author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 16, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Twitter

@mbmelodies

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
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...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 4, 2019
Social media fails to follow traditional news outlets' stricter approach to portrait rights in Japan
A man in Chiba Prefecture became irritated last month at how long it was taking for a barrier at a rail crossing to open. Losing patience, he fetched a hand saw from his van and removed the barrier arm so that he could drive through.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
May 4, 2019
The new McDonald's McFlurry tastes like caramel, caramel and, well, caramel
The recently released McDonald's McFlurry Nama Caramel delivers on its promise of caramel flavor and sweetness, but not much else.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
May 2, 2019
TikTok sets its sights on the music industry
Short-form video app TikTok isn't content being the center of online youth culture in Japan. Now, it's eyeing the music industry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 2, 2019
Heisei offered a number of lessons J-pop artists should learn from going into the Reiwa Era
The past year in Japanese pop has felt like one big musical revue devoted to the Heisei Era (1989-2019), with TV shows reflecting on the biggest hits of that period. Now that Reiwa has finally started, the cultural discourse can turn to figuring out how this new period's sound will come together.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Apr 27, 2019
With convenience store onigiri, the devil's in the seasoning
FamilyMart and Lawson are dressing up the humble onigiri (rice ball) with new add-ons and seasonings, upping the ante on the snack's standard flavors.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Apr 27, 2019
Japan's internet took on a life of its own during the Heisei Era
The story of a recent online phenomenon offers a great snapshot of internet culture in Japan during the Heisei Era (1989-2019). Twitter user @Ninjamaaaaaan posted a blurry photo of a pooch in motion, with its tail swooping in front of its face. It looked vaguely like the canine in the image was throwing...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Apr 20, 2019
Gomaya Kuki takes the simple flavor of sesame to new heights
Tucked away in the Harajuku back streets, Gomaya Kuki offers ice cream and other unique desserts packed with a sesame-flavored punch.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Apr 18, 2019
Japan to be given a lesson in idol pop with 'Produce 101 Japan'
Last week, Japanese talent agency Yoshimoto Kogyo and South Korea's CJ E&M announced a new talent competition TV show for Japan, set to debut later this year. And it's not just another program to fill up the back end of 2019, but will be a test case to see if the traditional power structures of male...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 15, 2019
Bear essentials: A forthcoming animated series celebrates Rilakkuma's lackadaisical ethos in all its glory
Few fictional characters in Japan are as laid-back in their overall approach to life as Rilakkuma, which has attracted a loyal following over the years, rising through the ranks to sit alongside such established characters as Hello Kitty and Doraemon.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Apr 13, 2019
Lawson's corn pottage Kara-age Kun chicken is a cup of deep-fried nostalgia
To herald the end of the Heisei Era (1989-2019), Lawson is bringing back some retro flavors of its signature Kara-age Kun fried chicken, like corn pottage, and seaweed and salt.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Apr 13, 2019
Social media weighs in on design and purpose of Japan's new bank notes
Social media has been awash with posts following the public unveiling of Japan’s new era name, Reiwa, at the beginning of April. The announcement was almost the complete opposite of an April Fools’ Day joke and yet every detail has been picked apart online, from the way the name was officially unveiled...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Heisei Icons,Heisei Icons
Apr 11, 2019
Tetsuya Komuro: J-pop inventor's synth-powered dance tunes set the tone for post-bubble Japan
The term J-pop, a Heisei invention, needed a defining characteristic to make it stand out from the Showa Era's soundtrack, and Komuro provided a synthesizer-powered foundation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Apr 11, 2019
Kizuna Ai, Kaguya Luna and YouTube sensations: virtual stars, but the same old shtick
Virtual YouTubers ended up being one of 2018's biggest cultural surprises.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news / Heisei Icons,Heisei Icons
Apr 7, 2019
SMAP: The pop idol media monopoly that dominated the Heisei Era
Many can't let go of the most successful male idol group the Heisei Era and continue to share favorite songs and clips of the outfit on sites such as Twitter.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Apr 6, 2019
Snowy Village's Choco Churros are an overly sweet disappointment
The latest sweet sweeping across teenage enclaves of Tokyo social media is Korean dessert cafe Snowy Village's new Choco Churros. But don't let appearances fool you: Give this uninspiring, blandly sugary trend a miss.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER