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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
Jul 6, 2019
Feeling burned out by social media? You probably aren't alone
Some of the most popular users of social media platforms such as Twitter are expressing frustration with life online.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 3, 2019
Emi Meyer: Trading in the jazz standards for original songs
The first half of the 2010s offered singer-songwriter Emi Meyer few breaks. She released a full-length album every year until 2015, driven both by creative energy and a feeling that she needed to put herself out there.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 29, 2019
Strawberry Fetish: Instagram-worthy riffs on a Japanese festival classic
Strawberry Fetish serves up a wide variety of sweets starring the titular fruit, including a couple of strawberry-centric drinks and strawberry ice cream.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 29, 2019
Social media backlash against bubble tea fails to dent enthusiasm
While the internet can play a crucial role in pushing trends in Japan, it can be just as effective in turning people against the crazes it helps to hype.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 27, 2019
The Lethal Weapons: Locked and loaded on the streets of Tokyo
Nostalgia for the 1980s usually plays out more as an aesthetic than an authentic yearning to go back to the days of Rubik's Cubes and "Miami Vice." But that's not the case for Aiki Kiyohisa, 38.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 22, 2019
The new 'Feel Aloha' potato chips are a mouthful of island flavors
After a venture into fruit-flavored chips two years ago, snack maker Koikeya is back with two Hawaii-themed offerings.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 22, 2019
Embracing social media to protect others from danger in Japan
Japan has developed a reputation for being a safe country, an image bolstered by recent record lows in reported crime. The reality, though, is that life in Japan can be just as dangerous as it is overseas.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 15, 2019
Higuma Doughnuts and Coffee Wrights hit the sweet spot in Harajuku
Higuma Doughnuts and Coffee Wrights are collaborating to offer a new line of citrusy summer doughnuts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 15, 2019
Examining the morbid fascination with violence on social media in Japan
Twenty-one-year-old Yuka Takaoka stabbed a man in an apartment in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district in late May, leaving him in a critical condition.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 13, 2019
CVN: The sound of the Japanese underground
A change in address altered the way Nobuyuki Sakuma approaches his songs. "I think of the music I used to make in Tokyo as a fantasy. It was completely inspired by my own image, what I thought up. It didn't have much to do with what was happening around me or in society," he says.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 8, 2019
Get your mind off the heat with new flavors of convenience store chūhai
As summer sets in, convenience stores are filling their shelves with cans of limited-edition and refreshing chu016bhai cocktail flavors, though not all of them are winners...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 1, 2019
Launch of novelty stationery product sparks debate on tipping in Japan
A handful of topics are always guaranteed to spark fierce debate, whether discussed face-to-face or remotely online. They include politics, religion and, er, tipping.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 1, 2019
Machi Machi's cheese teas are a novel blend of sweet and tart
Tokyo newcomer Machi Machi's Taiwanese cheese tea might just give bubble tea a run for its money.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 30, 2019
Rino Sashihara: Can one 'idol' beat the system?
...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 25, 2019
Simplicity the key to chart-topping convenience store snacks
Japanese netizens take convenience store snacks seriously, turning to sites such as Mognavi, where they rate their favorites, which get displayed as top-10 rankings.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 25, 2019
Susaki mascot Chiitan runs afoul of Twitter's social media rules
Chiitan the otter was riding high this spring. After becoming one of the most popular characters in the country thanks to its chaotic online behavior, Chiitan started appearing everywhere in the media.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
May 18, 2019
Ginza Cozy Corner's Jumbo Shu Cream: A cream puff made bigger and better
Whipped cream and salty chocolate fillings combine in this massive take on the Ginza Cozy Corner cream puff dessert.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 18, 2019
Elementary school kids can say the darndest things online
People usually don’t take the thoughts of a 10-year-old child too seriously. Elementary school kids can say the darndest things, and only the nastiest of bullies take any notice of them saying something stupid.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 17, 2019
Matsuyama: Under the radar, home to the contemporary
Although Matsuyama is known for its historical role in the Shikoku Pilgrimage and as a home for centuries-old onsen hot springs, there's plenty of modernity to be found in Ehime Prefecture's capital city.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
May 13, 2019
Episode 14: What's the deal with Terrace House?
Ahead of the new season of Terrace House — 'Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020' — Tom Hanaway and Patrick St. Michel join Oscar Boyd to discuss why the show has proved such a hit both here in Japan and internationally and what we might be able to expect from the upcoming season.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
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.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
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.
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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