Begin Japanology

Karaoke is one of Japan's best-known forms of entertainment. You choose your favorite songs and sing along anyway you like. There are two main places to enjoy karaoke in Japan: "snack" bars, where you sing in front of others, and "boxes," where you rent private rooms. Karaoke was invented about 40 years ago as a way to let people indulge their singing fantasies. One creator was a talented bandsman. Together with an engineer friend, he made one of the world's first karaoke machines. Since its invention, karaoke has evolved greatly along with the latest technology: 8-track tapes, LaserDiscs, the Internet. But the making of the videos and music for karaoke has remained in the hands of skilled professionals. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is karaoke. We will bring you the latest developments in Japan and explore the popularity of this extraordinary social phenomenon.