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July 08, 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
CULTURE / Music
Apr 14, 2021
Indonesian singer Rainych Ran goes viral amid an online city pop renaissance
Rainych Ran's take in Japanese on American singer Doja Cat's chart-topping “Say So” became a hit partially because music from the 1980s is currently enjoying a YouTube-powered revival.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Mar 27, 2021
Ministop goes all-in on the fruit flavor with its Hokkaido Raiden Melon soft-serve
The chain has been offering melon-flavored desserts featuring fruits grown around the country all year, and it's finally reached Hokkaido.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Mar 14, 2021
Dessert gets an upgrade at two fast-food joints
Pie and ice cream makes for a classic combination, but a new pie at McDonald's and a new ice cream at Baskin-Robbins stand on their own.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 11, 2021
How TikTok resurrected a Japanese pop star's defining hit
Miki Matsubara's 1979 hit song 'Mayonaka no Door: Stay With Me' has been discovered by a new generation of digitally savvy teens. The Japanese music industry has taken notice.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Mar 10, 2021
From AC Japan ads to 'Your Name.': The impact of 3/11 on pop culture
The triple disaster of 2011 still looms large in the collective memory of those who were in Japan at the time. How society remembers it, though, has been influenced by films, music and art.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 6, 2021
Increasing angst on social media may point to a silver lining as Japan looks to leave 2020 behind
The outrage expressed on Twitter has been noticeably worse than normal over the first two months of the year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Feb 27, 2021
Family Mart serves up a game-changing dessert
Family Mart was never a go-to shop after dinner, but two new treats promise to change all that — as long as you eat all your vegetables.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 25, 2021
For Tracy Hyde balances idyllic nostalgia with political unease on ‘Ethernity’
Guitarist Azusa Suga based part of the sound for the Tokyo rock band's new album “Ethernity” on American suburbia and pop culture from the 1990s.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Feb 20, 2021
Garigari-kun, Japan’s best-selling popsicle, turns 40
The first of 2021's special Garigari-kun flavors is the crunchy, sweet-tart “Adult Garigari-kun Kiwi.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 19, 2021
Why is Japan so intrigued by the audio app Clubhouse?
Invitation-only app offers exclusivity while also making conversations available for a limited time.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Feb 13, 2021
Treat yourself to a culinary 1UP
Feast like Mario with themed sweet, savory and even spicy dishes from your local Seven-Eleven.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Feb 9, 2021
New trends in 'J-vlogging' allow for a more diverse range of views on Japan
YouTubers based in Japan are focusing less on the 'slice of life' videos that defined past content and are catering to smaller communities within the non-Japanese audience.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Feb 6, 2021
On the hunt for chocolate cake? Surprisingly, Sushiro has you covered.
With its new double-chocolate cake, the famous sushi chain is the Valentine's Day destination we didn't know we needed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jan 30, 2021
There’s a mini Mexican food moment happening in Japan’s convenience stores
Pro tip for any konbini giving tacos (or burritos) a try: Don't serve them cold.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jan 28, 2021
Geisha-turned-YouTuber Kimono Mom taps into the heart of parenting
The life of a geisha in Japan is often perceived as being shrouded in mystery, the exact opposite of what you'd imagine life is like for a YouTuber. It's a contradiction that “Kimono Mom” knows well.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jan 24, 2021
It’s a fried food showdown between FamilyMart and Lawson
It's the time of year where we all crave stick-to-your-ribs snacks, and “Konbini Watch” investigates the two chains' latest offerings.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 23, 2021
The social media creators in Japan to keep an eye on in 2021
With parts of the country entering a second state of emergency, here's four digital producers that could define the year u2026
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jan 17, 2021
Mister Donut’s Pierre Marcolini collaboration gets a jump on Valentine’s Day
The six limited-edition doughnuts pair classic flavors like chocolate, hazelnut and raspberry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 14, 2021
What does 2021 have in store for J-pop?
While K-pop and TikTok will sway trends in the music industry, rock looks set to be Japan's best chance at producing global hits.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jan 10, 2021
FamilyMart spices up the classic Famichiki
This mala-spiced snack is the perfect tongue-tingling pick-me-up.
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.

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