DJ Ryan Hemsworth is always on the move. He's zig-zagged across North America, Europe and Australia multiple times over the last two years, an endeavor he has said is "such a crazy luxury, but the most exhausting thing as well." His upcoming trip to Japan, however, is special....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 30, 2014
tofubeats calls on pals for his 'First Album'
Yusuke Kawai tries to start a para para dance halfway through his Sept. 5 DJ set, but the inside of an Apple Store isn't an ideal space for this endeavor. Kawai, who records under the name tofubeats, is performing a special show at the recently opened Omotesando store. Half of the floor eagerly watches...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 23, 2014
Remaking the EDM experience for Japan
Glitter showered the crowd at August's all-night Sonicmania event as electronic artist Zedd cued up his hit song, "Stay the Night." The crowd bobbed along at first, but as the track built and let loose in a whirlwind of bass and synthesizer the audience followed suit with fists pumping in the air and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 16, 2014
'Attack25' revists Dreams Come True's better qualities
Dreams Come True "Attack25" (Universal Music)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 16, 2014
Diverse compilation delivers a serious message about nuclear power
Various artists "Atomic Bomb Compilation Vol. 2" (Self-released)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 2, 2014
Dustin Wong and Takako Minekawa let their imaginations run wild on new album
Guitarist Dustin Wong is upfront about not having the cleanest apartment. "There are so many plastic water bottles in the kitchen, equipment sprawled all over the place. Pieces of aluminum foil on the floor." This was where he and singer Takako Minekawa recorded their second album together.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 26, 2014
Jazz artist Emi Meyer teams up with guitarist Seiichi Nagai for a warm, poppy album
Jazz artist Emi Meyer had plenty to be happy about in 2008. She had just self-released her debut album "Curious Creature," she was performing shows around Kyoto and major labels in Tokyo were attempting to woo her. The half-American, half-Japanese Meyer, though, says the situation wasn't so sunny.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 19, 2014
Old and new mingle sweetly at Summer Sonic
After Queen finished "Another One Bites The Dust" — 10 minutes before 8 p.m. on the Sunday of this year's Summer Sonic in Chiba — hundreds of fans darted for the exits of QVC Marine Field Stadium. Security guards and staff with megaphones tried to direct them as some dashed to the left for Kraftwerk,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 14, 2014
Seiho to take Summer Sonic into the night
Three years ago, Seiho Hayakawa could often be found playing shows at basement venues around Osaka. Today, he's all over the map.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 12, 2014
Crzkny unites artists against nuclear power
Electronic-music producer Kenji Takikawa's work took a major detour following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 15, 2014
Kis-My-Journey takes us down a familiar path
It's not the highest of honors, but I'd like to award awkwardly named boy band Kis-My-Ft2 as the best pop act under the Johnny & Associates umbrella.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 15, 2014
Emerald Four slows its sound down
The music created by Emerald Four practically oozes from the speakers. The Kyoto-based duo crafts narcotized songs built around unfolding electronics and slow, dreamy vocals.
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

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