Japanese Karaoke, Without Leaving the House! It's Quarantine Karaoke

Nationwide Entertainment Stayhome

2020.04.27

Stay home, stay safe, and learn a new favorite Japanese karaoke song, thanks to official JOYSOUND karaoke on Youtube.

Japan is the home of karaoke, and the country's love for the tradition knows no bounds. High school students after school, busy office workers looking to blow off a little steam, friends who missed the last train home, even individuals who just love to sing their hearts out private little booths, in Japan they all flock to karaoke. And while you'll still find smaller karaoke bars out there populated by elderly Japanese folks, these days private-booth karaoke reigns supreme, with one or more of the popular chains near every major station.

🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵

With the outbreak of coronavirus in Japan, people are staying home, practicing social distancing, and avoiding the social outings that would usually involve a few hours in a karaoke establishment. Just because people are staying home, though, doesn't mean the love of belting out tunes to a karaoke backing track has faded! Which is why JOYSOUND has taken action. Grab yourself a cup of tea with honey and lemon, and get ready to rock.

🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤

JOYSOUND is one of the larger chains of private-booth karaoke spots in Japan, with over 100 locations, but instead of trying to convince customers to leave their houses for karaoke, they're taking a more generous route: Youtube karaoke.

Their new Ouchi de Utaou (おうちで歌おう, literally "Let's Sing at Home") playlist on Youtube features 100 songs - 100 karaoke videos complete with backing tracks and all the lyrics, for anyone to enjoy for free. The 100 songs might be a paltry number when compared with the thousands of songs customers can enjoy when actually visiting a karaoke place, but for free at-home karaoke, it's not bad. The collection of Japanese songs includes some of the most popular karaoke tracks from recent years, and let me tell you, there are some bops.

The Ouchi de Utaou playlist is available for the duration of Japan's current state of emergency, which means that it should currently stay up until May 6, 2020.

Not Sure What to Sing?
Here are Some Recommendations for Your Newest Japanese Karaoke Jam

「恋」/ 星野源
Koi / Gen Hoshino
Singer-songwriter and general celebrity Gen Hoshino has been in the news recently thanks to the popularity of his #stayhome-themed song "Dancing on the Inside." One of his most popular singles, however, is the song "Koi" (meaning love, in this case - not fish). It's a simple, catchy, positive pop tune to keep you in good spirits as you quarantine.

前前前世 (movie ver.)」/ RADWIMPS
Zenzenzense (movie ver.)」/ RADWIMPS
Inside Japan and out, anime movie Your Name (君の名は/Kimi no Na wa) was an enormous hit, beating out Ghibli favorite Spirited Away to become the highest-grossing anime movie of all time. The movie stayed in some Japanese theaters for almost an entire year! And that movie was scored by popular Japanese rock band RADWIMPS, including the movie's theme song, Zenzenzense. Of course, the song isn't just popular thanks to its presence in a beloved movie - it made it to the Billboard charts for 2016 on its own merits, as an energetic pop-rock jam perfect for when you need to do a little dramatic karaoke singing into your hairbrush.

「世界に一つだけの花」/ SMAP
Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana / SMAP
Japanese boyband SMAP, one of many successful Johnny's Entertainment groups, has been coming out with smash hits and breaking records since debuting in 1991. They're the most famous boyband in Japan, and with so many years of success under their belts, there are endless SMAP songs that have become beloved karaoke favorites in Japan. The 2003 single Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana is a song that will make anyone living in Japan for long enough at least think "oh yeah I've heard this before somewhere." Whether you're a talented singer or not, it's easy to join in on a round of this sappy boyband classic.

「365日の紙飛行機」/ AKB48
365 Nichi no Kamihikouki / AKB48
These days, it almost feels like it wouldn't be real Japanese karaoke without the inclusion of at least one song from 48+ member Japanese girl group AKB48. This song is a surprisingly soulful number comparing life to a gliding paper plane, and the relaxed pace makes it a good choice for those new to Japanese karaoke.

「君はロックを聴かない」/ あいみょん
Kimi wa Rock wo Kikanai / Aimyon
Last but not least, serenade yourself with this track from cool girl Japanese singer-songwriter Aimyon!

Whether you love Japanese pop music, are hoping to brush up your Japanese language skills with a little new lyrical vocabulary, or just love to sing karaoke, you're going to love this playlist. Every single one of the 100 songs is a great karaoke choice, and there are plenty more classics that you hear at just about every karaoke outing (looking at you Chiisana Koi no Uta) than we could add to this list. So set up a little karaoke night, by yourself or with some friends over Zoom, and let us know what your favorite Japanese karaoke track on Youtube is! On the Japankuru twitter, instagram, and facebook.