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April 28, 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
CULTURE / Longform
Sep 26, 2022
Big in China, but can the party last for Japan’s artists?
Overseas artists can make a splash in China — provided they abide by the rules.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 23, 2022
Tenka finds a deeper connection with the wilderness on 'Hydration'
Producer Daisuke Fujita's new project with the moniker 'Tenka' offers a sensory experience steeped in the beauty of nature.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 17, 2022
'Konbini Confessions' captures the late-night antics of city dwellers
Rapper Miyachi's YouTube channel taps into local nightlife with humor and humanity, revealing a side of Japan not often seen in uploads centered on the country.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 10, 2022
YouTubers Daidus and Emirichu follow their dreams to Japan
The illustrators, who moved to Tokyo earlier this year and are among the biggest names in the world of “storytime animators,” credit anime as a major influence on their style.
Japan Times
LIFE
Aug 28, 2022
Foraging vegetables and fending off roosters: Daily life on Shikoku's zero-waste frontier
Kana Lauren Chan has let her desires for direct action guide her across the globe — including to her latest stop in Japan's most eco-friendly town.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Aug 27, 2022
Online discourse sends netizens into a tizzy over Summer Sonic controversies
Two Japanese groups came under criticism online for seemingly mocking foreign acts during the music festival, even though many of the commentators were nowhere near the real-life scene.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 27, 2022
Overseas acts make a joyous return to Summer Sonic
The future of live concerts seems much firmer after this year's edition of the two-day music festival, which featured acts such as The 1975, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion and Maneskin.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 20, 2022
Ado stays in the shadows to let her music shine at live arena performance
The J-pop artist, who keeps her real identity concealed, recently held her second live show ever, during which she offered an alternative to how pop stars of her status usually have to be.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 18, 2022
Nanako Sato brings back the groove of a bygone era
The singer-songwriter's latest release, “Radio Moon and Roses 1979Hz,” captures the creative freedom of 1970s Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 13, 2022
Expect a spectacle at this year's Summer Sonic
The summer music festival held concurrently in Tokyo and Osaka will roll out a roster loaded with overseas acts and a strong showing of rock and K-pop.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Aug 8, 2022
Fuji Rock's musical acts look to make a bigger splash with livestreams
As streaming becomes the norm for festivals wanting to draw a broader audience, artists are shaping their live performances with the YouTube audience and social media reactions in mind.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 6, 2022
Fuji Rock offers escapism once again
The summer music festival's 2022 edition marks a return to an event resembling 'normal.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 5, 2022
Backstage at Fuji Rock with Night Tempo
Electronic artist Night Tempo boasted a busy schedule with a live performance, a Showa pop DJ set and celebrity guests as one of Japan's marquee music events returned to form.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Jul 30, 2022
Myaku-Myaku's unnerving cuteness wins over netizens
After organizers for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka revealed the name and final globulous form of its mascot, social media users quickly embraced Myaku-Myaku's strangeness in all its glory.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 28, 2022
Fuji Rock Festival eyes a return to form
Overseas acts are back on the lineup but local artists will make the most of those sultry nights at one of Japan's marquee summer music festivals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jul 28, 2022
'Sailor-Moon'-inspired group SG5 shows how anime can lift up J-pop
As the music industry opens up to digital realities, the Sailor-Scout-themed pop group and other nascent acts are utilizing anime's popularity to leapfrog into greater consciousness.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 15, 2022
Kamasami Kong gives voice to city pop's resurgence on 'FM Station 8090'
The radio DJ and personality brings his distinct narration style to the soundtrack of Japan's bubble era.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 7, 2022
Tokyo rock quartet Hazy Sour Cherry's strange adventure
The band breaks out of its comfort zone on 'Strange World,' a playful set of indie-pop songs inspired in part by the sense of exploration in Western media such as 'Stranger Things.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jul 4, 2022
YouTube escapism offers a glimpse of Japan's luxurious life
From luxury apartments to swanky ski lodges, real estate agent Alex Shapiro showcases the country's most lavish real estate on his YouTube channel, Tokyo Portfolio.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 2, 2022
'Softly': Tatsuro Yamashita looks to the future with timeless optimism
Two Tatsuro Yamashitas exist in 2022. There's the patron saint of city pop and a musical symbol for all things bubble-era Japan, and then there's the 69-year-old pop tinkerer still exploring his craft on “Softly.”
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Air China to buy 100 locally made C919 jets in $11 billion deal
A Comac C919 during an aerial display at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore in February
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Tokyo's Koto Ward by-election a race unlike any other
Natsumi Sakai, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s candidate and one of four female candidates running in the by-election, touts her experience as a cancer survivor and midwife as having prepared her to tackle issues that women currently face.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
Top U.S. and China diplomats talk tough amid warnings of new ‘downward spiral’
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Friday
Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.

Podcast

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Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

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