Then and now: Karaoke

Karaoke was huge when I first came to Japan in 2000. And twenty-six years later and it is still one of the most popular past times in Japan. I enjoyed it in my early days and I still enjoy it now! Karaoke participation spans all ages and all walks of life. It is a major multimillion entertainment industry in Japan. It did experience a dip during the pandemic, but it is nearly back to pre-pandemic strength in recent months.

While its popularity has remained high throughout my time in Japan, there have been a few changes over the years. Most of them positive. First and foremost, most of them are non-smoking now. Often the karaoke store will have a separate room just for smoking, but when I first came to Japan they allowed smoking in the booths. Another change is the ease in which you can choose a song. Back in the day there were no touch panels with massive cloud based song libraries. 

Food and drink have always been available at most karaoke facilities, but I think the selection of both has improved over the years. Some of the karaoke companies even offer seasonal, photogenic food and drinks! They may have always had them, but I only noticed the rooms specifically designed for young children after I had kids of my own. There was a period when they were my room of choice, but now my kids are older we just use an ordinary booth again. 

When I was younger and first came to Japan, karaoke was something I did with friends or co-workers. Nowadays, it is something I do with my family mostly. It is a really fun family activity on days of extreme weather, such as unbearably hot weather or heavy snow. Have you been to karaoke lately? Is it something you tried early on in your Japan adventures?