Karaoke

Tokyo: 23rd -31st October

Many great, and not so great, things are attributed to the Japanese; state of the art electronics, sushi and Hello Kitty. One of their finer inventions, however, must be the karaoke box.

Tokyo is full of them. On every street you can see the distinctive red and blue neon sign beckoning you in. We couldn't resist.

For those who have been to the karaoke box in Soho, and still live to tell the tale after enduring Mike's singing, these boxes could not have been more different. The rooms are clean and spacious, the selection of songs more comprehensive and cold beer is served. They even come equipped with neon flashing lights, a nice touch I thought.

After spending 3 hours singing euro pop and listening to japan pop (including the theme tune to Monkey), we went for some food with Chikako and her friend. Having sung his little heart out, Ed ordered a dish of raw horse meat, which he claimed was called 'Daddy, I want a pony!'.