author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 13, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Twitter

@mbmelodies

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.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Oct 7, 2015
Red flags and exit strategies: advice for English teachers in Japan
It's important for new instructors in Japan to know when they are being exploited, and, if so, how to improve their lot or extricate themselves from the situation as painlessly as possible.
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.
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
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.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
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.
Rare vintage shots and first-time shows at TOP’s 30th anniversary
The museum's curators selected a wide array of works from the archives for the milestone exhibitions. Among other photos, Nobuyoshi Araki's work from the series "Winter Journey" (1990) was included in the "Continuity and Change" exhibition that concluded in June.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.

Podcast

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

Longform

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

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER