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November 21, 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
Sep 24, 2021
Buffalo Daughter emerges from the pandemic with a new sense of current affairs
The rock trio takes a political turn on their latest album, 'We Are the Times.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Sep 22, 2021
How do you deflect a controversy? Keigo Oyamada blames the media.
Musician Keigo Oyamada cries foul over how he was portrayed in a pair of magazine articles that ended up causing him a job at the Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Sep 10, 2021
Hip-hop is getting a bad rap this summer
After footage of unmasked, crowded rap fans at a festival spread online, mainstream news outlets zeroed in on hip-hop itself.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 3, 2021
Unsettling, unrelenting and confident: Ms. Machine's debut is one of the year's best
Ms. Machine's debut features Nordic-inspired lyrics and a sludgy sound that recalls witch house, industrial and metal, making it one of the best Japanese albums released this year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Aug 28, 2021
Fuji Rock tests the waters in a ‘return to normal’
The drama surrounding this year's Olympics plays out on a smaller level at Fuji Rock 2021.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Aug 21, 2021
Could a Japanese influencer's comments about the homeless lead to hate crimes?
Whether it was an attempt to be funny, edgy or 'keep it real,' a YouTuber's remarks that insinuated the lives of homeless people are worthless did not go over well with his audience.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 19, 2021
Fuji Rock attempts an all-Japan experiment
Constrained by COVID-19, the music festival reimagines itself and leans into highlighting emerging artists.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 13, 2021
Theremins and gold medal wins: Farewell to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
We take a look back at the closing moments of the 2020 Olympic Games.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 6, 2021
Fuji Rock organizers remove Keigo Oyamada from festival lineup
Keigo Oyamada, also known as Cornelius, will not perform at the annual musical event due to the musician's past abuse of classmates with disabilities.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 6, 2021
Week 2 at the Tokyo Olympics: A marathon in the heat
We take a look back at the second week of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 5, 2021
Former AKB48 idol Miyu Takeuchi takes her musical career into her own hands
Singer Miyu Takeuchi got her start just shy of the spotlight in Japan's idol-pop group, but has taken her creative output into her own hands as a solo performer on YouTube.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 30, 2021
Week 1 at the Tokyo Olympics: Gold, Covid and Naomi Osaka
We take a look back at the first week of Olympic madness in Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jul 26, 2021
Biracial representation, game soundtracks and shiny pecs: bright moments at a somber Olympic opening
The program lacked the over-the-top glitz originally planned, but still served some memorable scenes, with pantomime performers and Naomi Osaka stealing the show.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 24, 2021
Get into the Olympic spirit by curating your social media feeds
Looking to get some Olympic spirit into your social media feed? Try following a few Japanese athletes to remind yourself what the Games are really about.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 23, 2021
Episode 92: The long road to the Tokyo Olympics — Part 2
In Part 2 of this two-part look at the long and tumultuous road to the Olympics, we discuss heat, corruption and the endless run of scandals.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jul 22, 2021
The Olympic opening ceremony that wasn’t
Mired in the COVID-19 pandemic and a slew of scandals, the opening ceremony on Friday will look nothing like the original plans for a spectacular celebration of Japan's pop culture.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 21, 2021
Episode 91: The long road to the Olympic Games — Part 1
In Part 1 of a two-part look at the long and tumultuous road to the Olympics, we look at Tokyo's initial bid for the Olympics in 2011, how the city won that bid in 2013, and the ups and downs that accompanied the story of the Games until the famous handover ceremony at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 3, 2021
Two years is nothing to a 3,500-year-old dragon child, but it was everything to the fans of Kiryu Coco
As Kiryu Coco graduates from Hololive, it allows us a chance to look at the growing influence of virtual YouTubers
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 26, 2021
Can a Japanese mom's YouTube post keep anti-vax conspiracies at bay?
Some of Japan's more vaccine-hesitant residents might find comfort in the experiences of parents and grandparents on social media getting the jab.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 24, 2021
Hikari makes soft-power moves with anime and Vocaloid covers
In 2021, the performer launched Singing Cosplayer Hikari, a multiplatform project anchored by her YouTube channel, to harness the booming popularity of anime and Japanese music.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
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.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
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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