KARAOKE, Tokyo

As I often do while traveling, I love to hang out with the locals. I hooked up with a few while shopping for Utada Hikaru CD's in Shibuya. They suggested we go and sing Karaoke.

Karaoke isn't just an evening of entertainment, it is an event. And everyone participates. I don't like singing. In fact, my singing scares children and animals. But that doesn't matter. The whole point of Karaoke is to get completely drunk and entertain your friends. Me drunk is enough normally to be entertaining, but add music and an evening of classic adventure is at hand!

In many places there are options. First there is bar Karaoke. This is starting to get a little more hard to find. You basically go, get drunk and sing to a whole bar. More common now is Room Karaoke. This is kind of like what you see in "Lost in Translation" where you have a private room and you and your friends all sing and drink together.

You can tell the real pro's at Karaoke by the way the sing. It is all about entertaining those you are out with, so some people will make more of a show of it. These are the ones who dance while singing, and can do every song in the book without looking at the words.

Westerners, don't worry there are plenty of songs in English. Although, many will not be ones you'd expect. I still find myself humming an 80's song I had forgotten about after Karaoke, and that was a few years back!

Dress Code: Depends who you are with. Adults tend to go business casual or suits. Younger folks like to go in jeans and their trendy T-shirts.

"I waited 'til I saw the sun
I don't know why I didn't come
I left you by the house of fun
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come

When I saw the break of day
I wished I could fly away
Instead of kneeling in the sand
Catching teardrops in my hand

My heart is drenched in wine
But you'll be on my mind
Forever...."

Dress Code: Same way... whatever you want... you're there to sing, not on your fashion and style, and sing you will!!