
Overview
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.
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4 - 1Mochi Rice Cake January 13, 2011
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4 - 2Watches and Clocks January 20, 2011
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4 - 3Fugu Blowfish January 27, 2011
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4 - 4Haneda Airport February 03, 2011
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4 - 5Kagura Dances February 10, 2011
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4 - 6Snow February 17, 2011
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4 - 7Pollen Allergy March 03, 2011
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4 - 8Sashimono Woodwork March 10, 2011
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4 - 9Cranes April 07, 2011
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4 - 10Kitchen Knives April 14, 2011
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4 - 11Fishing April 21, 2011
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4 - 12Armour April 28, 2011
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4 - 13Judo May 05, 2011
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4 - 14The Life of Taro Okamoto May 12, 2011
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4 - 15The Life of Osamu Dazai May 19, 2011
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4 - 16The Life of Kenzo Tange May 26, 2011
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4 - 17The Life of Hideko Maehata June 02, 2011
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4 - 18Toilets June 09, 2011
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4 - 19Lifts June 16, 2011
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4 - 20Motorcycles June 23, 2011
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4 - 21Unagi Eel June 30, 2011
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4 - 22Japanophiles - Ilan Yanizky July 07, 2011
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4 - 23Japanophiles - Silvain Guignard July 14, 2011
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4 - 24Japanophiles - Stéphane Danton July 21, 2011
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4 - 25Japanophiles - Dorothy Feibleman July 28, 2011
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4 - 26Plastic Food Samples August 18, 2011
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4 - 27Insects August 25, 2011
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4 - 28Traditional Japanese Mathematics September 01, 2011
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4 - 29Bicycles September 08, 2011
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4 - 30Chusonji September 15, 2011
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4 - 31Seaweed September 29, 2011
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4 - 32Charcoal October 06, 2011
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4 - 33Rain October 13, 2011
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4 - 34Golf October 20, 2011
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4 - 35Shipbuilding October 27, 2011
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4 - 36Japanophiles - Bruce Huebner November 03, 2011
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4 - 37Japanophiles - Noelke Muho November 10, 2011
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4 - 38Japanophiles - Matt Alt November 17, 2011
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4 - 39Karaoke November 24, 2011
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4 - 40Holidays December 01, 2011
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4 - 41Red Sea Bream December 08, 2011
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4 - 42Shopping Streets December 15, 2011
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4 - 43Chickens and Eggs December 22, 2011