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:
We take a look back at the closing moments of the 2020 Olympic Games. Ten years in the making, the Tokyo Olympics ended with a grand closing ceremony at the National Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 8. Patrick and Oscar look back at the closing moments ...
We take a look back at the second week of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim share a gold medal in the high jump, skateboarding is dominated by more incredible Japanese teenagers, and it continues to be incredibly hot at these Olympic ...
We take a look back at the first week of Olympic madness in Tokyo. From the opening ceremony to Naomi Osaka and Simon Biles' shock exits, it's been a busy week at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Read more: Biracial representation, game soundtracks and shiny pecs: bright ...
In Part 2 of this two-part look at the long and tumultuous road to the Olympics, we discuss heat, corruption and the endless run of scandals.
In Part 1 of a two-part look at the long and tumultuous road to the Olympics, we look at Tokyo’s initial bid for the Olympics in 2011, how the city won that bid in 2013, and the ups and downs that accompanied the story ...
Two anime films — ”Demon Slayer” and “Violet Evergarden” — offer a dash of optimism to end 2020, as Japanese pop culture moves towards the beginning of a new era.
Pop group NiziU’s “Make You Happy” became the song of this very strange summer and the government changed its tone from stay home to Go To.
When COVID-19 brought about a stay-at-home spring, Animal Crossing provided us with a digital island escape. In Episode 2 of Recultured, we look at what happened when the world was made to stay at home, and how one game from Nintendo provided us an escape ...
On March 29, Ken Shimura, one of Japan's most celebrated comedians, passed away after testing positive for COVID-19. JT entertainment writer Patrick St. Michel discusses Shimura's life and death with host Oscar Boyd.
With a lockdown looming, it has never been a better time to update your emergency earthquake kit.
