Learn Japanese with these 6 Easy Karaoke Picks

Karaoke (カラオケ)—literally “empty orchestra”—is a worldwide activity we’re all familiar with. Recent numbers show that there are over 8,300 karaoke facilities in Japan. (For comparison, the country only has about 3,000 McDonald’s outlets!)

Karaoke is a social event. Making the effort to sing a song in Japanese will do wonders to bring you closer with your friends or co-workers, and you’ll also find a surprising amount of knowledge to be gained through studying lyrics. And, it’s just plain fun!

This article will share some Japanese song recommendations for your next time on the mic, ranked based on popularity and difficulty. We’ll also share a quick overview of the different karaoke outlets in Japan so you can plan your next visit.

The surprising link between singing and language learning

Think about it. What’s more fun to memorise: a vocab list for a test or the lyrics to your favourite song?

The latter barely requires effort, because it all comes through natural repetition and enjoyment. It doesn’t even feel like study... and, yet, you’re learning! It’s clear there’s something going on beneath the surface here. So, what does the research have to say?

Studies have shown that songs facilitate the memorization of information. You probably don’t remember the formulas you learned in seventh grade math class, but you can likely recall timetables or the alphabet with a little jingle all these years later. It turns out that there's reason to this rhyme:

In 2015, a group of researchers had one group of students memorize a song and another learn the same text as a poem. As it turned out, the singing group were better able to recall the words, did a better job remembering what they meant, and had better pronunciation.

If you’re a natural born singer, there’s more good news. Research has found that musical aptitude and language aptitude are closely linked, leading to a feedback loop of benefits; like better pitch recognition and keener working memory.

This doesn’t mean you need some phoney-baloney "talent" to squeeze the juice out of a sing-a-long, though. I’m the biggest proponent for the joy of karaoke, and I’m about as tone-deaf as nails on a chalkboard. (Fun fact: the Japanese word for "tone-deaf", 音痴 (onchi)

is literally "sound stupid").

This is where the secret power of karaoke in Japan comes in. Allow us to expand upon the culture of karaoke in Japan and how this differs to other parts of the world.

Karaoke as part of Japanese culture

Think of karaoke as a team sport.

Solos are given respect and encouragement in the form of clapping along to the beat and not joining in. Some booths may even come with tambourines to heighten the engagement. In Japan, it’s all about the fun experience you create with your friends. There are even 一人カラオケ

(hitori karaoke, "one-person" karaoke) rooms and booths!

Karaoke is performed in private rooms instead of onstage. Your comfort is of top concern. Drinks and food are literally brought to you. You can even control the temperature of the room!

Because karaoke is so welcoming, this makes it the perfect environment to learn a bit of Japanese and to deepen social bonds with your Japanese friends. Learning Japanese in a vacuum will not get you far; it’s important to use the language in meaningful ways to connect with those around you.

So in short, karaoke in Japan is:

Oh, and it’s been shown that a cheeky drink helps you to speak a foreign language better.

(Editor's note: Consume responsibly. Migaku is not responsible for what you do with this information.)

Japanese song recommendations at a glance

So, for those without a frame of reference for popular Japanese music, we’re here to help. These songs have been selected with specific consideration given to Japanese learners.

The focus is on:

Having said that:

I'm my own person with my own tastes and biases. I encourage you to dive into the world of Japanese music yourself and find what makes you happy. The joy of singing along comes from putting your voice to lyrics that are meaningful to you!

Got that? Okay, testing 1, 2.

1. 新宝島 (New Treasure Island) - サカナクション (2015)

The view count speaks for itself. I don’t know a single Japanese person who doesn’t know this song.

Created by the five-piece band Sakanaction, Shin Takarajima (New Treasure Island) was originally written with the manga Bakuman (about a child who dreams of becoming a mangaka) in mind. The song ended up being featured in the live-action film, and this relation is also why you’ll encounter many words relating to drawing in the lyrics.

For example:

Shin Takarajima comes in at number one in this list because its popularity, pace and vocabulary mesh together to create the perfect karaoke song for learners.

In general, though, Sakanaction have a great discography. Chances are, if you explore, you’ll be able to find more songs of theirs that are easy to sing along to, such as Aoi (2013) and アイデンティティ (2011).

2. 小さな恋のうた (A Little Love Song) - MONGOL800 (2001)

Play this song and chances are you’ll hear someone say エモい

—so nostalgic!. It’s one of those emotionally moving songs that, even if you didn’t first hear it 10+ years ago, will still strike a cord today.

The story of MONGOL800 is a fascinating one—they're an Okinawan band who hit it big with this song through a grassroots promotion. It’s with this background that 小さな恋のうた (A Small Love Song) feels special; so special that it has been covered hundreds of time. There’s even a whole movie titled after this one song!

The chorus is easy to learn, but its simplicity is its beauty.

For example:

The verses may be harder to pick out in the original track because the instrumentals are amped up and the singer slurs a bit. Nevertheless, there’s a myriad of hugely popular covers you can listen to, such as those by Takahashi Rie or Amatsuki. Either way, most people sing this song for the sole reason of going all out on the chorus, anyway, so don’t stress if you’re don’t get it perfect! Nobody will mind if you can’t get 100% of the lyrics correct, because your willingness to try is what matters.

3. オドループ (Oddloop) - フレデリック (2014)

The discography of Frederic has been described as “cheer music” and it’s not hard to see why. The Kobe rock band have a distinctive upbeat sound that makes it hard to not tap your foot along.

In fact, this song in particular is all about dancing freely to music. That’s where the title comes from: odd from 踊る (odoru: to dance) and loop, like the loop of a song.

Looping is a huge part of the song, so if you just spend a little time learning the chorus, you’ll be golden. Maybe you can use that time saved on lyrics to learn the choreography from the music video too! The sky’s the limit in a private karaoke room. (I mean, actually the ceiling is, but you get the idea).

4. 本能 (Instinct) - 椎名林檎 (1999)

Just because we’re sorting by easy lyrics doesn’t mean we can’t sound cool. If you have a hankering (like me) to roll your r’s all the time in Japanese, a Shiina Ringo song is a fantastic outlet for this.

Go ahead and try rolling your r’s here with the beginning of the chorus!

I know I said there wouldn't be any operatic-level songs... but Shiina Ringo has some pipes on her. You might find it a bit hard to follow along. Alas, I have a golden rule: If you’re worried about how you sound during karaoke, you’re not doing it right.

5. 愛 ♡ スクリ～ム！ (AiScReam) - ラブライブ！(2025)

Despite being a character song from the Love Live! anime series, this song has trended massively, to the point where people outside of the Japanese bubble may have heard it in a passing meme. If you’re one for idol music, chances are you’re already aware!

All about ice cream flavours and sweet love, the lyrics are quite cute and straightforward! Take the trending lyric, for instance:

Like many Japanese songs, AiScReam includes many English lyrics—it’s thought to give a song more charm and global feel.

Then, while this song in particular recently became quite a thing, you should know that anime is not necessarily a widespread interest in japan. Read the room before belting out an anime song. (But if you're in a room full of other otakus, then by all means go all out!)

6. Dream Fighter - Perfume (2008)

Remember what I said about finding songs that are meaningful to you?

This song may not be as well known, but in service of bringing you singable lyrics to connect with, I think you’ll find it encouraging.

In similar vein to Frederic, this is a cheer song intended to lift you up. It’s all about fighting for your dreams despite the challenges you will face. Having songs like these to come back to while you study will make a world of difference and here’s why:

For starters, this was one of the first ever J-Pop songs I heard. That was a long long time ago; so long ago that I forgot it for a huge chunk of my life. But when I rediscovered it after years of studious Japanese study, I found that I understood the lyrics without needing to refer to fanlyrics or translations. Everything just clicked. It’s difficult how to describe how powerful this type of experience is.

Hang in there and fight for your dreams!

No subtitles? Migaku can generate them for you 💪

If you're singing at home, you might have noticed that a disappointing amount of Japanese music videos lack subtitles:

And this, understandably, can put quite the damper on your singing sessions.

That's where Migaku comes in.

Just click that wand in the top-right-ish corner (it's marked with an orange exclamation point).

The result looks just like normal subtitles... but there are two big differences:

If you happen to find a lyric you love or a word you want to remember, you can just click the orange button in the top-right corner of a dictionary to make a flashcard out of it:

Learn Japanese with Migaku

The best karaoke chains in Japan

Now that you’ve got some songs under your belt, here are the top karaoke outlets in Japan—plus some personal tips.

The final note

Karaoke is a novel way to engage with your language of choice because it marries language comprehension and output with social enrichment. Karaoke in Japan strips all of the hindrances of stage fright and pressure, leaving you with memories you’ll undoubtedly cherish for a long time.

Remember, songs and learning go hand in hand: when you spend enough time with a song, it will add to your Japanese repertoire. And that's important because...

So get out there and break a leg!