Patrick St. Michel - The Japan Times

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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

JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse

Mar 14, 2020

Social media helps Japan's embattled parents connect over schools' closure

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recommendation that all elementary, junior high and high schools in Japan close through the end of their April spring break in order to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus caught nearly everyone in the country off guard when the news broke in late February.

CULTURE / Music

Mar 11, 2020

Intersection: Bridging the Pacific through the medium of J-pop

Intersection's four dual-heritage members say they want Japanese music listeners to be more open to international culture and people with more diverse backgrounds.

COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE

Mar 9, 2020

Stockpiling food and keeping up appearances in Hokkaido's schools

English teachers in Hokkaido, which apart from the Diamond Princess cruise ship has been hit hardest with coronavirus cases in Japan, struggle to make sense of measures taken at their schools.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Mar 7, 2020

Perennially popular Pipeline Punch particularly punchy

Monster Energy is bringing its Pipeline Punch back to convenience store shelves. How long will it stay in stock this time?

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse

Mar 7, 2020

YouTube content that attempts to find real Japanese opinions

A lot has changed over the past decade insofar as Japanese content on YouTube is concerned, with creators moving away from uploads that simply record personal experiences to posts that give viewers real insight into the lives and opinions of Japanese people.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / Sound Off

Mar 6, 2020

ASMR in Japan is burning brightly

Nippon Cultural Broadcasting jumps on the ASMR bandwagon with a weeklong special dedicated to the soothing sounds of bonfires.

COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE

Mar 3, 2020

With the coronavirus canceling classes, what are English teachers to do?

ALTs and English-language school employees are reporting confusion over what role their employers should play in a possible pandemic.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Feb 29, 2020

At Ochaba, food fads collide to create the ultimate trendy snack

Get your matcha, crepe or bubble tea fix simultaneously with Ochaba's green tea tapioca drinks or lineup of matcha-centric crepes.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / Sound Off

Feb 26, 2020

COVID-19 fears hit live music in Japan

With fears over the COVID-19 outbreak increasing, a slew of overseas artists have cancelled live shows in Japan, while others are determined that the show must go on.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Feb 26, 2020

Departing from tradition with Hiromitsu Agatsuma and Akiko Yano

Shamisen player Hiromitsu Agatsuma teams up with singer and musician Akiko Yano for a new album which sees both depart from their previous styles and genres.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Feb 22, 2020

No need to 'disrupt' the potato chip, there's no improving this classic snack

Japanese snack makers are constantly looking to improve the classic potato chip. But do they succeed?

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Feb 20, 2020

Taigen Kawabe's Ill Japonia: Allowing yourself to learn from the new wave

Bo Ningen's Taigen Kawabe drops the guitars and starts rapping on his first release as III Japonia.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse

Feb 15, 2020

COVID-19 reveals fractured moral impulse of social media

The outbreak of a new coronavirus in China, now officially named COVID-19, has sparked plenty of concern online — some valid, others more hyperbolic in nature. Like many global events in the social media age, the outbreak has also resulted in no shortage of fake news and racism. Both elements have...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Feb 15, 2020

With the Kit Kat McFlurry, McDonald's continues its winning streak

Dessert Watch doesn't play favorites, but recently McDonald's Japan has been on a roll that's hard to ignore. The once besieged fast food chain has been scoring sweet hits (and online buzz) in the past few months, and its latest continues the streak.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Feb 8, 2020

Gird your arteries: Jumbo fried foods have taken over convenience stores

Convenience stores have started going bigger with their fried food options in 2020. Whether they are better is debatable.

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle

Feb 7, 2020

Arashi lets fans in on a little tedium with new streaming Netflix documentary

After 20 years of entertainment the masses, J-pop group Arashi is embarking on its final tour ahead of a hiatus. A new Netflix documentary goes behind the scenes of the preparations.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Feb 1, 2020

KitKat kicks it up a notch with its Valentine's-limited Cacao Fruit Dessert

Have you ever wanted to know how cacao fruit tasted? Now you can, with Nestle Japan's new cacao fruit-flavored KitKat. (Spoiler: It's zesty!)

Japan Times

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle

Jan 31, 2020

Netflix and Hulu unleash Japanese travel shows with improved mileage

Streaming services in Japan offer two very different approaches to travel shows, with 'Ainori Love Wagon: African Journey' and 'Kiko's Infinite Journey'

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT

Jan 30, 2020

Parents in Japan use YouTube to teach bilingual baby talk that's good for any age

Mothers raising their kids in Japan head to YouTube to create a community that goes beyond basic parenting tips.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Jan 25, 2020

Coca-Cola Strawberry versus Asahi's Lemola: Which does fruit better?

Two prominent Japanese beverage companies are offering consumers a choice: something entirely new, or a revived Showa Era flavor.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.

What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji

By Alex K.T. Martin

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