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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
Nov 13, 2015
Coconut Popcorn is deliciously bad for you
If you buy a bag of Coconut Popcorn, don't look at the calorie count on the back before eating. Snacks from the convenience store are rarely healthy choices, but even by those low standards this snack (¥298) will make your eyes pop out a little.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Nov 6, 2015
"Star Wars" droid cakes are invading Ginza Cozy Corner
The new "Star Wars" film is being advertised with full force, and Japanese confectionery store Ginza Cozy Corner has joined in with a new series of sweets themed on the classic trilogy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 31, 2015
Turntable Films compile folksy pop vignettes for sophomore album 'Small Town Talk'
Today's music industry demands a constant churn of new content from artists, whether that be songs or videos or something else that can connect with fans immediately. Yosuke Inoue is understandably taken aback when asked what he and his band, Turntable Films, got up to in the three years since they released...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 30, 2015
Spooky snacks will soon be vanishing from Seven-Eleven
The chance to stockpile Halloween-themed snacks from your nearby convenience store will soon be over — really, you should run out now if you are serious about spooky snacks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 23, 2015
Pepsi Japan creates a new 'mystery flavor' cola for Halloween
To coincide with Halloween, Pepsi has rolled out the classic "mystery flavor" trick to promote its new limited-edition Pepsi Ghost cola (¥151).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 18, 2015
Kero Kero Bonito blend English and Japanese rap into bouncy pop tracks
Sarah Midori Perry remembers checking MixB, an online bulletin board for Japanese expats in London, almost every day ... and feeling underwhelmed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 18, 2015
'Jack' event declares: ‘Let there be J-pop!’
Over the past two years, Simon Whybray's monthly club night and online mix series “Jack” (stylized in all caps) has featured high-energy songs from around the globe, including a healthy dose of J-pop. It's surprising, then, when he reveals his gateway into Japanese music was a delicate piano number...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 18, 2015
Taquwami takes familar sounds into his own distinct territory
Taquwami
 "Moyas”
 (Self-released)
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Oct 16, 2015
Harajuku is devouring Lola's Cupcakes
London bakery Lola's Cupcakes emphasizes freshness, but the sweets on offer at its recently opened Tokyo store are disappearing almost as soon as they come out of the oven.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 9, 2015
An ice cream 'donut' with a hole lot of almond chocolate
Doughnuts might remain a strong seller at Japanese convenience stores, but the initial hoopla for them ended months ago. Which is why, at first, it seems that frozen-treats maker Akagi is late to the game with its new Crunch Donut. Thankfully, looks can be deceiving: This snack (¥140) is ultimately...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Oct 7, 2015
Red flags and exit strategies: advice for English teachers in Japan
It's important for new instructors in Japan to know when they are being exploited, and, if so, how to improve their lot or extricate themselves from the situation as painlessly as possible.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 2, 2015
Moscow Club brings back some indie greats on 'Outfit of the Day'
A ride on the subway drastically changed Tokyo band Moscow Club's fate. After the quartet used crowdfunding site Indiegogo to finance its first full-length album, the members felt it was a good point to end a project that had transformed from a hobby into something taxing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Oct 2, 2015
Take a bite out of Miffy on her 60th birthday at this Harajuku cafe
Miffy, the rabbit character from a famous children's book, celebrates her 60th birthday this year. To mark this special occasion, Harajuku's Nicholas House cafe has produced a series of celebratory treats.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Sep 25, 2015
Fall for seasonal pumpkin, sweet potato chips at convenience stores this autumn
The weather has started getting chilly and, accordingly, konbini (convenience stores) have started packing their shelves with special seasonal items.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 20, 2015
We need to talk about the 'Rhinoceros' in the room
Porno Graffitti "Rhinoceros" (SME)
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Sep 18, 2015
Starbucks Japan melted autumn and mixed it with coffee
"Fall melted in a cup" isn't the most attractive of tag lines, but that's what Starbucks Japan is using to promote its seasonally limited Roasted Nutty Chestnut line of drinks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Sep 11, 2015
Grand Kirin's new IPA is a reminder to put quality before convenience
It was fascinating to watch Japan's major breweries stumble over themselves as they tried to replicate craft beer — but the amusement is starting to wear off. Now, consumers are left with a lot of big-company brews on convenience-store shelves that are mediocre at best. Kirin has been particularly...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Sep 4, 2015
Lotte's koala cookies come in a new limited-edition flavor
Lotte's "Koara no Machi" ("Koala's March") brand of cookies has added a not-so-radical new flavor to its roster: cocoa and milk.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Aug 28, 2015
Coco's American Hot Apple Pie
Bring a friend next time you visit Coco's, because the family restaurant's new American Hot Apple Pie might prove overwhelming for one person alone.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 21, 2015
Zedd pleases, D'Angelo scores at this year's Summer Sonic
An important moment in the life of any music fan comes when they go to a festival they've been attending for several years and think — "Man, am I old?"
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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