After visiting the Toka Ebisu festival, we decided to finish off the night with some karaoke at a small joint near our apartments that was amusingly called, "Sound Bird." From just looking at it across the street, Richard felt sorry for the place because he thought it wasn't getting a lot of business, but it turned out to be doing pretty well and was even more expensive than the major joints in the heart of Namba.

I've only been to karaoke twice in my life, and I have to say, this visit with Rich was MUCH more fun than the time I went with a bunch of friends whose sole ambition was to scream drunkenly into the mic. @_@ I laughed so hard at some of the weird voices and dances he did. Here's Richie being comparatively mellow, singing Karma Police by Radiohead.

One of best things about karaoke in Japan is the funny mistakes they make in the lyrics. For example, the typo in Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana -- "I've been drawn into your magnet tar PIE trap" -- transformed a verse of somber imagery into one of a culinary mishap.

(Jan. 11, '09)