Karaoke

I swore I would not sing karaoke. I wouldn’t want anyone to have to suffer through my rendition of Bright Eyes or Stand by Your Man. Luke will tell you without hesitation that I can’t hold a tune to save my life. Which is why, I believe, it was to his delight that that I publicly humiliated myself and thoroughly entertained others by means of this Japanese national pastime.

In my defense, I had just been through an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink situation with an unruly crowd of Australians (they’re genetically coded for boisterousness). I can’t be held responsible for my actions.

Anyhow, Luke’s friend Tim (pictured above) negotiated our entrance into this dark little karaoke bar. I think we paid about ¥2,000 for two hours of karaoke, drinks and a bizarre selection of snack food. When we stepped inside there was a small group of older adults singing slow Japanese music. I think we ran them out with Jesse’s Girl, though they stopped to exchange pleasantries with us on their way to the door.

After that, we had the place to ourselves. It was just us, the proprietress, and her right hand man, both of whom seemed fascinated by the silly gaijin revelry taking place. Though at the end of two hours, I think they were ready to shoo us out the door.

I can’t lie – it was fun. I would definitely do karaoke again, not that I have a choice in the matter.