Only in the box, with only your friends and a closed door, can you really let go of your inhibitions and just have fun. Only in a karaoke box, which is (relatively) soundproofed, can you really let rip - regardless of the terrible sound you’re making. When I lived in Tokyo, we tried to go to karaoke at least once a month, and often found ourselves singing up a storm as often as once a week in our “on” season - but what’s the difference? Why is it so good? Hitokara, a word that refers to people that like to go do karaoke alone, is also becoming increasingly popular. On the other hand, in Japan, at least 50% (estimate – likely a greater percentage) of people enjoy karaoke on a semi-regular basis (i.e., once every few months). As a result, it’s not hard to understand why karaoke never became popular outside of Asia - although it has become a relatively common choice for hosted parties and work events. And of those that aren’t drunk, very few are extroverted enough to get up on stage and bust out a tune. While it’s true that many people lose their inhibitions when they get drunk, a stronger truth is that not a lot of people really want to get up on stage and sing in front of strangers - no matter how much they’ve consumed. The idea went from entertainment to exhibitionism… and the relatively private Asian karaoke became the quite public western adaptation - placing the karaoke machine on a stage in a public venue such as a pub. When karaoke came across the sea, it was adapted for the European and American (and Australian!) cultures - we tend to like to do things big - and we like to go out to pubs and clubs. Since then, it quickly spread around Japan, the Philippines, as well as nearby Asian countries, and has become a super popular staple of entertainment in those regions. He saw the potential after being asked to provide music for people to sing along to during parties (this is a highly condensed version of the story :)). Karaoke was invented in the 70s by a Japanese guy who used to put on the entertainment at parties. And why? Well, mainly because most of us can’t sing for the life of us, and we would hate to embarrass ourselves…Įspecially in front of a bunch of strangers… Which leads many (in western countries at least) to wonder - why the hell is karaoke so popular in Japan? Just mentioning the word can strike fear into the hearts of many.
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January 2023
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