HOW TO TAKE KIDS TO KARAOKE IN JAPAN

I sometimes forget that not everyone has had the pleasure of a karaoke night out in Japan even before children. 

So, although, I would LOVE to take every one of you and your families out to Japan (I sing the theme song from Full House every single time!) I can’t. 
So, instead, here is my how to guide for karaoke for parents. 

Is it safe to go to karaoke with children in Japan?
Absolutely.  In Japan, to “go to Karaoke” means going to a karaoke box venue.   A karaoke box means a building or a floor of a building that has lots of little rooms.  
This means that you have your own little room for your own family or group (the staff at the reception desk will allocate a room for the right number of people.)  So, for the time you are there – that room is yours!   Your room is just for your group so it is so safe and you decide all the rules. 

When is the best time to go to karaoke with kids? 
I like going on rainy days most. It’s a great rainy day activity.  Warning though – many other families in Japan have the same idea so you may need to have your hotel make a reservation for you. 
I also like going mid-late afternoon most with kids.  Get some snacks there, sing a few songs, go to dinner – and then back for bath and bed. 

Can I take a baby into a karaoke room with us?
Absolutely! 
There are even some karaoke brands that have little soft play areas for babies in the rooms (I have one recommendation in particular in my Shinjuku with kids blog post) and all karaoke places also have nursery rhymes as an option.  I

Are there any places or times of day you wouldn’t go for karaoke with kids?
I’m pretty nerdy and conservative on this but I don’t really take my kids to karaoke on a Friday or Saturday night because, although the room is for us, when we go to the toilets or are walking in and out I don’t really want my kids to see drunk people falling in and out of rooms etc.   So, for me, I prefer to go in the mid afternoon (or earlier when it’s raining.) 
I especially would avoid going to karaoke in the Kabukicho area (Shinjuku) or near Roppongi crossing after 5pm-ish.

So, if you get your own room, you don’t need to sing in front of strangers?
Correct. 

Do you need to be good at singing to do karaoke?
I’ve done so many corporate karaoke nights and, guess what? No-one really likes it that much when someone is too good at karaoke.   It’s not half as fun!  
Think of Cameron Diaz in My Best Friend’s Wedding!  She was a shocker and everyone joined in and it was a proper party!   Choose a really silly fun song to start with (top tip: just coz you like a song doesn’t mean it’s a good karaoke sing a long song.)   If you’d like some karaoke song suggestions – see my blog post here. 

Which karaoke chains do I recommend for families?
Any of the major brands, really. 
Karaoke-kan and Big Echo always come to mind first (google your closest option.) 
Other good options include Manekineko Karaoke (aka the “Lucky Cat”) , the Karaoke sections of Round1  and Pasela Resorts.  
I’ve also had a great time at Karaoke Fantasy in Shin-Urayasu and Rainbow Karaoke in Shibuya. 

When you go to karaoke in Japan, do you pay per person, per room or per hour?
You pay depending on the time spent in the room, the number of people in the room and also depending on how much food you order (this last bit is the easiest part because it’s like you’d pay for food and drink at a restaurant.) 
When you “check in” at karaoke, one person writes down the number of people in the group, the ages of the people in the group.  They will also ask for a contact phone number (you can use an overseas number or your hotel phone number.) 

You then will be asked to choose a package or start time.  
If it’s your first time at karaoke – best to just go for 1 hour (you can always extend as you go.)
No need to order any food or drinks until you get to the room.

The reception desk may ask you to download their app for a discount. You don’t have to do any of that if it gets too hard (it usually is like a 100 yen discount or something anyway.) 
Also, sometimes they will ask you which karaoke system brand you prefer – Joysound or DAM. I think it’s a much of a much-ness, really. 　I just had a google around and it seems that DAM has newer foreign songs, apparently. 

One thing to check before you go to your room to start your time – ask the reception desk staff member if they will call you before that first hour is up.   Usually they will call you 10 mins beforehand to see if you will be finishing or if you will be extending your session.  This is important to know because the time (and therefore price) rolls over into the next hour if you don’t let them know when you’re done. 

Once you’re all checked in.. you will be given a small basket with a room number and your microphones (usually 2-3 mics per group.) 

Are there any “rules” to talk to kids about before getting to the karaoke room?
Not really. 
I guess my family rules are (if anyone wants to copy):
– kids don’t tough the karaoke system buttons (just the handheld digital songbook/ipad looking device.) 
– no screaming into the microphones
-each person can only put in one song at a time and can add the next one after they have sung their own song (this is to avoid 1 hour of just one kid performing for the rest of the group the whole time. 
I also think it’s really cute to encourage kids to sing along (with or without the mic in hand) and cheer on their friends and siblings. 

I find it’s best to talk about these rules “before” going into karaoke because the excitement will be real. 

And what happens when you get to your karaoke room?
Just before you open the door, make sure you have a look for your closest bathroom options.   I find it’s best to get everyone (grown ups too!) to remember the room number – because, trust me, the rooms all look the same when you’re coming back from the toilets later. 

Then, once in the room, you can hang your jacket on the hangers and grab the digital song directory.  Choose foreign songs and start queuing up your song choices.  

Once a few songs are locked in –  grab the menu from the middle of the table and start ordering some food. 

 

Just remember – this is karaoke food so it’s never going to be fine dining.  I recommend getting some chocolate, fries, fried chicken, ice-cream etc.   This is not the kind of place that will do customized meal items. You just order it as is.  
For adults who want to drink alcohol I recommend trying a lemon sour (or any flavoured sour.) A lemon sour is a mixed drink made with sake and lemon flavoured soft drink/soda.

What should I do if none of the kids know what to sing?
Put in a few for them. Think the songs from the Trolls soundtrack or the Minions soundtrack.  How about some Bruno Mars or Taylor Swift? For little, little kids – how about some nursery rhymes. 

My children always take a few songs to warm up but Disney songs often help .  My little boy loves singing the theme songs to Disney Junior favourites, Old MacDonald and my little girl loves Sing so is now happy to sing to Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” or “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift.    Pick up the phone to ask for help with disco lighting or changing the room temperature.  Don’t be worried about the noise levels – you have your own volume controls too.

If your child is feeling shy then sing their song for them and let them dance or be the back up singer until they adjust. 

For bigger kiddies, why not practice ordering and they can pick up the phone and try for themselves?
eg. “orenji jyuusu hitotsu kudasai !” (one orange juice please!)

When they call do say your time is finishing in 10 mins – what do you say?
You can extend (the japanese word for this is “encho“) or you can say “sugu demasu” – which means ” we will leave soon.” You can also just say “Finish” and I’m sure that will also get the message across. 

When it’s time to leave, don’t forget to return your microphones and the little basket. 

Is it hard to split the bill at Karaoke?
Not at all.   I have been to karaoke with groups of 30 people and we have split the bill 30 ways.  
If we go with another family, we just split it in 2 and so easy.  Most karaoke places accept credit cards. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can decide if you’d like to sing, dance along, order food and drinks, if you’d like to have alcohol while there, if you’d like disco lights going on… it’s all up to you! 
You can even decide what