Interesting Tidbits: The Local Pass-Time

A picture taken by Millo of your typical box style room.

Actually, the number one local pass-time is probably drinking. But karaoke comes pretty damn close! Yes, just like many other Asian countries, Japan's goes ape when it comes to karaoke. The word itself, by the way, is Japanese in origin. Karaoke's been such a regular part of my life in Japan (and even beforehand) that I've forgotten how foreign the concept is to westerners. Back home, it wouldn't really fly, I think, if I got a bunch of my guy friends together and invited them to go singing. It just isn't seen as a manly thing to do? I don't know.
 But here, it suits just about everyone. Young people. Old people. Boys and girls, and couples and groups of friends. It's an affordable way to kill a few hours.
 Going back to the basics, though, there are a few ways Asian karaoke differs from the commonly seen western karaoke bars, where people queue up to stand and sing on a stage in a bar, with often mixed results. Here in Japan, you're entitled to a little more privacy. It's simple though. First, you rock up to the front desk of any karaoke parlor - and trust me, it's rather hard not to stumble upon one in Tokyo. You put in your name and the number of individuals partaking, input an amount of time you expect to be spending, and you get a room number. Every individual group gets a room, blocked off from the others, complete with karaoke machine, television screen, microphones and shitty sounding tambourines, and you just pick your songs and belt it out! A lot less embarrassing, wouldn't you say?

The song selection is pretty wide, too. Of course, you're more likely to find the Japanese songs you're looking for, but the English selection is rather generous as well, with most billboard topping hits being on there, as well as anything well enough known from the last decade down.
 If that sounds fun to you and you're nowhere near Japan, then you can rejoice in the fact that there are probably a few such karaoke parlors in your neighborhood too. My first karaoke experience was actually in Montreal, where I later found out that there were four different such places. Granted, they're a little harder to find (they're usually secluded into a basement of some sort) but they function more or less the same way! You'll know you're in one if there's an Asian woman at the front desk. There always is.