Hit It, Guys!

There's nothing like the sound of the Wadaiko (Japanese Drums) outside, mixing with the sound of the breeze ruffling the leaves, and an occasional chirping of the birds.


It's not everyday we get a chance to see a Wadaiko performance. This was at the Tiger Festival at Tamon Temple. And the amazing perfomance was done by the monks as part of the festival!

Sing it in the Box

This is for Lenola Daily Photo (amazing photos posted, go see!), who wanted to see what the karaoke box looks like at night!

You can see the guy in the orange jacket standing outside, looking for customers. Karaoke boxes usually have these staff outside. But my friend and I don't need any convincing, we're already heading there anyways!

These days, we're working on Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillet's duet song 'Lucky.' It's a really really great song!

Do you have a favorite duet song?

Sing, Sing a Song!

Karaoke. People either love it or hate it.

Karaoke comes from the two words 'Kara (empty)' and 'Orchestra,' and was originally used when artists would sing without the actual orchestra and instead use a tape or when band members would practice without the vocalist. Then in the 70's, the first karaoke machine was introduced and from then on it's become popular worldwide.

Tokorozawa's Prope Dori, the shopping arcade near the station, has a lot of places to karaoke. Karaoke Kan, in the photo above, is one of the biggest karaoke chains in Japan.



Inside karaoke boxes we use this machine as a remote control to find songs by artist, title, etc. There are over 130 thousand songs to choose from, including songs in English, Chinese, Korean, and Filipino.

People here go karaoke with friends, family, and co-workers. Some even go alone to practice. I have to admit, once you get the hang of it, it really is fun to belt out a couple of tunes!

What's your favorite song to sing?

Small Tuba Player

I know this photo is out of focus...but she was just SO ADORABLE, I had to post it.

This little girl was trying so hard to carry her large tuba, that was starting to slide down, while blowing her heart out. All the people watching were cheering her on with a big 'Ganbare!' shout. It was really sweet.