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IHG ANA HOTELS in Japan. Check it out.
Here,we introduce hot sightseeing spots and cultural information from the areas
close to IHG ANA HOTELS in Japan. Check it out! |
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30 years and still going strong,
karaoke goes unchallenged as JapanĚs number one leisure activity. It is likely
that you have experienced its joys and blushes in your own country - no other
aspect of Japanese culture has reached as many far flung corners of the world.
ItĚs humble beginnings can be traced back to a bar in Kobe in the early 1970's.
One night when the regular house musician was unable to perform, the bar manager
played tapes of instrumental tracks and encouraged his customers to sing along
to them just as they were used to doing when there was live music. An inspired
move. Add to this basic idea the music video and CD technology and you have karaoke
as we know it today.
Karaoke (kara - "empty", oke - short for "orchestra") soon
became a pastime in its own right. Karaoke "boxes" are now all over
the country giving singers all the soundproofing they need in this space-starved
country. The first karaoke box was a disused railway cart in Okayama Prefecture,
now there are multi-story meccas dedicated to the art.
The box will often be little more than a brightly decorated room with sofas around
the side, a table in the middle and the all important karaoke set against the
far wall. Choose your song from the telephone directory-sized book, punch in the
numbers on the handy remote control and take a deep breath...
And Japan is the place to experience karaoke in its purest form. When you go out
for a night of karaoke in Japan, you cannot just fade into the background and
listen to the other singers. You will sing and you will enjoy it!
Unlike in many other countries, karaoke in Japan is not something that is generally
performed in public places. You go out with your friends, business colleagues
or family members, hire a karaoke box and then it's just you, your mini-audience
and the mike. Japanese karaoke enthusiasts (and that means practically all Japanese)
have few inhibitions on karaoke night. From the hard-nosed businessman to the
office tea lady, the softly spoken school teacher to the high school student,
all of them will have a favourite track or two.
Some even say that karaoke plays an important part in Japanese society, allowing
individuals to express themselves in a rigid, group-oriented culture. Others claim
that reading and memorising lyrics is beneficial for literacy. Still others say
that karaoke helps people become active participants in entertainment rather than
just passive consumers.
Karaoke is of course, much more and much less than this. As anyone who has ever
sung in the shower will testify, there's a pop star in all of us - as long as
everybody else has a go too. |
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