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July 15, 2025
 

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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 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 / 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.
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 / 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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 19, 2021
Spotify gets visual in a new TV Tokyo show about podcasting
Spotify dips its toe into broadcast television with a new show that will either be a boon for podcasts or chain restaurants.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 12, 2021
Tapping into the travel dreams of overseas visitors to Japan
Traveling to Japan is unlikely to resemble trips prior to the emergence of COVID-19.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 27, 2021
Ado's defiant hit is a coming-of-age moment for Japan's Vocaloid culture
Ado caused a moral panic in Japan with her catchy and rebellious track 'Usseewa,' a track influenced by the cultural conventions of Vocaloid that are taking Japanese music by storm.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 21, 2021
Rapper Daichi Yamamoto gets personal about breakups, his biracial background and a love of jazzy beats
Japanese rappers are beginning to share more about their own experiences in their tracks, an approach Daichi Yamamoto says is upping the standards for domestic hip-hop.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 13, 2021
What will music festivals look like in the wake of the pandemic? We'll start to find out this summer.
Naoki Shimizu, the man behind Japan's massive Summer Sonic festival, talks about COVID-19 precautions and new ideas for moving forward.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 9, 2021
Conbini Boys: ‘The konbini plays such an important role in society’
Are nationalized convenience stores in Japan's future? Maybe! You'll have to ask the fried chicken-loving duo behind the “Conbini Boys” podcast.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 8, 2021
The Japanese art of racking up clicks online
Stories focusing on the ways that Japan can fix your life are proliferating online, but they may say more about our need for change than Japan itself.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 7, 2021
Can Fuji Rock's all-Japan lineup give J-pop a post-pandemic push?
Fuji Rock has announced an all-local lineup. If done well, it could introduce a wide audience to up-and-coming Japanese talent.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse,Japan Pulse
Apr 30, 2021
Tokyo-born artist and activist Drue Kataoka becomes the new face of Clubhouse
Asian American artist Drue Kataoka uses the Clubhouse platform to discuss art and politics, and has raised more than $88,000 for the Asian American Foundation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 22, 2021
NiziU: Made in South Korea, totally Japanese
The nine-member pop act NiziU moved from a reality TV show competition to the top of the Japanese music charts with ease — and that was the strategy all along.
U.S. urges clarity on Japan’s role in potential war over Taiwan, report says
A Ground Self-Defense Force member conducts a military drill with an anti-ship missiles unit, at the GSDF's base on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
Tourists in Japan have telemedicine options before calling 119
Foreign tourists at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo. More than 1 million international visitors have a medical issue in Japan every year.
Tropical Storm Nari moves northward, with possible landfall Tuesday
Tropical Storm Nari's forecast path as of Monday morning
Nissan clinches $4.5 billion bond deal after orders soar
Nissan Motor has raised $4.5 billion through a junk bond sale in U.S. dollars and euros, part of which carries a record-high coupon rate.
Students in Japan struggle with Japanese language and math sections on national exam
The correct answer rate for the Japanese language section on a national test dropped to 67.0% from 67.8% the previous year among elementary school sixth-graders.
U.S. urges clarity on Japan’s role in potential war over Taiwan, report says
A Ground Self-Defense Force member conducts a military drill with an anti-ship missiles unit, at the GSDF's base on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
Tourists in Japan have telemedicine options before calling 119
Foreign tourists at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo. More than 1 million international visitors have a medical issue in Japan every year.
Is Japanese skin really ‘too smooth’ for Hideo Kojima’s games?
Hideo Kojima, the leading auteur in Japanese video games, has skirted controversy in the wake of the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
An emoji used to say it all. Now it might say too much.
Apple’s Craig Federighi shows off a set of emoji at a conference on June 13, 2016. While the small pictures have proved helpful in conveying nuance in our texts, younger people are using them less often.
‘Our ultimate goal is to save every single Japanese video game’
After nearly shuttering earlier this year, the Tokyo-based Game Preservation Society continues its work to save the early history of Japanese gaming.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa

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