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October 22, 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
Jun 16, 2018
Online Japanese releases under fire after missing the mark
Even the most innocuous upload can carry political baggage online in 2018. It’s a truth Western users have become used to, where a pancake restaurant’s idiotic rebranding strategy can become a discussion about the appropriation of gang culture. Recent examples show that Japanese netizens are just...
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jun 14, 2018
Get ready for summer: Night pools, outdoor concerts and Pikachu armies
You know when you go on YouTube — or Spotify, or Netflix — and you’re faced with so many options for entertainment that you don’t know where to start? It can feel like that with Japanese summer festivals, too.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 9, 2018
Instagram rules and food trends flourish in Shin-Okubo, Tokyo's Koreatown
Move over, Harajuku. Although the Instagram-ready 'rainbow hot dog' might bring the crowd to Shin-Okubo, Korean food is well on its way to becoming a true culinary staple.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 9, 2018
Lemondo: Coca-Cola's first foray into the world of alcopops
Is it worth shipping Coca-Cola's new alcoholic drink 1,000 kilometers from Kyushu? Undoubtedly yes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 2, 2018
The Fresh Mint Chocolate Pizza promises two things: mint and sugar
This Max Brenner creation is a punchy blend of mint, chocolate, ice cream, marshmallow and almonds.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 2, 2018
Smartphones leading charge to shame troublemakers online
Everyone in Tokyo has a commuting horror story, but sometimes you need to see an example of some really rough behavior on the trains with your own eyes to understand just how bad some people have it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 26, 2018
'Westworld' slays fans with re-creation of Edo in Shogun World
With its story of life-like robots in a Wild West-themed amusement park becoming sentient, and the complications that arise as a result, the television show “Westworld” has attracted a dedicated following over the past couple of years.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 26, 2018
Stay clear away from Asahi's Clear Latte
Picture this: the milky, coffee flavor of a latte, transformed into what looks like a bottle of water. That's the driving idea behind Asahi's Clear Latte.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
May 19, 2018
Shiseido's 'Higashi wo Dori Parfait' is a cornucopia of fruit and flavor
The Salon de Cafe in Ginza has a limited-edition fruit and green tea parfait that hits all the right summery notes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 12, 2018
Family Mart's frozen, Technicolor frappes: drink them for the gram
Instagram-friendly food has made it to the final frontier — convenience stores. Plenty of konbini offerings in the last couple of years have looked good enough to share on social media, but Family Mart appears to be the first to sell something explicitly designed for the selfie-loving set.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 10, 2018
Can Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic give U.S. hip-hop a boost in Japan?
This summer's slate of music festivals are putting more of a spotlight on American hip-hop. Fuji Rock Festival announced Kendrick Lamar and the group N.E.R.D as headliners, while Summer Sonic features Chance the Rapper on its main stage. It's a considerable showcasing moment for a genre having an up-and-down...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 5, 2018
Coca-Cola Frozen Lemon: What's Coke without the fizz?
It's hot out. Accordingly, everyone is seeking out cooler treats to get them through a summer that hasn't even fully settled in yet. Coca-Cola Japan is betting that people need a fix of cool in 2018, and have introduced a new product that takes their signature soda once more into uncharted territory....
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 5, 2018
Susaki otter Chiitan leads a new generation of mascots with personality
Registration for this year’s Yuru-kyara Grand Prix opens on May 7, with eyes nationwide turning to see which cute and cuddly mascot will snap up the prestigious award in 2018.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 3, 2018
Nariaki Obukuro comes out of left field
Nariaki Obukuro bristles at the suggestion he makes J-pop. He prefers his music being described as J-pop-adjacent.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Apr 28, 2018
Pop-up Haagen-Daaz Sabo delivers with tea, ice cream and twists on the traditional
Treat yourself this Golden Week to ice cream with a little Japanese flair.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 25, 2018
NHK pushes to define culture ahead of 2020 with some help from Perfume
With the Pyeongchang Olympics wrapped up, the spotlight has shifted to Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Games. The build up to the sporting spectacular is already well under way.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Apr 21, 2018
Baskin Robbins' 'Popping Shower' ice cream promises more pop
Baskin Robbins' ongoing tie-up with confectionery maker Fujiya has produced a bumper crop of tasty sweets available at convenience stores across the country. But so far, none of them have been particularly daring. The candies tend to highlight a pretty basic palette of flavors — chocolate, strawberry,...
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 19, 2018
BTS is big, let's hope the hype helps other Asian acts
Earlier this month, an album sung mainly in Japanese landed on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart at No. 43. That's a rare accomplishment for any Japanese artist — and an even less frequent one for a non-Japanese outfit to pull off.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Apr 14, 2018
Koikeya's 'strong' potato chips scream flavor, but do they deliver?
It takes a lot to stand out in the crowded Japanese chip market in 2018. The safest ways to catch a consumer's eye is to either embrace some sort of novelty flavor, or to go flat out on the hyperbole. With its new line of "strong" (all caps, that is) potato chips that promise a "punch" of flavor with...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Apr 14, 2018
Handbag hashtag turns tables on misogynist social media conversation
When does posting a photo on social media of something you use on a daily basis represent more than simply sharing a slice of your life with your followers?
Takaichi makes history as Japan’s first female prime minister
Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi reacts to applauding lawmakers after being elected prime minister at the Lower House on Tuesday.
Path clears for Takaichi to become PM as LDP and JIP agree to form coalition
Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi (right) reaches out to shake hands with Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura after signing a coalition deal Monday evening in Tokyo.
Rare female yakuza walks path to redemption in Japan
Retired yakuza Mako Nishimura sorts fallen leaves during a clean-up activity at the Gifu Gokoku shrine in Gifu Prefecture on Sept. 28.
Takaichi government will likely spend less than expected
Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi at the National Diet Building in Tokyo on Monday
Why I chose Japanese citizenship over permanent residency
Jon Heese (second left) takes part in a 2024 New Year's nihonshu barrel opening ceremony.
Nakatsu keeps its cool as gentrification looms
Shunsuke Takahashi, owner of the cafe Hood by Vargas, says the Osaka neighborhood of Nakatsu feels brighter and calmer with the influx of new businesses.
How Japan’s greatest psychological horror game came home
Series composer Akira Yamaoka and writer Ryukishi07 were integral figures in helping one of Japan's greatest horror gaming franchises land a Japanese setting.
Japan leads in in-depth AI awareness, new global study finds
In Japan, 55% were “equally concerned and excited” about the rise of AI in daily life, while 28% were “more concerned than excited.”
What does Jimbocho think of its unexpected ‘cool’ status?
Tokyo's Jimbocho neighborhood is a haven for book lovers, its rows of secondhand bookstores spilling over with printed materials.
What you need to see at this year's Tokyo film festival
Chloe Zhao’s "Hamnet"

Podcast

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

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building
By Patrick St. Michel

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