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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 / Digital
Apr 11, 2020
Japan's streaming situation improved just in time to self-isolate
Doing your part to flatten the coronavirus curve by staying home? Luckily, the streaming situation has improved over the past few years so you don't have to be bored. And with local options, maybe you can pick up some Japanese while you catch up on pop culture?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Food Sustainability in Japan
Apr 11, 2020
Mos Burger goes vegan with its Plant-based Green Burger
This March, Mos Burger debuted a vegan “Mos Plant-based Green Burger” in Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures. But does this veggie burger's flavor live up to the chain's original beef offering?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 11, 2020
Shizuoka's Rainbow Disco Club to stream online
On April 18, Rainbow Disco Club will host a 12-hour paid-streaming party featuring artists performing sets from Izu.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Apr 10, 2020
Celebrities and influencers using social media platforms to keep people at home
A handful of well-known personalities have been out in front of the pandemic on social media.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Apr 6, 2020
Episode 45: Ken Shimura — Japan loses a comedy legend
On March 29, Ken Shimura, one of Japan's most celebrated comedians, passed away after testing positive for COVID-19. JT entertainment writeru00a0Patrick St. Michelu00a0discusses Shimura's life and death with host Oscar Boyd.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Apr 4, 2020
Navigating the murky waters of social media in a pandemic
The frequent occurrence of disasters in Japan has ensured that netizens are constantly on the lookout for online hoaxes. Following any large earthquake or typhoon, social media is typically flooded with all kinds of misleading posts and doctored images. Some are posted in a deliberate attempt to stoke...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 3, 2020
Ensuring live music survives the pandemic
While the COVID-19 pandemic has all but shut down Japan's live music scene, innovative acts and labels are still reaching fans in the country.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 30, 2020
Ken Shimura’s entertainment legacy spans generations
Entertainer Ken Shimura didn’t belong to any single generation. Following news that the 70-year-old comedian had died on Sunday from pneumonia caused by COVID-19, TV broadcasters on Monday featured both Shimura’s contemporaries and much younger personalities visibly upset over his passing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Mar 28, 2020
Chocolate, chips and coffee: The ideal snack combination?
Chocolate-covered potato chips aren’t a new idea. It’s a tried-and-true combination that has proven to be a delight over the years. How do you improve on that?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 28, 2020
Postponement of 2020 Olympics sends social media into a frenzy
It was only a matter of time before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to change tack. After months of speculation, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Tuesday night that the games would be postponed until 2021.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Mar 26, 2020
Making sure you're prepared for a Japan-wide lockdown
With a lockdown looming, it has never been a better time to update your emergency earthquake kit.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 25, 2020
As COVID-19 cripples live music, hopeful promoters look ahead
This year’s edition of the Japan Nite event at the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SXSW) was going to be special. It would have marked the event’s 25th anniversary of showcasing Japanese artists to fans in Austin, Texas, with a North American tour to follow.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Mar 25, 2020
When a cartoon crocodile dies, give us time to mourn
...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Mar 21, 2020
Have an at-home hanami with these cherry blossom-flavored sweets
This year's hanami season is shaping up to be a weird one. The beginning of spring rarely forces people to choose between having a good time under the cherry blossoms and grappling with a pandemic, but that's where we’re at in 2020.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 19, 2020
Nariaki Obukuro offers optimism with latest album, 'Piercing'
Nariaki Obukuro has been living in London for a little over a year now, and the Japanese singer-songwriter says the city routinely gets his imagination going.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Mar 14, 2020
The Sugar Forest's macaron sandwiches: Tokyo's next South Korean-inspired dessert trend?
So far, The Sugar Forest's cute and colorful mega-stuffed macaron sandwiches have avoided the limelight. But these sweets won't stay off the radar for long...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 14, 2020
Social media helps Japan's embattled parents connect over schools' closure
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recommendation that all elementary, junior high and high schools in Japan close through the end of their April spring break in order to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus caught nearly everyone in the country off guard when the news broke in late February.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 11, 2020
Intersection: Bridging the Pacific through the medium of J-pop
Intersection's four dual-heritage members say they want Japanese music listeners to be more open to international culture and people with more diverse backgrounds.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 9, 2020
Stockpiling food and keeping up appearances in Hokkaido's schools
English teachers in Hokkaido, which apart from the Diamond Princess cruise ship has been hit hardest with coronavirus cases in Japan, struggle to make sense of measures taken at their schools.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Mar 7, 2020
Perennially popular Pipeline Punch particularly punchy
Monster Energy is bringing its Pipeline Punch back to convenience store shelves. How long will it stay in stock this time?
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.
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.
Amid same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'
A lesbian couple, consisting of a 35-year-old woman (left) and 40-year-old woman, cover their faces with bouquets as they pose for wedding photos in Yokohama on Nov. 1.
China and Russia conduct joint Pacific military patrol
The Russian corvette Gromkiy enters the Chinese port of Zhanjiang as part of a joint China-Russia naval exercise on Saturday.
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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