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May 10, 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.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Dec 30, 2021
New Year's TV sees us spoiled for choice
Japanese broadcast television's slate of new year programming features star-studded blowouts that offer the perfect dose of moderately entertaining content as we head into 2022.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Dec 25, 2021
Fairy tale fantasies meet reality on ‘The Future Diary’ and ‘The Bachelor Japan’
Whether you're in the mood for a love story with a melodramatic touch or some messier romantic competition, streaming services have you covered.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Dec 25, 2021
Johnny's pop stars get pumped for 'Sasuke'
Members from Snow Man, A.B.C-Z, 7 Men Samurai and Shonen Ninja take on the ultimate physical challenge.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 24, 2021
Escapist bops and deep pop: Music was a mood in 2021
After a year in which Japan's music industry had to make its peace with streaming, this year saw more of the holdouts get on board with the times.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 19, 2021
YouTuber gets hit with copyright claims, but is it Toei who’s out of line?
While companies have a right to protect their intellectual property, they should still realize the media landscape is changing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 3, 2021
JO1 to the world: A new stage for J-pop
The 11-member act signals the rise of reality TV talent competitions geared toward the social media age.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Nov 27, 2021
Live-action 'Cowboy Bebop' shows the limitations of Netflix's originality
Netflix's adaptation of a beloved anime series has been met with groans, but the recent South Korean hit “Squid Game” demonstrates how anime can in fact be brought to life successfully.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Nov 19, 2021
Yoasobi, NiziU, BiSH and KAT-TUN to sing in the new year on 'Kohaku Uta Gassen'
According to NHK's official site, this year's theme is “Colorful” to represent the program's mission to bring “color” to the lives of people during COVID-19 and highlight Japan's diversity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 19, 2021
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu: The reluctant icon?
For the better part of a 10-year career, the performer's aesthetic defined Japan's pop culture. Her latest album, “Candy Racer,” marks a fresh start.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 5, 2021
Kiyotaka Sugiyama looks back on the glistening days of city pop
The Omega Tribe frontman celebrates the 40th anniversary of the city pop group's debut with remastered versions of past albums.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 28, 2021
Supergroup Skye’s debut, 53 years in the making
Rock heavyweights Shigeru Suzuki, Ray Ohara, Tatsuo Hayashi and Masataka Matsutoya pay tribute to the band's early days with an eponymous album.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Longform
Oct 11, 2021
Japan’s convenience stores look to the future
Domestic franchises are struggling to remain relevant as consumer habits change and global competition intensifies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Oct 2, 2021
The bike safety campaign that backfired
The Chiba Prefectural Police hoped an animated avatar would help with bicycle safety but wound up wading into a long-running debate over misogyny.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 25, 2021
Supersonic hits quiet mode on its summer party
The two-day music festival had crowds dancing at Zozo Marine Stadium with foreign and domestic acts despite pandemic-related obstacles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 24, 2021
Buffalo Daughter emerges from the pandemic with a new sense of current affairs
The rock trio takes a political turn on their latest album, 'We Are the Times.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Sep 22, 2021
How do you deflect a controversy? Keigo Oyamada blames the media.
Musician Keigo Oyamada cries foul over how he was portrayed in a pair of magazine articles that ended up causing him a job at the Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Sep 10, 2021
Hip-hop is getting a bad rap this summer
After footage of unmasked, crowded rap fans at a festival spread online, mainstream news outlets zeroed in on hip-hop itself.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 3, 2021
Unsettling, unrelenting and confident: Ms. Machine's debut is one of the year's best
Ms. Machine's debut features Nordic-inspired lyrics and a sludgy sound that recalls witch house, industrial and metal, making it one of the best Japanese albums released this year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Aug 28, 2021
Fuji Rock tests the waters in a ‘return to normal’
The drama surrounding this year's Olympics plays out on a smaller level at Fuji Rock 2021.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Aug 21, 2021
Could a Japanese influencer's comments about the homeless lead to hate crimes?
Whether it was an attempt to be funny, edgy or 'keep it real,' a YouTuber's remarks that insinuated the lives of homeless people are worthless did not go over well with his audience.
Tokuryū, a new crime menace in Japan, emerges from the shadows
The National Police Agency coined the term "tokuryū" to classify individuals involved in dark part time jobs and quasi-gangsters, using the words "tokumei" (anonymous) and "ryūdo" (fluid) to reflect their characteristics.
Nearly 6 million elderly people in Japan will have dementia by 2040
The latest figure is significantly less than a previous projection released in 2015 that said more than 8 million people would have dementia by 2040.
Thanks, tourists. Views of Mount Fuji are now blocked.
Tourists pose in front of a convenience store with Mount Fuji on Friday in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture. Local residents are upset over littering, overcrowding and the inconvenience caused by the visitors.
Is Modi’s party heading for a stunning election loss?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign tactics have escalated, including anti-Muslim rhetoric and fearmongering, reflecting his ruling party's desperation.
Man arrested over fatal stabbing of young woman in Shinjuku
A 51-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of stabbing a young woman to death in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.
Stormy seas ahead as Beijing and Manila trade barbs over secret deal
Philippine Marines wave to Philippine Navy personnel and the media during a resupply mission at their military outpost, the BRP Sierra Madre, a warship run aground in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in 1999, in the South China Sea, in March 2014.
Unlike 10 years ago, Japan's new security bill sparks little debate
The Lower House starts discussing a security clearance bill on April 19 in Tokyo.
After blockbuster boxing victory, what next for ‘Monster’ Inoue?
Naoya Inoue celebrates his victory over Luis Nery in their IBF-WBA-WBC-WBO super bantamweight title boxing match at Tokyo Dome on Monday.
Xi bristles as Macron and von der Leyen urge China to do more on Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen walk after their meeting in Paris on Monday.
How a Japanese scientist is turning the climate crisis into music
A screencap of a performance of Hiroto Nagai's “String Quartet No. 1 ‘Polar Energy Budget’” by the PRT Quartet

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

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
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