Karaoke

I’ve often heard people refer to Karaoke in Japan as the one of the most self-indulgent activities one can participate in. After my few experiences with it I find myself agreeing.

Karaoke in Japan is the after party of a night out drinking or the next logical step after a successful dinner date. You can rent a room/booth for around $10 per person an hour. This usually includes nomihodai, aka all you can drink or eat. Alcoholic beverages are a must for Karaoke.


Karaoke booths can also be rented for the whole night, which is why after a big night out when you can’t be bothered forking out for a taxi across town or there’s no cheap love hotels around they make a great place to crash for the evening.

I think the reason people say self-indulgent is because the whole experience is very much about you and your amazing singing ‘skills’. Everyone’s forced to listen to you as you get caught up in your rendition of Celine Dion’s- My Heart Will Go On. And while you may think all their ooing and ahhing and clapping is because you’ve finally found your true calling in life. They’re just being polite. That and they’re not really listening to you, they’re just waiting for their next turn.

This weekend I unwillingly went along with some friends:




Surprisingly I had a good time.

All in a days work...

I know a lot of you are doubtful of my ability to actually teach the English language, but.

I would like to present to you the following evidence. I believe it proves what a real contribution I make to Japanese society...

Exhibit A: (click to enlarge)




But wait. Not only have they learnt to be difficult and indecisive. They also plan to go on random killing sprees.

Exhibit B: (again with the clicking)



My work is done.

Home sweet home

I spent the majority of my absence from Japan back home in New Zealand. I slowly meandered my way around the country starting in Christchurch and Timaru (the only draw card of this place being it’s close proximity to a Gluten Free bakery- they even have Gluten Free pies!) before heading up north to Rotorua, Napier, Wairoa, Taupo and finally back home to Wellington. It was extremely busy and I had an awesome time catching up with friends and family but in a way it made it even harder to return to Japan. I guess you realize that no matter how big and exciting the city you live in may be, it really is the people, your friends and the relationships you have with those people that make up the whole experience of where you choose to live. So sometimes yea. it’s hard.

Scenery down south

Taupo

Pedey, Regan and co.

Rob.

Miriam, Lyds & Maily at my leaving dinner

How do you use chopsticks?

Ebz, Bam and Ben- he was on fire.

And then we let him loose on town...

After leaving New Zealand with a full blown chest infection the flight was unpleasant to say the least. By the time I arrived in Hong Kong, where I had decided to treat myself to a short retail therapy retreat I had managed to completely lose my voice. This made the trip form airport to hotel and the check-in process rather daunting. It involved a lot of squawking and dramatic gesturing on my part.



After a good nights sleep, not even the excruciatingly painful cold I had could keep me away from the call of Nathan Road, one of the main shopping districts of Kowloon. I spent the day exploring and only managed to get lost once.




I also headed to the famous ladies market where I was literally pulled and pushed around by obnoxious stall keepers adamant that they could offer the best price whether I actually felt the need for their product or not. I came away with a new bag and the odd piece of tacky jewelery.



It didn’t take long before I had difficulty differentiating between stalls- they all sold pretty much the same thing so I took comfort in returning to the free nibbles and cocktails provided by my new found home…the executive lounge.

I left Hong Kong the following afternoon after a few dramas with the hotel, meaning I had to get my assertive on. I managed to relax on the four hour flight back to Japan, rest my very sore feet and reflect.....

The second rubbish bin I saw on fire during my short stay for that matter.

Mmm Ice cream

Tofu-man: a force to be reckoned with, he's like, everywhere.

I have been back in Japan for 3 days now and can safely say not much has changed:

1. It’s still hot. And sweaty.
2. They still speak Japanese
3. A watermelon still cost’s roughly $20