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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
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Dec 9, 2017
Mister Donut's Christmas Big Donut: A Christmas cake that won't break the bank
Mister Donut's clunkily titled Christmas Big Donut is available until Dec. 25.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Dec 2, 2017
Pepsi Christmas Cola: If you're going to leave a snack out for Santa, stick to milk and cookies
Happy holidays, here's a novelty soda to celebrate! Pepsi Japan trails only KitKat when it comes to out-there flavor ideas for its signature item, with the past few years featuring cucumber and baobab among others. Now comes a slightly sweeter special — Pepsi Christmas Cola, which aims to capture the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 30, 2017
Basking in afterglow of solid sophomore album, Suchmos reflects on a stellar year
Picking one highlight from 2017 proves a tough task for Suchmos vocalist Yosuke Kasai. The past 11 months have been good for him and his six-member band. They've gone from a Jamiroquai-inspired outfit playing late-night sets at small Shinjuku venues to a national phenomenon, their music moving tens of...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Nov 25, 2017
Allpress Espresso's Tokyo Roastery offers coffee with a Cream Kiss
Until New Year's Day, the store offers a special Christmas Blend flat white paired with chocolate from Summerbird Organic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Nov 23, 2017
B.J. Fox navigates life in Japan as a stay-at-home dad in the sitcom 'Home Sweet Tokyo'
...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Nov 18, 2017
Donald Trump's visit dominates Japan's conversation online — until he leaves
Japanese netizens spent the days following U.S. President Donald Trump's first visit to Japan trying to figure out who came out of the trip looking the best. A week later, a consensus was seemingly reached.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Nov 18, 2017
Baskin Robbins' Booya! Minion ice cream: a cute cacophony of banana, pineapple, soda and chocolate
Baskin Robbins is cashing in on the Minions' success with a series of items themed after the overall-sporting twerps.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Nov 11, 2017
Lawson's new Karaage-Kun: Miso tops onion in this battle for the buds
There is a lot going on here, and the mix of flavors results in some of them being lost in the shuffle.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Nov 9, 2017
Former SMAP stars find freedom online
When a wrecking ball fell on and destroyed a car, I was hooked on a 72-hour live stream starring three former members of pop group SMAP.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Nov 4, 2017
Cozy Corner's Rich Cheese Fondue isn't quite what you'd expect
A good way to keep warm during the winter is by enjoying a nice fondue. The combination of bubbly melted cheese and bread can raise the spirits — and warm the stomachs — of anyone in the depths of the coldest season.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 31, 2017
Kenshi Yonezu hopes for more fireworks on new album 'Bootleg'
For Hatsune Miku's 10th birthday, Kenshi Yonezu wrote the turquoise-haired anime darling an apocalyptic song. "Suna no Wakusei" (English title: "Dune") finds Yonezu, under the alias Hachi, programming the avatar for singing-synthesizer software Vocaloid to sing about a "desert planet" where life has...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 28, 2017
You look like you've seen a Ghost Pumpkin Cream Puff
It's the last weekend to indulge in Halloween-themed sweets from Japan's convenience stores. Fortunately, all of the nation's main konbini players have their limited edition desserts on shelves now. And, given the country's newfound love of Oct. 31, there are plenty of black and orange delights to choose...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 25, 2017
Are Crossfaith rock's last true believers?
Crossfaith is experiencing an existential rock 'n' roll crisis. It's not stopping them from partying like rock stars, though.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Oct 21, 2017
Ginza Matcha Cake: Tokyo Banana ventures outside its curved-fruit comfort zone
The folks behind Tokyo Banana have decided to freshen things up with the Ginza Matcha Cake.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 14, 2017
7-Eleven's Cookies and Cream Puff: A solid improvement to the sweet staple
7-Eleven Japan's cream puff is the ideal convenience store dessert. It's basic but satisfying, offering just the right amount of sweetness. Maybe most importantly, it's also affordable. Few treats balance simplicity and tastiness quite like it, and the konbini chain has wisely experimented with the filling...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Oct 14, 2017
Shared experiences in the capital fuel interest in @BeingTokyo account
In July 2016, I handled @BeingTokyo, an account on Twitter that allows residents of the capital a week to give followers a taste of what their life in the city is like. My seven days were a little different from the norm as I was part of a group of people posting from Fuji Rock Festival in Naeba, Niigata...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Oct 7, 2017
Caramel Chocolate Cookies: Worth the trip to Haneda Airport
The airport might not be the first place you think of when craving sweets. Yet all those souvenir stores dotting the concourse conceal some truly tasty treats. It might not be socially acceptable to tear in to a box of individually wrapped goods, but you can always save some for when you get to your...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Oct 5, 2017
AmPm's Spotify strategy bears fruit
Japan's biggest breakout musical act of 2017 wear polar bear masks. The duo AmPm debuted this past spring, cloaked in fuzzy headgear and withholding all biographical information. In just over six months, the pair have had their easy-breezy electronic music released via Dutch label Armada Music and performed...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Sep 30, 2017
Pepsi Halloween Cola: Pink drink may be too sweet for some
Halloween is now an established event here in Japan. While the revelry differs greatly compared to other places (it's less about collecting candy and more about clogging Shibuya crossing), the country has got the marketing part of it down pat. Companies now roll out special items featuring ghosts and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Sep 28, 2017
'Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light' shows how Japanese TV is moving from 'sadistic' to 'charming'
"Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light" follows a story familiar to anyone who knows Japanese TV dramas. A son and father grow distant, so the young man thinks up a convoluted plan to bond with pops. In this case, the plan involves him secretly playing online video game "Final Fantasy XIV" with his Dad, which...
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.
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.
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.

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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