Part 1: Karaoke for beginners
It’s not a subject to be approached carelessly.
Make the proposal too early and your friends will make fun. Throw
it in too late and they will beg off, mumbling about catching the
last metro home.
“Hey, how about a karaoke? Who’s up for
doing a karaoke?”
Aim for the end of an evening at the izakaya, the
moment when munchies and alcohol has loosened up inhibitions.
“Hey, sure! Sounds good. Just let me finish
my drink …”
You step out into the street and look for one of those
guys in the knee length windbreaker advertising 747 or karaoke-kan
or some other competitor. If you have been drinking with your teachers
from school, or with any other Japanese person, you shove them forward
for the negotiations. "Sorry, that's our best offer."
"Are you kidding? The guy down the block is only charging..."
You’ll end up paying about 2000 yens an hour
with nomihodai (bottomless drinks).
The windbreaker guy leads your group down the street,
around a corner, and up to the fourth floor of a random building.
Once settled into your room, there’s a grabby rush for the
lone soda-sticky book of foreign songs. “Quick, pick a song.
Time’s a tickin!” The others try and fail to decipher
the books of Japanese selections.
The Japanese representative of the group speaks into
the phone attached to the wall connected to the front desk. She
tries to order drinks and cocktails but the front desk says, “sorry,
beers are not included in the nomihodai.” Bottomless beers
are weak but not as weak as cocktails (cocktails = syrupy sodas).
The bossiest member of the group commands the Japanese
speaker to inform the main desk, “the ‘gaijins’
(foreigners) are not happy and if they don’t have their beers,
they’re going to leave.”
The beers arrive and the music begins.
As always, you have Oasis, Greenday, and Queen. |
