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August 15, 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
Sep 14, 2019
Frustrated travelers at Narita Airport in wake of Typhoon Faxai spark joy on social media
...
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 28, 2019
Episode 21: The death of Johnny Kitagawa, J-pop's puppet master
On this week's episode we discuss the life and recent death of Johnny Kitagawa, the secretive mega mogul behind some of Japan's biggest music acts.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Aug 24, 2019
A people-pleasing panda pudding platter
If variety's the key to pleasing your sweet tooth, then Chateraise's new panda-themed dessert tray is the one for you.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Aug 21, 2019
The odd blunder is OK at your local dad-to-be class
Future fathers in Japan get lessons in caring for a baby at their local ward or city office. Yes, pregnancy suits are involved.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Aug 17, 2019
Cantaloupe frappes and chocolate parfaits to cool the summer
Chocolate and fruit-flavored desserts dominate convenience store shelves, at this time of year, so Konbini Watch has collected highlights from both sides for those waffling between flavors.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 15, 2019
Choose your acts wisely at this year's Summer Sonic
The 2019 edition of the Summer Sonic music festival, held concurrently in Tokyo and Osaka from Aug. 16 to 18, marks the 20th anniversary of the gathering. Though that's not the only special twist gracing an event offering the experiences of a big musical outing in the comfort of a metropolis.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 14, 2019
Trade spat sees K-pop caught in the middle
...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 10, 2019
Doing doughnuts right in Tokyo: An indulgence for all occasions
Tokyo's top-notch doughnut shops are pushing the boundaries of flavor, or taking classics to the next-level.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Aug 10, 2019
This summer, Pokemon get even cooler with themed ice creams and cakes
This summer, the Pokemon Co. and Baskin-Robbins are bringing fans a variety of cool Pokemon-themed sweets.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Aug 10, 2019
Heated debate boils over on social media as mercury soars in Japan
Talking to others about the weather has always been a quick and easy conversation topic. The same goes for social media users and online news outlets in Japan, which love to discuss meteorological issues. The arrival of intense summer heat in recent weeks has invigorated netizens, who have gone online...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Aug 3, 2019
When Lawson gives you three types of lemons, drink lemonade
As part of its 'lemon fair,' Lawson has started selling a lemonade made with three types of lemons — a relief during the summer heat.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 31, 2019
'Hikaru Utada Laughter in the Dark Tour 2018': An online offering that nails the live experience
Japanese pop star Hikaru Utada's 2018 "Laughter in the Dark Tour" marked her first jaunt around the country in 12 years. The seven-city tour became one of the year's most anticipated tickets, culminating in a Dec. 9 performance at Chiba's Makuhari Messe coinciding with the 20th anniversary of her debut....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 27, 2019
Haagen-Dazs Japan at 35: Still innovating with new specialty flavors
Grab Haagen-Dazs' new summer Yuzu Blanc Manger and limited-edition dark green tea ice cream flavors before they're gone.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 27, 2019
Popular YouTube group's attempt to engineer a viral campaign on social media backfires spectacularly
Social media is a minefield of negativity that often leaves users in a conundrum whenever they stumble across someone doing something online that clearly seems obnoxious. Should users call people out for such behavior? Are they acting in a righteous manner or are they simply giving them the attention...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 24, 2019
Tempalay pledges to put on a show at Fuji Rock
The recording of Tempalay's third full-length album, "With Love from the 21 Century," should have been a high point for lead vocalist and guitarist Ryoto Ohara. The group he fronts had climbed up the ranks of Japan's music community since forming in 2014, and even got a shout out from BTS, arguably the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jul 20, 2019
Gear up for summer with three new sweets from Seven-Eleven
Seven-Eleven is on a hot streak with its new watermelon ice bar, double cheesecake and tapioca milk tea jelly.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 20, 2019
Candidates struggle to navigate difficult waters of social media ahead of election
A good summary of how the 2019 House of Councilors election has played out online comes via Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the cartoon “Yu-Gi-Oh!” During his promotion of a new art book, he shared an illustration on his Instagram page that was meant to encourage young people to vote. However, it...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jul 18, 2019
Japan jumps into the music stream
The biggest moment for streaming music in Japan this year came via a handwritten letter. In late June, Kenta Matsumoto of pop-punk trio Wanima shared a note on Twitter announcing that his band's entire catalog would be uploaded to streaming music platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 17, 2019
Kitri: Sisters are doin' it for themselves
Monami Kida can't remember the last time she had an argument with Hinano, her younger sister and partner in the classical-meets-pop project Kitri.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 13, 2019
Mister Donut's Roll-nut: A perplexing doughnut and roll cake fusion
Mister Donut and patisserie Mon Cher combine their signature doughnut and roll cake to create a new frankensweet: the Roll-nut.
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
Ice bandanas, convenience store breaks: Running under Japan’s summer sun
Blistering heat is becoming a fixture of summer in Japan, but a few tweaks to your routine can make your outdoor runs bearable — if not enjoyable — until cooler temperatures return.
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
France brings down the curtain on its Olympic party with Tom Cruise and Leon Marchand
Fireworks are set off during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’
By Thu-Huong Ha

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