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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
CULTURE / Music
Jul 28, 2022
Fuji Rock Festival eyes a return to form
Overseas acts are back on the lineup but local artists will make the most of those sultry nights at one of Japan's marquee summer music festivals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jul 28, 2022
'Sailor-Moon'-inspired group SG5 shows how anime can lift up J-pop
As the music industry opens up to digital realities, the Sailor-Scout-themed pop group and other nascent acts are utilizing anime's popularity to leapfrog into greater consciousness.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 15, 2022
Kamasami Kong gives voice to city pop's resurgence on 'FM Station 8090'
The radio DJ and personality brings his distinct narration style to the soundtrack of Japan's bubble era.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 7, 2022
Tokyo rock quartet Hazy Sour Cherry's strange adventure
The band breaks out of its comfort zone on 'Strange World,' a playful set of indie-pop songs inspired in part by the sense of exploration in Western media such as 'Stranger Things.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jul 4, 2022
YouTube escapism offers a glimpse of Japan's luxurious life
From luxury apartments to swanky ski lodges, real estate agent Alex Shapiro showcases the country's most lavish real estate on his YouTube channel, Tokyo Portfolio.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 2, 2022
'Softly': Tatsuro Yamashita looks to the future with timeless optimism
Two Tatsuro Yamashitas exist in 2022. There's the patron saint of city pop and a musical symbol for all things bubble-era Japan, and then there's the 69-year-old pop tinkerer still exploring his craft on “Softly.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Japan Pulse
Jun 25, 2022
Baseball dance craze has the internet asking again, 'What does the fox say?'
What started out as a fun segment between innings at Nippon Ham Fighters' games now has athletes, fans and netizens busting a move to Ylvis' chart-topping 2013 hit “The Fox.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 24, 2022
Sakanaction, tofubeats and Tohji reimagine the album format in 2022
Six months into 2022, artists are putting listeners more in control of how they experience new releases.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Jun 11, 2022
YouTuber PewDiePie's 'honeymoon phase' brings positive vibes to Japan content
The YouTuber's relocation heralds a shift toward content focused on newcomers enthusiastically exploring the country and living out their dreams after years of pandemic restrictions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jun 5, 2022
Harry and the house that Hosono built
None other than global pop star Harry Styles takes inspiration from one of Japan's most-talented musicians. The question is, will the West follow?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 2, 2022
Japan's music festivals are prepping for a summer comeback
Music acts are coming in from overseas and a hobbled festival scene is hoping to have its best year since the pandemic began.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 27, 2022
Lyricist Takashi Matsumoto on Happy End, writing for pop and helping change the course of Japanese music history
Happy End's decision in 1970 to play American-inspired yet sing in Japanese proved to be a watershed moment for pop music here.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 20, 2022
Vicke Blanka opens up about shifting musical influences and life as a 'Supervillain'
It is often said that great art comes from tragedy and struggle. Musician Vicke Blanka knows this all too well, and his latest track 'Changes' is the result.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 22, 2022
Anna Takeuchi discovers the power of positive pop
While many musicians embraced the glum stagnation of the COVID years, Anna Takeuchi chose to take those lemons and make lemonade with her new album, 'Tickets.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Apr 12, 2022
Surprise Netflix hit 'Old Enough!' proves Japanese TV is good enough for overseas
Local favorite u2018Old Enough!' has found renewed success on the streaming service, charming audiences abroad and revealing the strength of Japanese comfort content.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Apr 10, 2022
Kamiwaza trio takes aim at YouTube fame
The channel's pivot from trick shots to elaborate Nerf toy battles hits the mark with online audiences.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 1, 2022
Fuji Rock 2022 lineup sees return of overseas acts
The premier summer festival will feature non-Japanese acts, including American artists Jack White and Halsey as headliners, signaling a return to form after going completely local last year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 24, 2022
Eve's hourlong music video sums up J-pop in 2022
Billed as a 'live in animation,' 'Adam by Eve' reflects a trend among young artists using animation filled with references and in-jokes to enhance their music.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 4, 2022
The Eurobeat boom, boom, boom, boom means the '90s are back
Dust off your best para para dance moves, the sound of hi-NRG Heisei has returned.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Feb 26, 2022
Pioneering virtual YouTuber Kizuna AI goes on 'indefinite hiatus'
Over five years, the digital character delivered a new kind of content geared toward digital natives. Now she's saying farewell with one last, livestreamed concert.
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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