Karaoke in Japan is about more than singing with friends. Building rapport and deepening friendship while enjoying karaoke – this karaoke is clearly distinct from that practiced by younger karaoke-goers. There are meat, fish and even sushi courses for customers, who include executive board members of companies that use the spot for socializing with clients. In Minato Ward, central Tokyo, there is a karaoke establishment with extravagant rooms akin to hotel suites where customers can enjoy karaoke and course meals prepared by a dedicated chef.
These rooms are popular with young fans that sing anime songs, particularly theme songs. For example, in one room based on the anime Evangelion, the walls on all sides are packed with characters and things such as symbols that only hardcore fans would know. Particularly popular are rooms designed for anime fans. There are even people that have become acquainted as remote duet partners and then gone on to get married.Īnother common characteristic of karaoke in Japan is karaoke rooms with a theme. Searching for a remote duet partner is a novel extension of this for karaoke-goers that are tired of singing alone. Recently, there are a growing number of karaoke establishments where people can go to sing solo – singing songs they like as much as they want without worrying about anyone else. Today, one in three Japanese enjoys singing karaoke at least once a year. Another fun application is to play multiple recorded videos of others singing the same song to create a karaoke chorus. Some karaoke-goers only record the higher-pitch portion of a song such that others can play it to create a duet in beautiful harmony. Simply play back the video and you have a karaoke duet with a stranger. Someone else wanting to sing a duet can search using the name of the song to find the video. A special camera on the wall of the karaoke room captures singers seeking to sing duets with strangers and uploads the footage to a special website. Karaoke machines that use video to let users sing duets with complete strangers are also on the market. This service that lets customers sing a duet with a stranger has proved popular. Just bring an instrument and cables to connect it and the karaoke space is instantly transformed into the equivalent of a music studio.įive karaoke videos that customers can select to sing a duet.
Moreover, the customer can adjust the sound quality and other factors freely. In this way, a customer can enjoy the experience of performing as part of a band yet in solitude. In one shop is a young man enjoying himself, strumming his guitar to the chords that appear on the karaoke display. If you fancy studying in Japan, the homeland of the bullet train, Nintendo Wii, instant noodles and karaoke, youll be pleased to know Japan wants you too. The Nakano district of Tokyo is alive with subcultures and home to shops selling anime goods, figures and other goods. Today, new karaoke businesses are increasingly introducing novel ways of enjoying karaoke, such as letting people play instruments along with tunes. Typically, groups of family members and friends rent rooms with karaoke machines featuring cutting-edge technology and then sing to their collective heart’s content. Japan is said to have more than 9,000 dedicated karaoke establishments. Besides, no one will hear you but Aoi-chan and me, so you don’t have to worry about being off-key.A “furikara” screenshot from a video featuring popular idols explaining key choreography dance points for karaoke-goers. That’s the best way to release stress! You can go wild and sing or dance to any song you want. Saori, it’s the perfect time for karaoke! You can sing your heart out. What? No way! I’m not in the mood to sing. Wow, that’s really tough… (sighs) Hey, I have an idea… Let’s go to karaoke. In the end, he agreed to move to Fukuoka alone and come back to Tokyo one weekend a month or so. I understand how he feels, but I told him that we need to put Aoi-chan first. He really wanted us to all stay together. I doubt she’d be able to start until next year! Catherine: If we move to Fukuoka, she’ll be put on a waiting list again. We were lucky to get her in one of the best preschools in Tokyo. Well, Aoi-chan is going to start preschool soon. He said we should start preparing to move there as soon as possible, but I told him we can’t go with him. What? Does this mean you’re all moving to Fukuoka? Saori:
(sobs) Naoki just broke the news to me last night-he’s going to be transferred to Fukuoka next month! Catherine: Catherine is trying to comfort Saori, who got some really bad news from her husband.