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July 07, 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
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Dec 16, 2016
Cold Stone Creamery's intimidating velvet cheesecake
The big piece of red velvet cake on top of Cold Stone Creamery's Snowy Velvet Cheesecake looks a little intimidating. Staring at your waffle-cone bowl (¥530 for the basic size), you might wonder how you're going to get through it to reach the cheesecake-flavored ice cream and raspberries below.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Dec 9, 2016
Fitness chain Rizap takes a chance on low-calorie snacks
Fitness chain Rizap has gone from one success to the next since it began in 2010, expanding its business into new areas such as golf training and English education. It has also recently begun producing food that can be purchased at convenience stores nationwide.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Dec 2, 2016
Christmas-themed baked goods have finally hit Tokyo
Christmas has been threatening to descend on Tokyo since the moment Halloween ended. Now the holidays are wholly here and bakery chain Hokuo is among the first to roll out seasonally appropriate treats, with a line of sweets embracing the Yuletide glee. Let's keep it simple, though, and focus on the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 27, 2016
Electronic twists set apart Cicada's 'Formula' from its peers
Cicada "Formula" (Para De Casa)
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Nov 25, 2016
The rich taste of Hokkaido's blue cheese — in a bag of potato chips
The Lawson convenience-store chain is celebrating Hokkaido this winter by focusing on one of the highlights of the northern island's cheese industry. For a limited time, the chain is stocking potato chips flavored with blue cheese from Hanabatake Bokujo, a well-known dairy producer from the far north....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 20, 2016
Toyomu imagines life after Kanye
American rapper Kanye West's seventh album, "The Life Of Pablo," felt inescapable when it emerged this past February. But that wasn't the case in Japan. Streaming music service Tidal — which initially had exclusive rights to "Pablo" — isn't available here.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 20, 2016
The hushed ambience of Ex Confusion
As the summer of 2014 came to a close, Atsuhito Omori found himself in a good position. The Nara-based artist who records ambient music as Ex Confusion had released an album titled "Flow" through buzzed-about New York label Orchid Tapes. Artistically, however, things weren't clicking.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 19, 2016
Yoshino Yoshikawa switches up his 'kawaii' sound on 'Event Horizon'
The Japanese word for cute, "kawaii," has been popping up more and more in the English lexicon in recent years. From the popularity of Hello Kitty to singer Gwen Stefani's new kawaii-filled cartoon "Kuu Kuu Harajuku" being cute means making money, and it's no different in the world of music.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Nov 18, 2016
Vegan muffins on the far side of Tokyo
Far from Tokyo's dessert meccas of Harajuku and Omotesando, new bakery NY Muffin opened near Shin-Nakano Station in September. It sells a selection of vegan muffins — with no eggs, butter or milk. However, the shop doesn't make things easy for customers: besides the out-of-the-way location, it is...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Nov 11, 2016
Haagen-Dazs Japan's new ice creams mix things up
The latest ice cream range from Haagen-Dazs requires a little bit of work to appreciate. The "Decorations" mini-cup line features a decadent mix of flavors — banana caramel cake, cheese berry cake — that are ideally mixed together before eating.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 4, 2016
A timeline of how Pikotaro went viral
Internet memes often feel like they come out of nowhere, emerging from the digital ether at random before becoming inescapable fixtures of late-night comedy shows and social-network news feeds. Online ephemera tends to follow a clear path, however, journeying from obscure LOL-bait to something your grandparents...
CULTURE / Music
Nov 4, 2016
'PPAP' goes the world: How Pikotaro became a viral smash
Pikotaro still can't believe it all. Two days before he sits down with The Japan Times, the performer saw that American DJ duo The Chainsmokers had changed their Twitter name to "Pineapple & Pen," a nod to his song "PPAP." That pair previously claimed YouTube's most popular clip with "Closer" — until...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 4, 2016
Tokyo's first Russian-style maid cafe
Twelve men sit in silence at a new cafe in Tokyo's Shinjuku district as three women dressed in Russian attire start serving a sour-looking plate of borscht.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Nov 4, 2016
Ca Ca O finally brings its rich chocolate eclair to Tokyo
The newly opened Food Depot in the basement of Shinjuku's Lumine 1 department store features a lot of intriguing eateries, with a number of dessert shops among them. Ca Ca O, a chocolate store originally from Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, offers a variety of goods made from rich cacao beans. The Ca...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 28, 2016
Halloween is almost over, but Lawson has one last seasonal treat
Halloween-themed goods will soon vanish from the shelves of convenience stores across Japan, so stock up on this year's vaguely spooky treats while you can. Lawson's new pumpkin roll cake is certainly worth picking up before November starts — and not just for its jack-o'-lantern design. This dessert...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 23, 2016
'Young Folks in Metropolis' is a great showcase for Japan's indie acts
Various artists "Young Folks in Metropolis" (Self-released)
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Oct 23, 2016
YouTube channel Life Where I'm From explores Japan from a kid's perspective
Greg Lam's YouTube channel Life Where I'm From started one morning with a simple idea.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Oct 21, 2016
Dominique Ansel's Omotesando bakery is possessed by the Halloween spirit
The Omotesando branch of Dominique Ansel Bakery has an impressive and photogenic set of Halloween desserts available during October. The Halloween Religieuse (¥680) is the most flavorful and visually impressive. This double-decker dessert's bat-on-a-pumpkin design might look too quirky to eat, but...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 16, 2016
'Future R&B' trackmaker starRo makes a case for 'Monday'
Shinya Mizoguchi used to loathe the start of the week. "Everybody hates Monday. It's not a positive day of the week," he says via Skype from his home in Los Angeles. His perspective changed over the past year, however, when he quit his job as a project manager at a tech company to focus solely on his...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 14, 2016
The Pumpkin Cream Puff joins Japan's mountain of Halloween-themed treats
With Halloween just around the corner, convenience stores are filling up with pumpkin-flavored treats. Seven-Eleven has rolled out several holiday-appropriate snacks this month, including its Pumpkin Cream Puff (¥135). It features a black cocoa exterior with pumpkin paste and whipped cream waiting...
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.
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.
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.
Tokyo and Kyoto feature among top ‘noctourism’ destinations
Tokyo ranked second after New York and ahead of Dubai and Singapore in a ranking of the top global cities for nighttime tourism.
Global matcha 'obsession' drinks Japan's tea farms dry
Matcha is added to beverages on offer at Kettl Tea in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 20.
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.

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

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