Birthday Weekend

So last weekend was my birthday weekend.  Andrew took me on a shopping spree at Avail and Shimamura, clothing stores on the way to the east gate of school from the seminar houses, and I got a lot of cool clothes and super cute sheep pillow/toy/thing.  That night we also enjoyed a parfait bigger than my face.  The following night, I got together with a bunch of friends for dinner at a kaiten zushi called Sushi Roll, and then we karaoked for four hours at Jankara.

Karaoke is a big thing in Japan.  People in Japan usually live in very small homes, and when they entertain guests, they usually invite them out to places like restaurants, bars (also known as izakayas here in Japan), or karaoke.  In America, most people visit each other’s homes to hang out, and when they go out they also do similar things.  However, in America, karaoke is not usually an option.  Most people go out to eat, go malling or shopping together, see a movies, etc.  Karaoke’s popularity in America only extends up to public karaoke at bars and pubs or doing at home with your own machine or on a gaming platform like the Wii or Playstation.  In Japan, karaoke is a perfectly valid outing and amazingly popular.  High schoolers and middle schoolers often go to karaoke after school or on the weekends.  I’ve seen older women chilling in karaoke rooms in the early afternoon.  Salarymen also go to karaoke with co-workers.  People go on dates to karaoke places.  Conclusion:  Everyone and their mom goes to karaoke in Japan.  The thing is, no one expects you to be a good singer or to put on a show in front of others.  It’s a really cool way to chill, relieve stress by belting out your favorite songs, and just have fun.  (I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before lol.)

Now that I’ve been in Japan for over six months, I’ve really come to love karaoke.  It’s one of my favorite hobbies now.  Anytime my friends and I are at a lost for what to do for fun, I automatically think karaoke.  I’m really going to miss the accessibility and cheapness of karaoke places once I return to America.  For sure.

Aaaaaand, that’s why I went to karaoke for my birthday.  It was an awesome time.  I had some friends who came from UF with me, other international student friends I had made, a Japanese friend who was kind enough to help make the reservation there for me, and UF alumni friends who were currently living in Japan.  We drank~, we danced, we sang, we laughed.  I was really happy and a very contented birthday girl.  It was a really fun time, and I can’t wait to go to karaoke again sometime soon!  ^__^

 P.S. - Pictures courtesy of Andrea and Rachel (KiraKiraLolita on youtube).   Thanks!

P.P.S. - Here's the video to accompany this post!
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi0RgKGOoFw
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