I went to my first karaoke experience with a group of
friends in the afternoon. I was actually very surprised by the room that we
had. My mental image of a Karaoke place was darker and more in line with a bar
that had a singing stage. Instead, the room was bright and comfortable, and
people sang at their seats. My friends and I had Japanese-style brunch at the
club: a boxed lunch of food with a drink and some miso soup. There was enough
space for everyone to eat at their seats, and people kept singing even while
the others were eating.
The machine to pick songs had both Japanese and English
menus along with songs for both languages, ranging from old (more than a couple
decades ago) to somewhat new (in the last five years). At first, I was very
nervous about singing in front of other people, and hearing my voice coming
from the speakers didn't help. As everyone sang and laughed in both English and
Japanese, I warmed up to the experience. The atmosphere being so relaxed and
comfortable brought me out of my shell despite my inability to sing well. In
the end, I probably sang the most out of anybody in the group.
The karaoke atmosphere was a pleasantly different surprise,
and I ended up having even more fun than I expected. Everyone sang at least
twice, and we ended the day by singing some Christmas songs together. I would
definitely recommend trying out karaoke to anyone that wants to spend a few
hours relaxing with friends. After such a great experience, I really feel ready
to sing more. Maybe next time I'll sing some songs in Japanese!
