Karaoke Culture

**First-timer guide:** At entrance, specify group size and desired time (usually 2–3 hours). Staff assign room and explain touchscreen controller (English language option available). Order drinks/food via room phone or touchscreen — delivery arrives within 10 minutes. Song selection: search by artist, title, or browse genre. Queue songs (up to 20 songs ahead). Tambourines and maracas provided in rooms for non-singers. Microphone echo and reverb adjustable — max out echo for confidence-boosting sound. **Nomihoudai strategy:** The all-you-can-drink package (飲み放題, typically ¥1,500 for 2 hours) includes beer, shochu, cocktails, and soft drinks with unlimited refills. Cost-effective if you'll drink 3+ drinks (individual drinks ¥500–700 each). Order drinks continuously — new drink while finishing previous (no limit on outstanding orders). Popular choices: highball (whiskey-soda), lemon sour (shochu-lemon), Asahi beer. Designated drivers order the soft-drink version (¥500–800) with same unlimited refills. **Song selection tips:** English song library is extensive: Beatles, Elton John, Adele, Taylor Swift, modern pop. Anime songs (アニソン anison) are wildly popular — Studio Ghibli themes, One Piece, Demon Slayer. Duets are marked with crown icon. Japanese business culture note: singing enka (演歌, traditional ballads) well earns respect from older colleagues — consider learning one enka standard (Kitakami Yama-Onna, Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu Geshiki) as party trick.