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May 21, 2024
 

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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.
For Patrick St. Michel's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Aug 15, 2020
Stay peachy keen and cool with Starbucks’ Juicy Peach Frappuccino
Trying to enjoy an icy treat before it melts during summer can be tricky. But sometimes a little melting is actually a good thing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 13, 2020
Local Visions web label creates a digital oasis for pop
Masayuki Funo, founder of the music label Local Visions, gives burgeoning artists the freedom to explore their own sound.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 11, 2020
Supersonic 2020 postponed due to COVID-19 concerns
Event company Creativeman announced that this year's replacement for Summer Sonic will be postponed until 2021.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Aug 8, 2020
Add some sparkle to your summer with Sake Tonic
The best new sake arrival of the season is FamilyMart's limited-edition Sake Tonic — smooth, citrusy and alarmingly easy to drink.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 6, 2020
City Pop on Vinyl brings back the glitzed-out sounds of Japan's bubble
Soak up the sounds of city pop with five albums that highlight old-school heavyweights or showcase newer artists' takes on the bubble era genre.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Aug 1, 2020
Sweet dessert discoveries in Koenji
Kichiraku specializes in amazake (sweet, low-alcohol sake) yogurt and smoothies, which you can customize with plenty of toppings.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jul 31, 2020
YouTube traveler John Daub faces a new online landscape
John Daub's travel-centric Only In Japan channel is finding a new path amid difficulties stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 25, 2020
Reading time isn’t quiet time with ‘My Moon, Your Moon’
Aishah Levine and Nick Ashley's bilingual book encourages parents to strike up conversations with kids while reading to build self-confidence.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jul 25, 2020
Frozen melon desserts: The best way to survive the summer?
It's peak melon season in Japan, and thanks to convenience store desserts featuring the fruit, you don't have to shell out a lot of money to enjoy it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 18, 2020
Japan's Go To Travel campaign could have been better re-imagined on social media
Criticism is mounting about the rationale behind launching a domestic tourism drive amid a pandemic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 18, 2020
It’s a clash of creamy and crunchy at Beard Papa’s
With two new takes on its signature sweet, cream puff specialist Beard Papa's isn't holding back for summer 2020.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 16, 2020
Celer’s musical diary offers an escape into his personal experiences
To satisfy his fans' hunger for hard-to-find releases, ambient musician Will Long, aka Celer, has remastered and re-released his two earliest works.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 11, 2020
Social media finds itself in a new role as businesses reopen
Many residents of Japan are still a long way from feeling remotely like they did before the COVID-19 pandemic began, but that hasn’t stopped a number of nonessential businesses from starting up again after months of being closed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jul 11, 2020
Losing its cool? Korean-style cheese dogs hit Lawson shelves
Lawson has been selling its own take on the popular Korean street food as part of the 'Nice Cheese Grand Prix' campaign.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 9, 2020
Downer pop and TikTok-ready bangers: the year in Japanese music so far
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of modern life — including music. Here are five Japanese songs that reflect the major trends of 2020.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 5, 2020
Japan’s netizens make up for traditional media outlets' shortcomings in addressing Black Lives Matter
Social media users have offered a broader perspective of commentary on protests against systemic racism happening abroad.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 4, 2020
Strawberry Milk Ice Candy: A cool treat for a hot season
Strawberry sweets specialist Ichibiko has just released three refreshing strawberry-milk ice bars.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 27, 2020
The hits and misses of 2020’s summer sodas
Every summer, drink companies release unique, limited-edition beverages. The 2020 editions have just arrived, and initial reviews are mixed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 20, 2020
Lawson finds itself lampooned for rebranding design effort
Most complaints have centered around the minimal information that is included on the packaging.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 20, 2020
Boozy classics and cute cakes to gift the dads in your life
Anyone still searching for a Father's Day gift is cutting it close. Here's two sweet options for the perfect last-minute gift.
Rare sequel to 'My Neighbor Totoro' to play at Cannes
A screening of "Mei and the Baby Cat Bus," which is being billed as a "mini-sequel" to the Studio Ghibli classic "My Neighbor Totoro," is set to take place at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday.
America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them
A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners
From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
Why half of Japan's cities are at risk of disappearing in 100 years
A couple looks out onto the Fukuoka nightscape. Due to its distance from Tokyo and its close proximity to South Korea and China, professor Tomoya Mori believes that Fukuoka is one of the few metropolitan regions of Japan that will see some form of growth in the decades to come.
Japan concerned over U.S. officials' remarks on atomic bombings
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks to reporters during a news conference in Washington on Thursday.
Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners
From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
The politicians moving Japan forward on climate
While not the most outspoken politician on the issue, digital minister Taro Kono has a track record of being serious in his commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
Seoul's eclectic Art OnO shines light on Japan's artists and galleries
Art OnO, which took place from April 19 to 21 in Seoul, featured a modest number of 36 participating galleries from 15 countries.
Want to be a voice actor? Stay 'true to the character'
SungWon Cho is a veteran with more than 10 years of experience portraying characters in anime, cartoons and video games.
Local theater in Japan is more than a hobby — it’s a community
Japan Times contributor Laura Pollacco (front right) was offered the role of one of her all-time favorite heroines, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet, in the Tokyo International Players’ production of “Pride and Prejudice.”

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there
Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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