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New YouTube video - Karaoke in Japan

Saturday, May 16, 2009 / Posted by Zackary /

This video is currently at the top of my YouTube list. Thanks to some YouTube glitch the video is not as smooth as it should be.

I don't do karaoke often but it is a great way to spend time with friends. I like how most places are 24/7 so you can go anytime. The later you do karaoke (and the more you drink) the better it often is. After you do karaoke a few times you stop worrying about how you sound.

In each room is an electronic pad that helps you search and add your favorite songs. People pass it around and add whatever they want. Because I listen to so much music (I have 7,600 songs on my i-Pod) I usually know the lyrics. This is nice if my voice is right for a particular song. People at times choose obscure songs and everyone looks around to see who picked it. Last time I choose Us'2 song "Please" from Pop and everyone was quiet or went to get a drink. The more people you have the cheaper it is for your two hour period. Once you pay the fee you can drink as much as you want. You can see how after a few hours people become convinced they sing better than Elvis, Bono and Sinatra put together.

What surprised me about karaoke is that many Japanese people with a low English level sing beautifully in English. This makes sense when you realize that people grow up singing karaoke and Western music is popular. Still, it is a shock to hear people catch every nuance of a song and then say, "I'm sorry I can't speak good English."

Peace,




1 comments:

Comment by Unknown on May 17, 2009 at 1:02 AM

As a rule, I hate karaoke. I do not sing aloud for people and people are SLAUGHTERING good songs during karaoke sessions.

But each for each own I guess.

Always wanted to go to Japan....

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