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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
CULTURE / Music
Aug 19, 2014
Old and new mingle sweetly at Summer Sonic
After Queen finished "Another One Bites The Dust" — 10 minutes before 8 p.m. on the Sunday of this year's Summer Sonic in Chiba — hundreds of fans darted for the exits of QVC Marine Field Stadium. Security guards and staff with megaphones tried to direct them as some dashed to the left for Kraftwerk,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 14, 2014
Seiho to take Summer Sonic into the night
Three years ago, Seiho Hayakawa could often be found playing shows at basement venues around Osaka. Today, he's all over the map.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 12, 2014
Crzkny unites artists against nuclear power
Electronic-music producer Kenji Takikawa's work took a major detour following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 15, 2014
Kis-My-Journey takes us down a familiar path
It's not the highest of honors, but I'd like to award awkwardly named boy band Kis-My-Ft2 as the best pop act under the Johnny & Associates umbrella.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 15, 2014
Emerald Four slows its sound down
The music created by Emerald Four practically oozes from the speakers. The Kyoto-based duo crafts narcotized songs built around unfolding electronics and slow, dreamy vocals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 1, 2014
Leftfield J-pop, '70s influenced rock and shadowy R&B: Our favorite albums of 2014 (so far)
In his Strange Boutique column last week, Ian Martin wrote about the need for a canon in Japanese music in order for newcomers to the scene — especially those writing about it — to gain some context into what is being released.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 17, 2014
Japan won't let 'Frozen' go
At first blush, the Japanese success of the animated film "Frozen" seems easy to explain. In a country where people pack Tokyo Disneyland on weekdays, of course a new princess-centric cartoon from Disney would succeed, but "Frozen" has been a phenomenon all its own. It's on pace to be the second-highest-grossing...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 17, 2014
Left Right Arms makes a bedroom escape
Sleepy solitude is a frequent theme in the dream-pop songs made by Tokyo-based artist Left Right Arms. The solo artist's first EP, self-released last year, was titled "A Sleep," while his second EP out a few months later included delicate songs such as "Out Of Bed" and "Cocoon," the latter of which is...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Jun 12, 2014
We are the World Cup: anthems from pitches past
Japan plays its first match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, against Côte d’Ivoire this weekend. Although the tournament kicks off two days earlier in São Paulo, for many the Samurai Blue’s opening game ushers in the event, along with the activities that would normally raise eyebrows but get a pass...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 3, 2014
Especia takes a road less traveled by idol acts
The eldest member of six-member idol unit Especia was born in 1989, so when I ask them about life during Japan's early '90s bubble era they can only imagine what it was like.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 20, 2014
Qrion reaches for softer EDM
Qrion "Sink" (SenSe)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 20, 2014
Not Yet aren't ready to take the AKB48 crown
Not Yet "Already" (Nippon Columbia)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 13, 2014
Country boy Jonny Fritz set for a wander in the big city
Jonny Fritz is used to being out of his element. The Montana-born country music performer has spent a good chunk of the past decade touring, but his stops aren't the usual destinations for someone calling Nashville home. He has played every state in America, as well as shows across Europe, Argentina...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 29, 2014
Meishi Smile brings anime-influenced sounds to Japan
Over the past two decades, Japanese pop culture has made major inroads abroad, thanks mainly to interest in video games and anime.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 15, 2014
E-Girls "Colorful Pop"
E-Girls are a 28-member-strong idol pop collective constructed by Avex. The "E" stands for "Exile," as in this is the female version of greased-up R&B doofs Exile.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 15, 2014
Yoshino Yoshikawa "Yumetatsu Glider"
Tokyo producer Yoshino Yoshikawa has often described his work as "ultrapop," and for a while that term made perfect sense. Yoshikawa created busy, buzzing songs in the mold of Yasutaka Nakata. With names such as "Kawaii Candy," they were a colorful rush of synthesizers and digitally manipulated vocals....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 15, 2014
Record Store Day finds its groove in Japan
It won't be business as usual at Big Love Records this Saturday, April 19. The store, one of the best places to shop for records in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku neighborhood, will be selling limited-edition music from various artists, including film director David Lynch. Meanwhile, shadowy beatmaker Sapphire...
CULTURE / Music
Apr 8, 2014
Datafruits brings netlabel talent to a wider audience
It was a bit of good timing for Tony Miller when two underground music scenes he liked intersected in 2011.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Apr 6, 2014
Teaching tricks of the trade for the new school year
Spring means the new school year has arrived in Japan, and for Assistant Language Teachers and non-Japanese English instructors it also signals a lot of changes. Some will find themselves in entirely new school assignments, while those staying put will welcome new classes of students.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 18, 2014
Japan acts rock on at this year's SXSW
After somersaulting through a shallow puddle, the lead singer of Osaka's Vampillia stared intently at a nearby taco truck. As his band plowed through a noisy, violin-assisted song on the third afternoon of the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference And Festival, he scaled the vehicle and screamed...
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.
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.
Amid same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'
A lesbian couple, consisting of a 35-year-old woman (left) and 40-year-old woman, cover their faces with bouquets as they pose for wedding photos in Yokohama on Nov. 1.
China and Russia conduct joint Pacific military patrol
The Russian corvette Gromkiy enters the Chinese port of Zhanjiang as part of a joint China-Russia naval exercise on Saturday.
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

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