The best karaoke bars to visit in Tokyo, Japan

Karaoke Kan

Karaoke is one of those things that are considered typically Asian, as you throw all conventions to the wind. If you want to go out then one of the most hilarious and cozy things you can do is hold a private karaoke session with your partner or friends.

Japanese people often come here after a long day of work, to wind down with some colleges. They order a couple drinks and if they get hungry some snacks like noodles or popcorn, and sing in a fun and relaxing social setting. This is easy to do as Karaoke Kan is quite an affordable Karaoke chain. And you can easily recognize the buildings by their red neon letter sign with a blue border.

Karaoke Kan is certainly one of the most popular karaoke chains in Tokyo and offers plenty of English language music. Of course there is plenty of Japanese music, but of course the Japanese are well familiar with the American and British musical legacy. All musical genres are pretty well represented in the offering of Karaoke Kan.

The Karaoke Kan branches can be found in most touristic districts as well. They can be found near the train stations in the most popular districts in Tokyo, so Karaoke Kan is usually quite easy to find for travelers like us. For the exact location you only have to look north of Shibuya station, north of Shinjuku station, west of Asakusa station, on two sides of Akihabara station and south of Ueno station. So if you are looking for one of the best places in Tokyo to enjoy some Karaoke, you will be happy to know Karaoke Kan can be found pretty much anywhere.

Arguably the most famous karaoke bar in Tokyo must be the Karaoke Kan north of Shibuya station though. As it was here that the karaoke scene with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson for the movie Lost in Translation was filmed in room 601 and 602. So if you are a movie buff it can be fun to check out.

Shidax

Shidax is a very popular karaoke chain in Japan and is also quite reasonably priced. It prides itself on being a restaurant and karaoke in one, which means besides karaoke they offer an extensive menu of little pancakes, Japanese treats, pizza or skewered meat. At Shidax you do have to order at least one item from the menu if you rent a karaoke box, but there is plenty to choose from so that shouldn’t be an issue. The karaoke boxes, which are the private rooms where you can do karaoke with your buddies, also look quite luxurious. In our experience the karaoke boxes look quite a bit fancier than its competition in the same price range, so you get a lot of value for your money.

Shidax also has special themed rooms for different demographics, for example a room with toys in case you bring kids along, a room for people who bring their dog along, a golf simulation room and so on. The both the variety and quality of the services provided by Shidax ensure that it can easily be considered one of the best karaoke bars in Tokyo.

The Shidax Karaoke boxes are housed in large buildings that you cannot miss, as they have big glowing letters saying Shidax on it. Shidax isn’t super widespread in Tokyo, but they can be found in the most important nightlife areas. You can find Shidax in the nightlife area of Tokyo called Roppongi and in the nightlife area Kabukicho of Shinjuku. The easiest one to reach one is probably the one directly to the west of Asakusa train station, on the side of the famous Sensoji buddhist temple, which you should visit anyway during your vacation.

Big Echo

You don’t really have to wonder what to sing at Big Echo karaoke as this karaoke box shop has every song your heart desires, from popular James Bond songs and famous British artists to obscure J-pop and popular anime songs. It’s no coincidence that Big Echo karaoke is arguably the largest karaoke chain in Japan!

Big Echo is one of the best karaoke bars in Tokyo because it offers a wide variety of rooms, including ones that allow you to record yourself singing and burn it on a cd. So you can always relive the magic you experienced in Tokyo. And of course you can treat yourself to some lovely japanese foods while outshining your favorite artist. Try out one of the anime themed rooms. And Big Echo also offers costumes so you can sing in style in your cosplay outfit.

As you wander through Tokyo you might wonder if there is any karaoke bar near me. With Big Echo karaoke bars this is always the case. You can find multiple Big Echo karaoke bars near pretty much every train station in Tokyo. The Shinjuku train station alone has three bars to the north of them, Shibuya two to the north of the train station, you will find two karaoke shops near the Ginza train station and Akihabara also has one to the east of the train station. All of them are located right next to the respective train station. So if you are looking for a Big Echo karaoke bar you never have to look far.

Pasela Resort

Pasela regularly gets voted as the best karaoke venue in Tokyo. That’s because they are unlike the other karaoke chains, as they offer nice dishes and great themed, anime and video game themed karaoke boxes. It’s quite stylish and nerdy at the same time and it’s marvelous. Especially Pasela Resorts in Akihabara is worth visiting, as that’s the one located in the manga and gaming district of Tokyo and has the matching designer rooms. When you’re in Tokyo you might as well go all out and visit the geeky things Tokyo is famous for.

The other Pasela karaoke venues, which can be found in Ginza, Roppongi and Shibuya, prefer a more upscale design, which is also why they refer to themselves as a resort. So if you are in a more professional crowd then you might want to avoid Akihabara and pick one of these locations for your nightly karaoke session.

The signature dishes of Pasela are the various honey breads it offers. Which are hard to describe, but they are basically an fancy ice cream dessert on top of a giant bread with honey. We’re not making this up, and it is in fact quite tasty. It’s not the cheapest place to get a karaoke box, but the immersive atmosphere makes more than up for it.

Uta Hiroba

If you are looking for karaoke on a budget then Uta Hiroba is unbeatable. And for that reason it’s also one of the more popular chains in Tokyo. As far as we’ve seen this place has some of the cheapest karaoke boxes in Tokyo. Added to that, they also offer ‘all you can drink’ deals, so you can always keep yourself hydrated and ready to sing.

Among other locations, Uta Hiroba can be found pretty much on the main street of Shinjuku, so it’s hard to miss. There is a wide variety of English songs, although the list is less up to date than with its competitors. The buildings is also not as flashy, but that’s perfectly fine if you are just looking for a good time and want to have fun.

Uta Hiroba also has a nice menu, where they offer things from takoyaki and ramen to strawberry pancakes. At Meet The Cities we also noticed they have regular actions and discounts, like during the summer they sometimes have all you can eat ice cream at some locations. Which is just icing on the cake for us.

One Coin Bar Champion

The nightlife area Golden Gai in Shinjuku, Tokyo is known for its many little bars. As you can imagine this is a good place to start looking for karaoke bars if you want a fun night out. One of the most notable karaoke bars here is fittingly called Champion, which is short for One Coin Bar Champion.

This standing bar is extremely popular among travelers for a good reason. Karaoke here costs less than a dollar, but of course they do expect you to get a drink. Unlike the karaoke boxes that other places offer, you can sing your songs here at the bar, making it closer to the western concept of karaoke bars. The people working at the bar are also surprisingly friendly and tend to speak a fair word of English.

Just like the other bars in Golden Gai it’s quite small. And if you get tired of karaoke you can just do a pub crawl in the area, to make your evening complete. So you can’t really go wrong with it.