KARAOKE
Everyone in Japan loovvees karaoke. In fact, the word "karaoke" is actually Japanese; it's short for "Empty-Orchestra"!
You might be imagining something like a karaoke bar where you stand up in front of everybody and sing... But Japanese karaoke places are not like that AT ALL. The karaoke building has hundreds of private rooms that are available to anyone.
You might be imagining something like a karaoke bar where you stand up in front of everybody and sing... But Japanese karaoke places are not like that AT ALL. The karaoke building has hundreds of private rooms that are available to anyone.
The "Uta-Hiroba" Karaoke place is extremely cheap. However each of the rooms are small. If you're going with a big crowd, they might give you a party room but if you're going with less than 4 people, they'll give you a standard room which will be too small if you're with more than 2 people. Since smoking is permitted, if the customer before you was a smoker, the room will probably smell like cigarettes. But the sound system and microphone works well, so if you're there just for the singing, you shouldn't have any problem (: I use this place every time because although the rooms are kind of bad, it is very cheap. Also the french-fries they serve are delicious (&cheap too!) (;
The "Karaoke-Kan" is not cheap; it costs almost twice as much as the "Uta-Hiroba". But for an expensive cost, the rooms are really nice. They have walls with cool neon-color drawings that glows when you turn the lights off. The couch is really comfortable and the TV is good too. The rooms are pretty spacious, and the drinks they have at the drink bar are better quality compared to other places. |
There are a LOT more Karaoke places in Tokyo but these are the two most famous ones, the ones that everyone uses.
Tip: whichever one you go to, ALWAYS ask for the JOY SOUND MACHINE. This machine has the most songs installed, and it has by far the most English songs out of all the machines. If you get the other machines, you will probably not be able to sing current English songs.
Tip: whichever one you go to, ALWAYS ask for the JOY SOUND MACHINE. This machine has the most songs installed, and it has by far the most English songs out of all the machines. If you get the other machines, you will probably not be able to sing current English songs.
PURIKURA
Purikura is basically a really, really cool photo-booth. Did you know; most of the photo-booth in the world today are made in Japan? Well, the Japanese photo-booth "Purikura" is NOTHING like the photo-booth you know.
First, you take a picture inside the photo-booth, then you go to the "decorating place" which is behind the curtains and you decorate the pictures you took at the photo-booth.
You can take a picture of your whole body, NOT just your face. They have all sorts of cool effects such as
WARNING: the machines are ONLY in Japanese, they do not have an English version, but you will probably still be able to decorate it. Also you MUST BE WITH A FEMALE to enter the Purikura area. All-boys group are (usually) NOT permitted.
These Purikura machines are located inside the "Game Centers".
First, you take a picture inside the photo-booth, then you go to the "decorating place" which is behind the curtains and you decorate the pictures you took at the photo-booth.
You can take a picture of your whole body, NOT just your face. They have all sorts of cool effects such as
- colorful backgrounds
- auto touch-up effects (clearer skin, prettier eyes, contouring effects)
- drawings&doodles
- stamps
- make-up effects
- (at some places) they let you rent outfits too!
WARNING: the machines are ONLY in Japanese, they do not have an English version, but you will probably still be able to decorate it. Also you MUST BE WITH A FEMALE to enter the Purikura area. All-boys group are (usually) NOT permitted.
These Purikura machines are located inside the "Game Centers".
GAME CENTERS (ARCADES)
Game centers in Tokyo has dozens of UFO catchers, virtual car racing machines, music box machines, virtual gun fight machines, and lots more interesting games that you would not be able to find anywhere else in the world.
Since there are SO many machines, you hardly ever have to wait in line to play.
Each game usually costs around 100yen or 200yen per person. The UFO catchers are a little more expensive than normal games since they have expensive prizes in the showcase. It is usually extremely difficult to get any actual price-worthy items, so don't spend too much time trying to get one item (;
Since there are SO many machines, you hardly ever have to wait in line to play.
Each game usually costs around 100yen or 200yen per person. The UFO catchers are a little more expensive than normal games since they have expensive prizes in the showcase. It is usually extremely difficult to get any actual price-worthy items, so don't spend too much time trying to get one item (;