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 / Media / Japan Pulse

Jan 12, 2019

Maezawa's offer of prize money for retweets sets Twitter abuzz

Yusaku Maezawa has accomplished an awful lot in his life. He has founded a number of successful companies, including online fashion retailer Zozotown. He’s worth billions of dollars. He’s secured a trip to space to address one of humanity’s biggest problems — a lack of art inspired by being...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Jan 12, 2019

Simplicity rules in Starbucks' seasonal sesame creations

Starbucks Japan's "Japan Wonder Project" offers a nice snapshot of the nation's soft-power campaigns in general. This campaign, which has been going on for over a year now, celebrates Japanese flavors. The range is mostly consumed, though, by Japanese people, already familiar with the local tastes. It's...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jan 10, 2019

Perfume goes back to dance basics ahead of Coachella debut

Perfume keeps finding new opportunities more than 15 years into its career. This spring, the electro-pop trio embarks on its latest international tour, with stops in Asia and North America, but the real development comes at the very end of that jaunt when the group plays the Coachella Valley Music and...

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse

Jan 5, 2019

Survey on commuting gripes in Japan spurs wider societal complaints

Nothing unites Tokyoites together quite like complaining about daily commuting by train. And it’s a worthy gripe — morning and evening rides practically dispose of the idea of personal space altogether. Being packed tightly with other people also exposes us to all sorts of oddball and annoying behavior,...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Jan 5, 2019

Now that's a spicy yakisoba: Nissin starts the new year with a new noodle dish

Yakisoba (fried noodles) stand as one of the final frontiers in innovation at the nation's convenience stores, and food company Nissin is helping lift the easy-to-make snack to new heights, highlighted this season by a spicy take on the salaryman staple.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Dec 29, 2018

Start your new year diets after these cupcakes are off the shelves

Let's put 2018 behind us and bring on 2019! It can't be worse, right? The best way to start the new year is by indulging in some special limited-edition sweets celebrating the forthcoming Year of the Boar. While it might not be the cutest animal in the world, it has inspired some creative desserts.

JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse

Dec 29, 2018

Social media and online outlets led charge for change in 2018

A reflection of how the internet functioned in Japan in 2018 can be seen in a recent incident at Shinjuku Station.

JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse

Dec 22, 2018

Celebrities use social media to counter criticism online in 2018

Celebrities are just like the rest of us: They eat, sleep and would probably be better off if they reduced the time they spend on their social media.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Dec 22, 2018

A convenience store Christmas: Individual treats for everyone on the nice list

Who says you have to share? This year Japan's major convenience stores are rolling out some tasty options for those looking to snack on their own.

Japan Times

LIFE / Travel / A Weekend In

Dec 21, 2018

A weekend in Seoul: Relaxing on the cheap

Everyone needs a break from the stress-percolator that is Tokyo. But heading off to a different sprawling metropolis for some peace of mind might not seem the most obvious play. Sometimes, though, heading to a new metropolis and surrounding yourself with new sights, smells and sounds can prove the refreshing...

Japan Times

CULTURE / TV & Streaming

Dec 19, 2018

TV in 2018: Progressive voices and the enduring charm of ‘Terrace House’

In the English-speaking world, Japanese TV in 2018 was celebrated for how boring it could get. But it was anything but domestically, where viewers questioned norms and helped nudge forward programs with progressive politics.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Dec 18, 2018

Music in 2018: Saying goodbye to Heisei with 'U.S.A.'

The final full year of the Heisei Era was one of the most discombobulating for Japanese music this decade. Nostalgia for the soon-to-end era clashed with efforts to figure out where J-pop goes moving forward. Tunes covered in cobwebs suddenly became the soundtrack for viral dances on trendy video apps....

Japan Times

CULTURE

Dec 18, 2018

YouTube in 2018: Controversy, contributors and (allegedly) child-friendly content

YouTube in Japan had an identity crisis in 2018. The video-sharing site only grew in importance this year, as the top creators associated with the platform achieved acceptance by the country's mainstream media gatekeepers while famous names migrated over.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Dec 15, 2018

Just like real yakisoba, this Cold Stone look-alike ice cream has a lot going for it

Inspired by the anime series 'Fate/Extra Last Encore,' Cold Stone Creamery Japan is offering an exclusive yakisoba look-alike ice cream at six store locations nationwide.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse

Dec 15, 2018

SoftBank finds a week is a long time in social media terms

It’s fair to say that commercial enterprises have sometimes struggled to co-exist with social media.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle

Dec 13, 2018

Mitsuki Kimura and her film award without the film

Year-end awards season is in full swing, which means a lot of looking back on the past 12 months. Part of the fun of best-of lists and 2018-in-a-minute thinkpieces is arguing about placement and positioning: Did X really deserve to get so much love? Was Y not actually bloated and overrated?

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Dec 8, 2018

Lawson's Godiva chocolates are classy, sweet and provide some winter warmth

Lawson's latest collaboration is with chocolate maker Godiva, and together they have launched a limited-edition set of chocolate sweets.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / Sound Off

Dec 6, 2018

Bridges built by the power of K-pop and J-pop

This year hasn't been a particularly warm one for the relationship between Japan and South Korea. Ongoing tension stemming from Japan's colonization of its neighbor up to the end of World War II — and efforts to complicate what happened during this period — have bubbled up once again, affecting everything...

CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN

Dec 1, 2018

Seiichi Yamamoto's 'Ginga': Musings from an underground music legend

Seiichi Yamamoto's 'Ginga,' originally released in Japanese in 2009 and translated into English by Kato David Hopkins this year, compiles highlights from Yamamoto's column for Guitar Magazine.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Dec 1, 2018

Gotta catch 'em all: Mister Donut's launches two Pokemon-themed donuts

Mister Donut is offering two special Pokemon-themed creations, a banana-chocolate-flavored Pikachu and a strawberry white chocolate one shaped like a red-and-white Pokeball.

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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