A Dime a Dozen

~Karaoke is, of course, a Japanese word (it literally means "empty orchestra"), and this country is where the whole craze started. For those of you who haven't experienced the "joys" of group karaoke, I actually do recommend it. Sure, everyone sounds terrible, but that's not the point: it's just something fun and a little silly to do with your friends. And believe me, after a few drinks, everyone sounds a lot "better".

Anyway, karaoke joints are a dime a dozen (a yen a dozen?) in all urban areas of Japan. Within a one-minute walk of my workplace in downtown Nagaoka, I'd estimate there are upwards of forty karaoke lounges, and several hundred within a one-kilometer radius. Many restaurants in Japan have attached karaoke areas that can be rented out for the night. Combined with nomi hodai (all-you-can-drink deals), it's an enjoyable night's worth of entertainment. Some of the more advanced machines will actually rate your performance on each song and assign you a score, and show how you measure up to others who've sung it.

But not all karaoke spots are quite so nice. For those on a budget, there's always this place:

^ Probably the most ghetto karaoke spot I've seen in Japan is this sorry excuse for entertainment. Each room is individually-separated on the edges of a parking lot, complete with tiny air-conditioners and heaters. Large windows guarantee minimum privacy. It's like a twisted version of the "trailer schools" that infest the Raleigh, NC public education system.

Going out to sing with friends is fun enough, but in Japan, you sometimes have to go with your coworkers, whether you want to or not. Overall, it's actually been quite fun on the few occasions when I did have to go. Workplace etiquette in Japan demands that what happens after work isn't considered to have really "happened" the next day, so you're free to make a complete fool of yourself; honestly, nobody cares. It's rather refreshing, although your ears may hurt afterwards. ~Oyasumi!