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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
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?
An idol group such as AKB48 is designed for members to be easily replaced. The performers existing in these environments constantly get shuffled around and eventually "graduate" — a term used for when they leave. Fans might become attached to a specific member and follow them on their musical journey....
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.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 11, 2019
Tokyo's tapioca boom: Where to find bubble tea in the capital
Tokyo is in the middle of a 'tapioca boom,' and there are plenty of bubble tea options across the capital. Here's where to go for the best bubble tea concoctions — just in time for summer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 11, 2019
FamilyMart is making bubble tea more summer-worthy ... by freezing it
FamilyMart recently unveiled a tapioca tea latte kakigu014dri (shaved ice), transforming trendy bubble tea into a fully fledged dessert.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 11, 2019
Attempting to switch off from social media during Golden Week
As the relaxed vibe of the recent 10-day Golden Week holiday slowly fades, many commuters in Tokyo appeared to struggle last week to return to the rat race.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 11, 2019
'Trails': Blood spatters across an empty field of snow
After a decade of visits to annual deer culls in Hokkaido's Shiretoko National Park, photographer Takashi Homma has recently released a photo book, 'Trails,' about the project.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 9, 2019
Scavenging for samples from the '70s and '80s with Night Tempo
Jung Kyung-ho came to an artistic crossroads last year. The South Korean producer creating music under the name Night Tempo was trying to figure out where to take the project, recording new songs while experimenting with a live band for his shows — a drastic departure from previous gigs that found...
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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