Karaoke is HUGE in Japan. There are places everywhere and the experience is quite a bit different than what we're used to in America.
You get your own private, soundproofed room. It's really nice. There's a coat rack and a table and your own heating/AC unit so you can get comfortable in there. The rooms are pretty small but can seat 6-8 people. For just my husband and me, it was plenty of room.
You can order drinks (alcoholic or otherwise) as well as full-on meals, such as pizza. It's expensive, but it can be done. I got a melon soda, which you can kind of tell by the greenish tint to the glass in the picture below.
And of course the biggest deal is the machinery:
And the sound systems blow you away. Really.
This is really high quality stuff. Behind the lyrics there is always a video - sometimes the official music video.
So I said Japanese language reading practice because that's what karaoke is for me (besides fun and leisure, of course). If you know the alphabet(s), karaoke is a GREAT way to practice your reading. The kanji (Chinese characters) usually has the phonetic pronunciation above it in smaller letters, so no kanji-reading ability needed!
But the selection isn't limited to Japanese music! The place we went had an extensive selection of Chinese and English songs as well!
I sang this one for you, Tehn. :D
And this one was for my Daddy!!
So you can sing normal karaoke or you can turn all kinds of analysis/competitive modes. They have modes that will kick you out of the song and boo you if you suck (...that may have happened to me before we turned that off...) or, my personal favorite, modes that will give you an EXTENSIVE analysis of your performance.
I have no idea what any of this means but my inner statistics nerd is singing with joy.
So in short, karaoke is a must-try for anyone visiting Japan. It's integral to Japanese culture as well as just boatloads of fun!
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