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How to Sing Karaoke in Japan

08.02.07 | 10:15 AM ET

The situation: You’ve downed a couple of stiff sakes with friends in a Tokyo bar when it hits you. You need to sing. Actually, since you’re in the public singing capital of the world, you need to karaoke. But where? And in a nation where etiquette is everything, how?

Karaoke basics: Karaoke was brought into the world around 1971 by a particularly inventive Japanese singer who leased tape recorders for sing-alongs. Translated as “empty” (kara) and “orchestra” (okesutora), karaoke was initially a novelty concept for entertaining businessmen in hotel rooms. By the 1980s, however, karaoke went global.

Where to go: Karaoke bars in Japan tend to be tiny and geared toward businessmen with expense accounts who can afford the high-priced drinks and doting mama-san hostesses who pour them.

Many Japanese prefer instead to rent a private karaoke room, complete with plastic-covered sofas, a TV monitor and microphones. The big karaoke chains have outlets around all the major train stations. Look for “Big Echo” or “747” or “karaoke-kan.” They all have a good selection of foreign songs from different countries.

Rates are posted at the front window. For the evening rate starting around 7 p.m., expect to pay 500 yen per half hour on weekdays and more than 600 yen on weekends. Yes, the good times can quickly add up. (Note: From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, rates can drop to as low as 100 yen per half hour.)

Advanced karaoke-shopping technique: If you’re with a Japanese speaker, he or she can often negotiate a lower price for evening sessions—and unlimited drinks—with one of the karaoke touts who gather on the side streets of Tokyo’s Shibuya and Shinjuku neighborhoods. Look for the guys in plastic trench coats bearing karaoke chain logos. Once a deal is struck, they’ll lead you to your private room.

Karaoke etiquette: Key your music selections into the song queue. Be sure to stagger your songs with those of others so you get a mix of styles and performers and everyone has a turn. Depending on the taste of your friends, you could be spending the hour singing Eminem, David Bowie, Japanese anime theme songs or Aretha Franklin—or, better yet, all of the above.

Feel free to solo, but don’t be a microphone hog. And if you can’t sing, either choose a song you can shout (say, anything by Nirvana) or pick a piece you can butcher for laughs (a Celine Dion ballad or “Barbie Girl” in falsetto). Let loose and shake it down. Just don’t hit your head on a strobe light or forget to keep ordering drinks. And remember: In Japan, inappropriate behavior tends to be frowned upon, but during karaoke, and particularly with any accompanying sake indulgence, judgment is conveniently suspended. What goes on in the karaoke room stays in the karaoke room. In a culture that values restraint, karaoke is not only an outlet for letting it all out, but for going overboard. Showing off and standing out from the group can even win you fans. Though you must still remember your manners and shrug off compliments with a coy smile.

Going long: Be forewarned that an hour is only enough time to warm up. You can keep calling the front desk to extend your stay, or you can accept a real challenge: a five-hour karaoke marathon. If it’s midnight and the last metro trains are departing, talk a karaoke tout into a flat rate (say, 2,500 yen) for songs and drinks until 5 a.m. when the trains start up again.

Soak up the scene: Karaoke’s cultural thrills extend well beyond the microphone. Take breaks in the hallway and watch locals scurry in and out of their rooms, giggling. Socialize. If a cute girl appears outside the window of your room, don’t be surprised if locals invite her in, saying, “Kitte! Kitte!”—“Come in!” Along with the others, jump up and squeal and clap to welcome her. And if you find yourself invited into a room full of clapping, drunken Japanese youths, suck it up and consider belting out “Baby One More Time”—a surefire crowd pleaser.

Big Echo photo by Matt Ryall via Flickr, (Creative Commons). Bottom photo by Karin Ling.

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Photos Courtesy:  REUTERS  |  iStockPhoto  |  flickr  

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