Karaoke originated in Japan, and the word literally means “empty orchestra”. It is said that the activity began in a small bar in Kobe, Japan when the band had to cancel due to bad weather. The owner then put music onto tapes, and the audience sang along with the music, and so karaoke was born. This is a very popular activity in Japan, and there are many karaoke boxes. So, for my birthday, my friends from ballet class planned a karaoke party, which also doubled as a friends going away party.
Is this a cheap motel? No, its Maneki Neko, our karaoke place.
It is more common in Japan to have your own private karaoke room, rather than sing in front of a large group of strangers. 
You stop at the lobby desk to check in, just like a hotel. 
You can order food from a menu, or bring in your own.
We opted to bring in our own food,
and birthday cake!! 
Candles even! Make a wish…. 
You select your song on this little computer (you can even adjust octave), then your song appears on the TV screen. 
They had a large selection of English songs, and my friend Naomi said singing to Madonna really helped her learn English sounds. Gotta love Madonna!
The cheesy Japanese videos accompanying the songs were hilarious!
Can anyone guess this song? They had “Let it Go” in both English and Japanese.
One of my favorite parts was the calorie counter in the bottom corner of the screen. I burned 6 calories during this song. Pass the chips!
There were also baskets of instruments to use during someone else’s song. So fun!
Such a fun birthday with great friends. (Kayoko, my ballet teacher, is on the right and is FIFTY NINE! I hope I fare that well!)
I definitely see more karaoke in my future!
What a cool view of the culture. Thanks for posting.
I would love to do this!