Karaoke....

Last i had been to a karaoke bar, the first time in my life.During my last trip to Japan, i had been with a couple of friends to a restaurant that had karaoke, but it wasn't the same as going to a karaoke bar.Well if you have not been to a karaoke bar , here is some basic gyan..

• you go into one of these rooms, that have a TV and a sound system
• You can select songs you want to sing
• Song lyrics get displayed on the screen to help you sing the song you selected
• Grab the microphone and test your vocal skills..

I realised i couldn't sing ( except for "all apologies" by Nirvana).This song was the first sung by me , and it set the expectations from me, for the rest of the evening :).

It was fun, but i wonder why its such a craze in Japan. I could see lot of people of various ages and group sizes coming in there. Karaoke is one of the main social activities of Japanese adults, especially businessmen or “salarymen”. These men visit “lounge” or “snack” bars after work, drink for hours.
But karaoke is much more than just businessmen loosening their ties. The bars are popular with people from all walks of life. It is a staple form of entertainment. There are even those who are so concerned with “losing face” or appearing talentless in front of their friends, colleagues or boss, that there are even professional karaoke coaches.

Some more gyan on Karaoke which i picked up from a website..

Karaoke: Where does it come from?

Kara means empty, and oke is the abbreviation of okesutura - a Japanese reading of the word “orchestra”.
The phenomenon of the “empty orchestra” originated in the city of Kobe 20 years go. When a guitarist could not perform in a snack bar one night, the inspired owner encouraged his patrons to sing along to instrumental tape recordings.
It began on tape format and went through many technological developments until the home karaoke kit was created. Unfortunately, Japanese houses tend to be very close together and poorly insulated so this never took off and instead, the karaoke box was invented.
Karaoke boxes are roadside facilities containing closed-door, insulated rooms where you can sing you heart out without bothering the neighbours. The first one appeared in Okayama in 1984, based on a converted freight car.
The fad soon spread across the whole of Japan. In urban areas karaoke was set up in buildings with individual, fairly soundproofed rooms.
From these humble beginnings, it did not take long for the karaoke fever, ignited in Japan, to spread across the rest of the world. It was just 1987 when the fad hit the West.
It is difficult to believe that karaoke is such a recent invention as it is so well embedded into the culture of Japan. It is the country’s fourth most popular form of entertainment behind cinema, restaurants and bars. At present there are more than 100,000 karaoke boxes and buildings in Japan.
Karaoke appeals to all types of people. It is the perfect way to relax with friends and a great icebreaker with a new group. In the small room, amongst friends and colleagues, you can become a pop idol. For a few minutes, anyway.

Highlight of the evening was "Hotel California" sung with an Indian accent.(Sung by Badari Kotejoshyer)