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August 18, 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
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Aug 21, 2021
Could a Japanese influencer's comments about the homeless lead to hate crimes?
Whether it was an attempt to be funny, edgy or 'keep it real,' a YouTuber's remarks that insinuated the lives of homeless people are worthless did not go over well with his audience.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 19, 2021
Fuji Rock attempts an all-Japan experiment
Constrained by COVID-19, the music festival reimagines itself and leans into highlighting emerging artists.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 13, 2021
Theremins and gold medal wins: Farewell to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
We take a look back at the closing moments of the 2020 Olympic Games.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 6, 2021
Fuji Rock organizers remove Keigo Oyamada from festival lineup
Keigo Oyamada, also known as Cornelius, will not perform at the annual musical event due to the musician's past abuse of classmates with disabilities.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 6, 2021
Week 2 at the Tokyo Olympics: A marathon in the heat
We take a look back at the second week of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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.
Winning warship bid gives Japan confidence boost as Tokyo eyes more exports
Australia’s decision to select Japan's upgraded Mogami-class warship, seen in this computer-generated image, has been “well received across Japanese industry," a Defense Ministry official said.
European leaders to join Zelenskyy for key meeting with Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the tarmac after they arrived for a meeting on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
Hiker missing in Hokkaido after bear attack found dead
The Rausu mountain range at Hokkaido's Shiretoko National Park. A man in his 20s who went missing after being attacked by a bear while hiking on Mount Rausu has been found dead.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
Trump shifts stance on road to Ukraine peace after meeting Putin in Alaska
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on next to Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a news conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
Winning warship bid gives Japan confidence boost as Tokyo eyes more exports
Australia’s decision to select Japan's upgraded Mogami-class warship, seen in this computer-generated image, has been “well received across Japanese industry," a Defense Ministry official said.
Top MLB prospect Rintaro Sasaki is committed to doing it 'the hard way'
Rintaro Sasaki hits a home run during a game against Duke at Stanford's Sunken Diamond on March 16.
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything’
Beniya Mukayu, a traditional "ryokan" inn located in Ishikawa Prefecture, considers itself at "the heart of onsen towns, local residents, farmers, fishermen, sake brewers and artisans" — all of which need new, sustainable methods of serving visitors to survive into the future.
A seaside hotel built on competitive Japanese cycling
In a region more associated with art, Keirin Hotel 10 takes a decidedly more athletic approach to attracting tourists.
Reading the Japanese clock: Are times a-changin'?
People walk past a time board at Hakata Station in Fukuoka. Luckily for those trying to catch a train, reading a clock is universal.

Podcast

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

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
By Tomoko Otake

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