How a karaoke box works
At the front desk you say how many people, how long you want (30 minutes, an hour, or free time, フリータイム) and, if you care, which machine, DAM or JOYSOUND. You pay a room charge (室料) per person per 30 minutes, and many chains add a one-drink rule (ワンドリンク制): each person orders at least one drink per visit, not one every half hour. At Karaoke Kan and Manekineko, for example, the rule is one drink per person per stay. You pay at the front desk or a self-checkout machine when you leave.
Members pay less than the general price, so the first visit often starts with a sign-up. Karaoke Kan's membership now lives in its app, and on 30-minute plans one member in the room gets everyone the member rate. Manekineko is members-only: one person in the group registers on the first visit with photo ID, where a passport works, and a smartphone that can make calls, because the membership card is an app.
In the room, a touch-panel remote does everything: search, queue songs, change the key, turn on scoring. On DAM machines it is called デンモク (denmoku) and on JOYSOUND キョクナビ (kyokunavi), and JOYSOUND's app can turn your own phone into the remote. Drinks and food are ordered by the room phone or tablet, and the front desk usually calls shortly before your time is up to ask whether you want to extend (延長, encho).
- フリータイム: one price for a long block within set hours.
- 延長: extension. Say it when the room phone rings near the end.
- Rooms usually have two wireless mics; a few rooms at some chains take four.
The chains and how they differ
Big Echo (ビッグエコー) is run by Daiichikosho, the company behind DAM karaoke machines, and has branches around the main stations of Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. Karaoke Kan (カラオケ館) has more than 80 shops in Tokyo, many filling a whole building near a station, with an English website, machines and menus in English, Chinese and Korean, and cards and most mobile payments accepted.
Manekineko (カラオケまねきねこ), run by Koshidaka, says it has more karaoke shops than any other chain in Japan, and many of its branches let you bring your own food and drinks, although some do not, so check the store page. JOYSOUND is mainly a machine brand that you will find in rooms at most chains, and it also runs its own shops. Every chain lists each branch's machines, prices and hours online, and at many the current price board stands by the entrance.
- Prices differ by branch, weekday and hour. Check the board by the door before you go in.
- Ask for DAM or JOYSOUND when you book if a particular song matters to you.
What it costs: half-hour rates, free time and drink plans
Rates are per person per 30 minutes, and they move with the clock. Weekday daytime is cheapest, with some branches charging only a few hundred yen or less per half hour, evenings and weekends cost more, and member and student rates sit below the general price; students need a student ID or the app badge. Add one drink each where the drink rule applies.
Free time (フリータイム) is a flat price for a long block. Many branches run it in the daytime, and night free time, from late evening until around 5am, is the classic way to wait for the first train. Packs with all-you-can-drink (飲み放題) or a soft-drink bar are sold at most chains, and some branches include a drink bar in every plan. If you will stay three hours or more, ask the desk to compare free time with paying by the half hour; it is often cheaper. Karaoke Kan's FAQ (in Japanese) explains its rules in detail.
- Show the membership app or student ID when you check in, not when you pay.
- Under-20s cannot order alcohol, and staff may check everyone's ID for all-you-can-drink plans.
- Holiday periods such as the New Year can have different prices.
English songs, solo karaoke and fan rooms
Both DAM and JOYSOUND carry a large selection of English songs alongside Korean and Chinese ones, and at chains used to visitors the remote can be switched to English. Search by artist in the Latin alphabet, and check the makers' websites beforehand if one song matters. Many Japanese hits play with the original music video (本人映像) instead of stock footage, which is half the fun with anime songs and J-pop.
Going alone, ヒトカラ (hitokara), is completely normal, and every chain takes solo guests, though a branch may turn you away when it is full. 1Kara (ワンカラ) is built for it: one-person booths with studio headphones and a condenser mic, a drink bar, and staff who never open your door. It has branches in Shinjuku, open 24 hours, Ueno and Minami-Ikebukuro, and it is members-only, so bring ID.
Karaoke chains are also part of fan culture. They regularly run collaborations with anime series and K-pop groups, with themed rooms, special drinks and goods, and fans book rooms to watch concert videos together on the big screen. Karaoke Kan's collaboration page and Manekineko's collaboration site list what is on.
- Type artist names in the Latin alphabet, the way they are spelled abroad.
- Collaboration rooms can book up fast. Reserve as soon as booking opens.
Booking, late nights and age rules
Walking in works most of the time. Friday and Saturday nights, evenings before holidays and the year-end party season fill up, so book ahead for those or for a big group: Karaoke Kan takes bookings online and through LINE, Manekineko through its reservation site or by phone, and Big Echo branches by phone. Large party rooms for ten or more are best booked.
Many branches near the big stations stay open until morning and a few run 24 hours, which makes karaoke the standard place to wait for the first train after missing the last one. Under Tokyo's youth ordinance, under-18s may not be let into karaoke boxes from 11pm to 4am, and chains add their own rules: at Karaoke Kan, under-16s may stay until 6pm and under-18s until 10pm, or 11pm with a parent.
Most rooms are non-smoking now, with smoking or heated-tobacco rooms at some branches. Keep the door closed, do not open windows to sing, and leave the room as you found it, since damage is charged.
- Book for Friday and Saturday nights, especially in December.
- Night free time usually ends around the first train. Check the end time when you check in.
