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.

CULTURE / Music

Oct 2, 2015

Moscow Club brings back some indie greats on 'Outfit of the Day'

A ride on the subway drastically changed Tokyo band Moscow Club's fate. After the quartet used crowdfunding site Indiegogo to finance its first full-length album, the members felt it was a good point to end a project that had transformed from a hobby into something taxing.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Oct 2, 2015

Take a bite out of Miffy on her 60th birthday at this Harajuku cafe

Miffy, the rabbit character from a famous children's book, celebrates her 60th birthday this year. To mark this special occasion, Harajuku's Nicholas House cafe has produced a series of celebratory treats.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Sep 25, 2015

Fall for seasonal pumpkin, sweet potato chips at convenience stores this autumn

The weather has started getting chilly and, accordingly, konbini (convenience stores) have started packing their shelves with special seasonal items.

CULTURE / Music

Sep 20, 2015

We need to talk about the 'Rhinoceros' in the room

Porno Graffitti "Rhinoceros" (SME)

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Sep 18, 2015

Starbucks Japan melted autumn and mixed it with coffee

"Fall melted in a cup" isn't the most attractive of tag lines, but that's what Starbucks Japan is using to promote its seasonally limited Roasted Nutty Chestnut line of drinks.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Sep 11, 2015

Grand Kirin's new IPA is a reminder to put quality before convenience

It was fascinating to watch Japan's major breweries stumble over themselves as they tried to replicate craft beer — but the amusement is starting to wear off. Now, consumers are left with a lot of big-company brews on convenience-store shelves that are mediocre at best. Kirin has been particularly...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Sep 4, 2015

Lotte's koala cookies come in a new limited-edition flavor

Lotte's "Koara no Machi" ("Koala's March") brand of cookies has added a not-so-radical new flavor to its roster: cocoa and milk.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Aug 28, 2015

Coco's American Hot Apple Pie

Bring a friend next time you visit Coco's, because the family restaurant's new American Hot Apple Pie might prove overwhelming for one person alone.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 21, 2015

Zedd pleases, D'Angelo scores at this year's Summer Sonic

An important moment in the life of any music fan comes when they go to a festival they've been attending for several years and think — "Man, am I old?"

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 21, 2015

Various artists "Fogpak #13"

Since 2012, the "Fogpak" compilation series has promoted independent electronic acts from Japan (and, lately, abroad). In recent months, Fogpak's support of fledgling producers has become crucial — the Internet used to be a real alternative to the musical mainstream, but major labels have gotten keen...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Aug 21, 2015

Chip burgers and burger chips hit convenience stores

Fast-food chain Lotteria is currently selling a limited-edition burger containing a handful of Calbee potato chips placed on top of the meat patty. For those not ready to sink their teeth into that crunchy creation, Lotteria and Calbee have also teamed up on a special chip that tastes like Lotteria's...

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Aug 14, 2015

Ice Monster pops its head into Roppongi's Mercedes-Benz dealership

Ice Monster, a Taiwanese shaved-ice store with a branch in Tokyo's Harajuku neighborhood, has opened a new pop-up restaurant in the Mercedes-Benz Connection store in Roppongi.

CULTURE / Music

Aug 9, 2015

Even if you don't see Yasutaka Nakata at Summer Sonic, you'll probably hear him

Punters heading off to Makuhari Messe this weekend for SonicMania — the all-night event preceding the annual Summer Sonic music festival — should try to arrive at the venue early to secure a prime spot for the evening's first act: pop trio Perfume.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Aug 7, 2015

Tokyo's gourmet popcorn trend gets convenient

Has Tokyo's infatuation with gourmet popcorn ended? The line outside the Garrett popcorn branch in Harajuku still snakes around the corner, but other hyped popcorn outposts in the city are often empty out front.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Jul 31, 2015

Ben & Jerry's may have cooked up their best ice cream pun yet

Ben & Jerry's ice cream-flavor puns have always been top-notch ("Cherry Garcia" is a prime example), but its latest Japan-only flavor takes things to a new level.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Jul 24, 2015

Fruit candy that tastes like salmon

Here's an appealing idea: candy containing small amounts of fish. That's exactly the draw of the limited-edition "salted salmon flavor" variety of Puccho, a popular soft candy usually available in fruit flavors.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 17, 2015

Ten years on, Maltine sticks to its guns on free music

Tomohiro Konuta sometimes imagines an alternate world where he's not running a music label.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Jul 17, 2015

Mister Donut is building a pastry bridge to Brooklyn

Mister Donut recently unveiled their summer doughnut roster and it's themed on Brooklyn, New York. Well, it's "Brooklyn themed" in the sense it combines several foodstuffs together into one, in the style of New York-born fusion treats such as the Cronut.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH

Jul 10, 2015

'Super sour lemon' potato chips are not an entirely terrible idea

In the crowded and frequently disappointing world of novelty potato chips, a "super sour lemon" flavor seems especially unneeded.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH

Jul 3, 2015

Stratified flavors in Seven-Eleven's new Japonais ice cream

For the last few years, Haagen-Dazs has been teaming up with Seven-Eleven Japan for a special series of ice creams called Japonais.

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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