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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
Mar 7, 2020
YouTube content that attempts to find real Japanese opinions
A lot has changed over the past decade insofar as Japanese content on YouTube is concerned, with creators moving away from uploads that simply record personal experiences to posts that give viewers real insight into the lives and opinions of Japanese people.   
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Mar 6, 2020
ASMR in Japan is burning brightly
Nippon Cultural Broadcasting jumps on the ASMR bandwagon with a weeklong special dedicated to the soothing sounds of bonfires.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 3, 2020
With the coronavirus canceling classes, what are English teachers to do?
ALTs and English-language school employees are reporting confusion over what role their employers should play in a possible pandemic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Feb 29, 2020
At Ochaba, food fads collide to create the ultimate trendy snack
Get your matcha, crepe or bubble tea fix simultaneously with Ochaba's green tea tapioca drinks or lineup of matcha-centric crepes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Feb 26, 2020
COVID-19 fears hit live music in Japan
With fears over the COVID-19 outbreak increasing, a slew of overseas artists have cancelled live shows in Japan, while others are determined that the show must go on.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 26, 2020
Departing from tradition with Hiromitsu Agatsuma and Akiko Yano
Shamisen player Hiromitsu Agatsuma teams up with singer and musician Akiko Yano for a new album which sees both depart from their previous styles and genres.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Feb 22, 2020
No need to 'disrupt' the potato chip, there's no improving this classic snack
Japanese snack makers are constantly looking to improve the classic potato chip. But do they succeed?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 20, 2020
Taigen Kawabe's Ill Japonia: Allowing yourself to learn from the new wave
Bo Ningen's Taigen Kawabe drops the guitars and starts rapping on his first release as III Japonia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 15, 2020
COVID-19 reveals fractured moral impulse of social media
The outbreak of a new coronavirus in China, now officially named COVID-19, has sparked plenty of concern online — some valid, others more hyperbolic in nature. Like many global events in the social media age, the outbreak has also resulted in no shortage of fake news and racism. Both elements have...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Feb 15, 2020
With the Kit Kat McFlurry, McDonald's continues its winning streak
Dessert Watch doesn't play favorites, but recently McDonald's Japan has been on a roll that's hard to ignore. The once besieged fast food chain has been scoring sweet hits (and online buzz) in the past few months, and its latest continues the streak.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Feb 8, 2020
Gird your arteries: Jumbo fried foods have taken over convenience stores
Convenience stores have started going bigger with their fried food options in 2020. Whether they are better is debatable.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Feb 7, 2020
Arashi lets fans in on a little tedium with new streaming Netflix documentary
After 20 years of entertainment the masses, J-pop group Arashi is embarking on its final tour ahead of a hiatus. A new Netflix documentary goes behind the scenes of the preparations.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Feb 1, 2020
KitKat kicks it up a notch with its Valentine's-limited Cacao Fruit Dessert
Have you ever wanted to know how cacao fruit tasted? Now you can, with Nestle Japan's new cacao fruit-flavored KitKat. (Spoiler: It's zesty!)
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Jan 31, 2020
Netflix and Hulu unleash Japanese travel shows with improved mileage
Streaming services in Japan offer two very different approaches to travel shows, with 'Ainori Love Wagon: African Journey' and 'Kiko's Infinite Journey'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jan 30, 2020
Parents in Japan use YouTube to teach bilingual baby talk that's good for any age
Mothers raising their kids in Japan head to YouTube to create a community that goes beyond basic parenting tips.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jan 25, 2020
Coca-Cola Strawberry versus Asahi's Lemola: Which does fruit better?
Two prominent Japanese beverage companies are offering consumers a choice: something entirely new, or a revived Showa Era flavor.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 25, 2020
Kakeibo: Turning a dull aspect of Japanese life into social media gold
At some point in the past decade, the international notion of “weird Japan” — a view in which the country produces more quirky and wacky trends than many other nations, regardless if said example is actually widespread — took a back seat to “boring but profound Japan.” 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jan 24, 2020
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Hatsune Miku help Coachella's Japan contingent to grow
The California festival adds two Japanese pop heavyweights to its lineup, following a successful appearance by Perfume there last year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jan 18, 2020
Mister Donut gets the French treatment with its Pierre Herme collaboration
2020's first hit dessert collaboration is here with Mister Donut and Pierre Herme's lineup of six chocolate- and fruit-forward doughnuts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 18, 2020
Social media turns its back on Japan's beloved strong alcoholic beverages
Everyone has a friend who likes to darken the mood when others are simply trying to have a good time. Dr. Toshihiko Matsumoto took on this mantle over the new year, killing the buzz for a number of people on social media just hours before the new decade started.
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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