All Alone Karaoke

[Carmine Osterland]

Despitethe fact that I came down with a nasty virus on Tuesday that may or may not have been linked to spending hours in crowded rooms surrounded by people shriek-screaming, I will absolutely do it again. (I refuse to blame the karaoke. It was DEFINITELY the conference.)

So yeah. I was anxious before I went. And I kept trying to talk myself out of it. Especially on Saturday, since I was still tired from my excursion the night before. I was so indecisive I even posted an Instagram poll asking whether or not I should go. (72 percent of viewers told me yes.)

Last Friday night, when I was in Philadelphia for a conference, I took myself to a bar to sing karaoke. Then, on Saturday night, I took myself to a different bar to sing different (live band!) karaoke. It\u2019s the first time \u2014 two times \u2014 that I\u2019ve ever gone to karaoke by myself.

I want to disavow you of the notion that I\u2019m an extrovert who likes meeting people and being tossed into novel social situations. I am literally the opposite. I\u2019m a socially anxious introvert and I hate nothing more than walking into a room in which I know no one.

I ended up going not because I was told to, but because I realized I couldn\u2019t not go. It\u2019s so rare that I get to set my own agenda. It\u2019s so rare that I get to decide exactly what I\u2019m doing and when and for how long. I wanted to take advantage of my weekend of freedom and do something I love. (And singing with a live band is, frankly, not to be missed. I haven\u2019t done it since I was 27. If you enjoy karaoke and live in or around Philly, go to Fergie\u2019s Pub on a Friday or Saturday; you won\u2019t regret it.)

Turning 45 has also made me more ambitious about making time and opportunities for myself. I often lament that I don\u2019t get to do karaoke as much as I would like. So when the opportunity presented itself, I was going to take it, dammit, even if it meant I\u2019d be half dead the next morning. I\u2019m often tired in service of others; why not get tired in the service of myself? Why does it feel like a less worthwhile choice if it\u2019s just for me? Why isn\u2019t it a more worthwhile choice if it\u2019s for me?

When you go to karaoke in Japan, you usually rent a small room with your friends and sing the night away by yourselves. It's perfect for people who love singing, but don't love performing in front of strangers.

Before we talk about our experience at 1Kara, I think it's worth explaining why Japanese people go to karaoke alone. Sure, you might just want to practice, but there is a larger culture of solo karaoke that most people outside Japan don't know about.

In the early 2000s, journalist Iwashita Kumiko (岩下久美子) coined the term Ohitorisama おひとりさま in her book of the same name. It refers to the idea of a woman living at a comfortable distance from others, so she can become more successful in her career and love life.

Many people in Japan are embarrassed to do things alone in public. But Ohitorisama gave people the courage to be comfortable with themselves, which made them relaxed and more successful in other areas of life.

As we entered the office, Terashima told us that part of the space would soon be renovated into another karaoke room for VIPs. The demand for hitokara is so high that the staff are giving up part of their office area just to accommodate more customers.

After storing our bags, Terashima started the tour. 1Kara is designed to look like a spaceship, from the hallway to the karaoke rooms and everywhere else. Entering a karaoke room feels like you're sitting at a control panel for some kind musical mission through the cosmos. In fact, each room is called a "pit" (short for cockpit) and the staff is called "the crew."

As we walked through the hallways, we were surprised by how quiet it was. There was absolutely zero sound coming from any of the karaoke boxes! This is completely different from other karaoke places where you can hear customer voices pretty clearly.

As we walked through the hallways, we were surprised by how quiet it was. Sure, there was soft Muzak-style broadcasts in various places, but there was absolutely zero sound coming from any of the karaoke boxes! This is completely different from other karaoke places where you can hear customer voices pretty clearly. And even though there is a small window on each door, you can barely see the person inside.

"We set this place up so that customers will feel as comfortable as possible," Terashima-san said. "Everyone must wear headphones when they sing and the music won't start unless the door is closed, so there is almost no sound leak; no worries about other people listening to you."

I smiled to myself, because it seemed like 1Kara was built just for me. It's wonderful to feel free enough to belt out your favorite tunes without any eavesdropper anxiety. Terashima-san also told us that the doors auto-lock, so no one can creep in while your back is turned.

That said, some women still feel unsafe singing alone with their backs to the door. So 1Kara has a "Ladies Only" space. Apparently, this addition evened the number of male and female customers so the ratio is now almost one to one.

"Each room comes with a stand microphone and a handheld one," Terashima continued. "Some people sit while they sing and others stand, depending on their preference. 1Kara is a place where you can really explore your vocal ability, so we keep out of the way as much as possible."

This "non-interference policy" even extends to refreshments. Most karaoke businesses have waiters who bring you food and drinks when you order. But 1Kara has a self-serve drink station, which is included in the price (just like Aisekiya Izakaya). Customers can go get drinks whenever they want, which means waiters won't be barging into your room right as you hit the best part of your favorite Adele song.

Of course, the self-serve drink stations don't offer alcohol. For that, you need to order at the front desk and bring it back to your room. The beer, naturally, is not free. There are snacks available too, which you also have to pay for at the front desk.

At most karaoke places, you get a call from a staff member giving you a "ten minute warning" when your time is almost over. But at 1Kara, this message simply appears on the screen next to all your karaoke lyrics. Now that's the discrete cherry on top of the privacy cake.

After our tour with Terashima, it was time for our Ohitorisama Koichi to sing his heart out, alone in a little box. But before he could do that, he had to become a 1Kara member by registering at a machine at the front desk. The one-time registration fee is only 300, but you also need a Japanese address and some valid form of ID (a passport will do).

Apparently, you can use your hotel address if you're traveling in Japan, but the entire registration process is in Japanese, so make sure you study your kanji! Even though the staff doesn't speak English, they'll always try to help you navigate their registration kiosks as best they can.

Koichi didn't bring his own headphones, so he had to rent a pair from 1Kara. They have a lot of headphone options of various prices and qualities, so you only need to bring your own if you're a super sound nerd.

Even though the room was only meant for one person, Viet went in too so he could take pictures. Koichi said it was a little cramped with two people, but probably would have been just fine if he was by himself.

The karaoke machines at 1Kara work like any other, but unfortunately, the one Koichi used wasn't great. It was built specifically for 1Kara locations back when the business launched in 2011, so it was older and didn't work as well as machines made by large technology companies like DAM or Joysound.

1Kara uses high quality condenser microphones, instead of the cheap handheld ones you get at most karaoke places. You can even set levels using a sound mixer, so your rendition of Hotel California is pitch perfect.

To test out the not-so-great machine, Koichi sang two songs: The Anpanman March and Bohemian Rhapsody. During both, the lyrics scroll was on point, but the 音程バー (musical interval bar), which guides you through the pitch changes, did not match the song. And when he searched for something else to sing, there weren't many songs that he knew. To be fair, Koichi listens to weird music, or no music at all most of the time, so "songs that he knows" is a very low bar indeed.

Later, Terashima apologized and told us they have other, newer machines that are more user-friendly for English customers. Rooms with those machines weren't available for us, so when you visit make sure to tell the front desk that you want a room with a DAM karaoke machine (this is one of the newest and best models).

But if Koichi has one true karaoke regret, it's that he spent too much time choosing songs and not enough time singing. This can happen at any karaoke place, so we recommend deciding on your songs beforehand, so you don't waste time scrolling through song lists.

Karaoke machine aside, all the equipment in the pit was really high quality and professional. A sound engineer could spend hours geeking out. 1Kara uses high quality condenser microphones, instead of the cheap handheld ones you get at most karaoke places. You can even set levels using a sound mixer, so your rendition of Hotel California is pitch perfect.

Koichi didn't realize it at the time, but there was a guide for using the mixer in the room. It's all in Japanese though, so you'll have to know a lot of kanji or try to get instructions from this website beforehand.

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