Just like how the word karaoke itself comes from Japanese, Japan is full of karaoke chain stores—like, literally everywhere.
And if you’re like me, living in a tiny apartment, you can’t exactly scream your lungs out without getting a neighbor complaint. But sometimes, you just need to scream, right?
That’s when I go for HitoKara—solo karaoke! You rent this tiny little 3-tatami-sized room all to yourself and go absolutely wild.
The beauty of solo karaoke? No waiting time between songs, no one watching, and you can sing whatever the heck you want. It’s refreshing as hell! Honestly, it’s luxury.
(Okay, sometimes they put you in a giant room meant for like 15 people just because nothing else is available, and you feel weirdly small in the middle of it—but hey, that’s its own kind of luxury.)
So today I’m gonna walk you through my karaoke routine. It’s actually a pretty well-optimized system, so hear me out. I usually book a one-hour slot, so I’ll include a rough timeline too.
0–5 min:
Most places require a one-drink order, so first thing I do after entering the room is: order that drink. Immediately. Then, off to the bathroom. Going in the middle of the session is such a waste of precious singing time. And trust me—ordering the drink early is key. If they deliver it while you’re belting out a song, it gets awkward. Avoid that.
If the drink hasn’t arrived by the time I’m back, then I turn on “Precision Scoring” mode right away. Not because I care about the score, but because it’s super helpful when I lose track of the pitch.
And while the first song plays (it can be a placeholder track—you don’t even have to sing it), I use that time to queue up as many songs as possible. Ideally, your drink shows up during this phase. That way, you don’t get caught mid-performance by a staff member (unless you’re the type who’s totally fine with being seen—go off, then).
In solo karaoke, efficiency is everything. If you get your setlist ready while waiting for your drink, you can focus entirely on singing once the real session begins. Pro, right?
5–10 min:
Once the drink’s here, I always start with “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor to warm up my voice.
Weirdly, this song just lets me use a different kind of vocal technique—it helps me remember the “right” way to sing. Like, instead of choking your throat, you open it way up and let the sound come from way back, like your throat is some kind of a trombone tube. Makes sense? lol.
If I jump into other songs too quickly, I sometimes strain my voice without realizing it and hurt my throat. But with this one, I ease into it gently, and the lyrics are full of self-love and empowerment, so it puts me in a great mood too. I don’t know why, but I Will Survive is a non-negotiable in my routine.
After that, I try to keep using the same open-throat technique for the rest of the songs, and it usually keeps me from getting tired or sore.
10–25 min:
Now we get to the meat of the first half: a nonstop relay of anime songs—just the first verses, especially from Precure OPs and EDs! This is the kind of luxury you can only enjoy in solo karaoke.
I go wild with songs from HiroPri (Hirogaru Sky Precure), DepaPuri (Delicious Party Precure), WanPuri (Wonderful Precure), KimiPri (You and Idol Precure), ToroPri (Tropical Rouge Precure)… All my faves from the post-2020 era when I officially became a Precure fan. That era hits hard, okay? I love Cure Zukyoon.
Why only the first verse of each song?
Because that’s all you ever hear in the anime! Sorry, verse two… I just never had the chance to really learn you. (I’d love to write a whole post just about Precure shows someday!)
As for other anime songs—I’ll throw in classics like Butterfly from Digimon or A Cruel Angel’s Thesis from Evangelion. They’re super fun to sing, and honestly, having them in your karaoke arsenal is great for group sessions too. Never a bad idea to practice them.
10–25 min (optional):
If I have a karaoke outing with friends coming up soon, I’ll sometimes use this time to try out new songs and expand my lineup. I just play a song I recently discovered and give it a shot. That way I know whether it suits my voice and if it’s a good karaoke pick overall. Practical and fun.
25–45 min:
Here it is. The main event. My personal highlight: a full-on emotional detox session with Ava Max!
Kings & Queens, OMG What’s Happening, So Am I—absolute bangers.
Ava’s songs are surprisingly easy to sing, and if you’ve been listening casually, chances are you’ll remember a good chunk of the lyrics. Even if it’s your first time singing them at karaoke, you’ll probably manage just fine.
And the lyrics? Power-packed and overflowing with self-love energy. Nothing lifts my mood quite like singing those out loud. I play Ava all the time at home too, but actually singing the songs myself is a whole different kind of joy.
In the same vibe, I might branch out into Bebe Rexha’s Self Control or Demi Lovato’s Heart Attack—though I’m not quite there yet. One day! I really wanna dig deeper into that genre moving forward and broaden my repertoire.
45–55 min:
Time to wrap things up—ideally with songs I love or ones I know I can sing well! Stuff like Money Money Money by ABBA or Furansu Kabure by Charan-Po-Rantan. My voice fits lower ranges pretty well, so I go for songs in that range where I can just vibe. Oh, and Chijou no Hoshi by Miyuki Nakajima is an absolute banger for the finale.
Around this point in the session, it helps to know the length of the songs you’re queuing. That way, you can fit everything nicely before time’s up.
Also—pro tip—they always call you about 10 minutes before the end to ask if you want to extend. It totally interrupts the mood, so just expect it and plan around it. I rapid-fire a few final favs and call it a day.
55 min:
Leave with time to spare! If the place has multiple floors and you need the elevator to get out, getting stuck waiting could mean being charged for overtime. Not worth it. I know it’s hard to leave, but it’s best to dip out early and avoid the risk.
Ahh, what a blast! That is my one-hour solo karaoke routine.
A note on song selection:
You might be wondering—”Where are all the Aqua songs? What about bubblegum dance?!” I love them, no doubt. But here’s the thing: dance music and karaoke don’t usually go well together.
Dance tracks tend to have long instrumental sections so they are not always satisfying to sing at karaoke. I usually blast them at home and dance around instead. 😂
Sure, sometimes I’ll add them into karaoke, but I left them out of this routine for a reason. These days, what I want most out of karaoke is the freedom to sing my heart out—so that’s what I focused on.
But when I do sing bubblegum dance at karaoke, I usually go for stuff like Roses Are Red by Aqua or Butterfly by Smile.dk.
Also, there’s another issue: Most of the bubblegum dance tracks I wrote about in my blog just don’t exist in Japanese karaoke systems!
Unless it’s a super-famous song, you’re out of luck. Western music in general is kind of limited here, especially niche genres. Even Choose Your Fighter by Ava Max isn’t on DAM yet. Ugh. If Caramell shows up at all, it’s usually just Caramell Dansen.
So yeah, I went with a setlist that I know I can sing and enjoy in the current lineup.
Back in the day, I used to feel like I had to be “good” at singing, and solo karaoke was my way to practice. But now? Not really a big deal. These days, I focus more on songwriting, programming, and other creative things I’m actually good at. That’s more than enough for my self-worth. Singing is just for joy.
So yeah—solo karaoke is great for when you’re feeling kinda lonely after hanging out with friends and don’t wanna just go straight home. Or when you’re overwhelmed and need to scream it out.
It’s also great for practicing songs you wanna sing at your next group hang.
What about you? Got any go-to songs for solo karaoke?
Catch you in the next post 💖