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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 / DESSERT WATCH
Apr 15, 2016
You can now eat Miffy's sweet little face at a cafe in Tokyo
A new themed pop-up cafe seems to open every week in Tokyo. Miffy Cafe, on the seventh floor of Shibuya's Parco department store in Tokyo, runs until May 8 and is an especially cute option for those in search of a novelty dining experience centering around the famous Dutch bunny. Dessert-wise, the Miffy...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 13, 2016
Toyomu reimagines Kanye West's 'Life of Pablo' in a creatively fun way
Toyomu — "Imagining 'The Life Of Pablo'" (Self-released)
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Apr 8, 2016
Seven-Eleven's new green-tea doughnut starts sweet but ends bitter
The latest addition to Seven-Eleven's doughnut selection mixes a classic Japanese flavor with one of the convenience store's classic styles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2016
Twice carries K-pop's flag into its debut Japanese gig
The halcyon days of Hallyu (the Korean wave) in mainstream media are long over, but the impact South Korean pop culture has had on Japan is still evident. Just look at K-pop outfit Twice, which features three Japanese members and has experienced massive success after debuting late last year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2016
Ryoma Suzuki bet on a musically diverse line-up for Unborde — and it paid off
Media attention has become a mixed blessing for Ryoma Suzuki. Unborde, the label he founded in 2010, is currently celebrating five years in the game and will hold a special show at Makuhari Messe on April 10.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Apr 1, 2016
Mom's apple pie gets a new twist at Ringo
Ringo, which recently opened in Tokyo's Ikebukuro area, serves miniature apple pies. Each pie (¥399) is hot and features a glazed exterior that delivers a satisfying crunch.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Mar 25, 2016
Asahi's new sugar-reduced beer is nothing special
Cherry blossom season is upon us, meaning it's time to overindulge in some brews while sprawled out in a park. But who wants to deal with the health-related guilt that comes with Japan's silly season?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 20, 2016
Tominaga's suprise flourishes make repeat listens of 'Echoes of Megaliths' a must
Tominaga "Echoes of Megaliths" (Squiggle Dot)
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Mar 18, 2016
Joel Robuchon welcomes spring to Tokyo with strawberry brioches
It may not be Spring just yet, but French chef Joel Robuchon's Le Pain de Joel Robuchon in the basement of Shibuya's Hikarie shopping complex is celebrating all the same.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Mar 11, 2016
Pocky finds a romantic partner in 'teagurt'
The current cross-band promotion between Glico and Kirin puts the spotlight on romance. By placing a bottle of the latter's "teagurt" beverage next to a package of the former's new Lemon-flavored Pocky, you can make two illustrated figures smooch.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 6, 2016
Japanese bands plan overseas spring offensive
TV Asahi's weekly "Music Station" program has rarely served as a staging ground for exciting young domestic acts in recent years. It has been more of an opportunity to gawk at Johnny's boy bands and test how many members of AKB48 can fit on the interview bench.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Mar 4, 2016
Japan's bearded cream-puff papa tries to replicate the taste of an Oreo
Beard Papa's, a local chain serving cream puffs, always has a few special varieties of its treats available. But the current limited-run cookies-and-cream flavor (¥230) is worth going out of your way for if you've got a sweet tooth.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 28, 2016
City pop revival helps Suchmos at just the right time
Walk into a Tower Records store in Shibuya or Shinjuku and you'll eventually come across the apparel section. The current fashion aesthetic here leans retro: Hoodies and T-shirts come emblazoned with text highlighting throwback music signifiers, from equipment ("cassette tape," "analog") to genres ("surf...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Feb 26, 2016
Don Tacos' new quesadilla chips try to satisfy Mexican food cravings
Finding fantastic Mexican food in Tokyo isn't easy — the hunt to find authentic cuisine seems to consume many non-Japanese living here.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 19, 2016
Omake Club helps Zombie-Chang escape down her own artistic rabbit hole
Midway through our conversation at a dimly lit Shibuya cafe, Meirin Yung offers to break down any song on her recently released album under the name Zombie-Chang. I choose the slacker-inspired "Semete Kanashii Tokiniwa" (loosely translated as "At Least in Sad Times") that served as the advance preview...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 19, 2016
Crunch's 'Blue Blue Blue' embraces melancholy in true indie-pop style
Pairing skippy music with relatively sad-sack lyrics has always been one of indie-pop's favorite tricks, a clever way to ring out bad feelings in song without sounding like a total mope. Sometimes, however, just giving in and embracing your gloom can be OK. Nagoya trio Crunch has created plenty of up-tempo...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Feb 19, 2016
Give a welcome smooch to Tokyo's newest natural-chocolate shop
Danish brand Summerbird Organic, which recently opened a new store in Aoyama (5-5-20 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku), makes 100 percent natural chocolate that it claims is at the same level of culinary excellence as Champagne or oysters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Feb 12, 2016
Can instant vegan ramen satisfy like the meaty original?
Enjoying instant ramen might seem like a impossible situation for vegans living in Japan, considering nearly every option on convenience store shelves contains some sort of animal product.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 7, 2016
Megumi Wata goes dark in an effort to stand out from idols
Megumi Wata didn't want to be a typical idol. "I see it as twinkly and fuwa fuwa (soft), very pastel. My idol of idols is someone like Seiko Matsuda, who is so different than groups today," she says at a cafe in Ikebukuro, a neighborhood she prefers to the usual idol haunts of Harajuku and Akihabara....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Feb 5, 2016
McDonald's insanely crazy chocolate-covered fries aren't what they seem
Reactions to the release of McDonald's new "McFry Potato Chocolate Sauce" (¥330) in Japan played out predictably. Many were shocked that this supposedly unholy union could exist, but chocolate-covered potato chips are neither new in Japan nor in many other countries.
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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