I don’t know if many people here go to snacks but I live in Sapporo and the snacks here are 2000 Yen an hour Nomihoudai Utaihoudai and I enjoy going before a nomikai or if I have to meet a friend or something. I am just curious what you guys sing when you go. Usually, when I go, I am asked to sing a song in English which I am terrible at singing but they can’t tell the difference but then I hit them with some old ass Japanese shit like this and the reactions are priceless and never get old:
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俺ら東京さ行ぐだ 吉幾三
玉置浩二 Melody, aibo
西城秀樹 ギャランドゥ or 恋の季節
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if a younger crowd I sing songs like this:
サカナクション 20-30 years old
キマグレン LIFE 28-38 years old
What songs do you suggest I learn to blow the minds of people?
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Edit: Just wanted to add that I have been turned away from entering a snack for being foreigner but mostly it has been good. Sometimes when I go in alone, I am asked if I speak Japanese and when I say I do they are welcoming. Also, I don’t go to snacks that are for old dudes that want to speak to young girls. Usually it’s just the Mama san who is really old and old joren san that are 45-70 years old.
48 comments
A what?
Omg what is going to a snack like?
金太の大冒険
I’ve only ever entered a snack place once, in Onomichi’s old shopping arcade area (*shoutengai*). I sang Ayaka’s *Niji-iro* which was an *asadora* song, an old song from Kiroro, an old hit from Southern All Stars, and then *September* from Earth Wind & Fire to end the night—basically songs that appeal to the snack mama and the bartender jiiji. After I sang the first song the snack mama asked if I’m interested to compete in a karaoke taikai sometime that weekend, but I told her I was only a tourist who had to leave the next day and wouldn’t be able to attend the event.
Do you have a favorite スナック in Sapporo? Do you know any that don’t have カラオケ or singing? I like to go to スナック but find singing one’s noisy and not conducive to talking.
You could always try 老人と子供のポルカ
上を向いて歩こう and リンダリンダare also good
If you know general Enka and can follow their musical rules, let one of the older guys sing their song with you and just try to go with the flow. This kind of requires being able to read the words on the screen and adapting your tones to the lead singer.
雨上がりの夜空に always gets a good reaction.
2000 for a nomihoudai at a snack sounds pretty cheap. At some places that would barely cover the charm charge. I’m a pretty frequent snack goer. If you have a place that you get along well with the mama and you want to be a regular, I recommend keeping a bottle there even if you’re not going to drink it every time. Keeping a bottle at a place is a quick way to get into the good graces of the owner and get better service. Also offer to buy the ladies at the bar a drink every time you go.
I usually sing Japanese stuff like Southern All Stars and a mixture of old enka stuff. But people usually want to hear western music from the white guy so I also sing a lot of Beatles, Johhny Cash, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra and the like. That stuff goes well with the older crowd and usually the whole place will join in if you sing something like My Way or Hey Jude.
Most older Japanese folks know The Carpenters and appreciate hearing it. Superstar is one of my snack songs.
Mayim mayim is a great karaoke tune. Almost all of my Japanese friends know it and will do the dance. I don’t think it’s a good snack tune though.
Just do the intro to evangelion.
Thanks for the interesting post. In the summer season I find that an Okinawa-related song goes down quite well at a snack. I personally like to sing 島人ぬ宝 by BEGIN. Bonus points if you’re wearing a Hawaiian shirt!
My karaoke survival kit(English version): let it be, hey Jude, yellow submarine, Johnny be good.
Far too many people are afraid of going into snacks. The ones I’ve been too have only slightly been more expensive than a standard izakaya and so welcoming.
I’ve been too timid to sing 俺ら東京さ行ぐだ that’s awesome haha.
Some crowd favorites with older crowds I sing are
Akira fuze 君は薔薇より美しい
C-C-B ROMANTICが止まらない
Yoko Oginome Dancing Hero
Younger crowds I pick anything from L’arc an ciel or grey
Even younger just sing Aimyon marigold haha
what is a snack
Matsuken Samba because why not
It seems like this won’t be a problem for you, but pick songs you actually like or like to sing. If you happen to like songs that will impress others then that’s cool. It’s always awkward when someone just learns to sing songs to impress others rather than actually liking the song.
I love singing 上を向いて歩こう and it’s a crowd pleaser, but I’ve been singing it for years and was listening to it years before that. It’s a great song and has a lot of meaning for me.
Depending on the crowd will depend on which songs will be best, so it’s good to have a range of songs from different decades that you like. Sometimes older people enjoy songs that they listened to in their 30s or 40s rather than in their teens/20s or just classics.
I really want to try singing some Enka, but I haven’t listened to enough to find one I want to sing.
Sorry I don’t have a lot of recommendations, I mostly sing female lead songs and it seems you’re more interested in male lead songs.
加山雄三
Interesting.
Would I be able to do hip hop? Thinking
– in da club
– shake dat azz
– gangster party
Michael Jackson or 上を向いって. Always a hit.
I sang What Does the Fox Say and people seemed into it.
Showa songs are pretty good
My favorites;
また逢う日まで、
君は薔薇より美しい、
ルビーの指輪、
初恋、
神田川、
Etc.
My first place was upstairs from one and I made friends with the regulars. The mama-san taught me 赤いグラス which has become my go-to “show off that I can sing in Japanese” selection. It’s a duet, but nobody cares if one person sings
Do Happy End songs go down well with the older clientele?
Ozaki Yutaka – 15 no yoru.
Love the story-style lyrics, makes it easy to remember for me. Has been a crowd pleaser a couple of times.
First time I visited a snack it was by complete accident because I was an idiot gaijin lol.
I immediately doubled down and confused the few people present by singing Loser by Beck.
I still cringe when I think about it
I’ve never been to a snack but for Japanese karaoke songs I often do some fun newer songs most people know like koisuru fortune cookie, memeshikute, something like that. Towards the end of the night if my voice is rough maybe I can do Linda Linda or something. People always ask me to sing a “Canadian song” so even if it’s not my favourite song ever I usually sing call me maybe as everyone knows it lol
I went to a quasi-snack showa style bar. Bottle keep, karaoke, etc. No extra charges. Although all the women were old and all the clients were old. I was the youngest person in there by at least 40 years. They did hire a younger women though. Maybe 30s.
TULIP 心の旅 is usually pretty good if you’ve got a beatles-style crowd. I always enjoyed busting out 和田アキ子 古い日記 because it’s really fun to sing.
If you want to blow some minds try : 月月火水木金金
XD
すごい男の歌, especially for the older crowd. Very simple, too.
Personal favorites – 北国の春 by 千昌夫 & 襟裳岬 by 森進一
I get a little nostalgic of my first years in Japan so i sing 90s pop hits such as:
シャ乱Q – ズルい女
スピッツ – ロビンソン
Southern All-Stars – 愛の言霊
trf – Everybody Dance
etc.
If I’ve had a little too much to drink, I’ll go with older hits:
ピーナッツ – 恋のバカンス
久保田由紀 – 異邦人
etc.
For English music:
The Eagles – Lyin’ Eyes
The Doobie Brothers – Long Train Running
A bunch of 70s disco or Earth, Wind and Fire
ABBA, Queen, Billy Joel, etc.
The animals – We gotta get outta this place
> Usually it’s just the Mama san who is really old and old joren san that are 45-70 years old.
Tiger and Dragon – Crazy Ken Band
Every time.
波乗りジョニー
栄光の架橋
Con Te Partiro
Maybe songs by 山口百恵, it seems like all Japanese above their 20s know her main songs, and have been really surprised when I busted them out. They’re easy to sing too.
The one I frequent is mainly staffed by 20-something girls and the mama is also under 40, but since the clientele are mostly ojisans in their 50s-70s and almost exclusively sing Showa-era hits (oddly almost no enka though), I try to change things up a bit and sing modern songs that are a bit more relevant/entertaining for the staff.
To that end I check out the rankings for songs on TikTok and learn them. So my recent playlist has stuff like Tani Yuki’s W / X / Y, MAISONdes ヨワネハキ, Da-iCE CITRUS, etc.
Whatever I sing at karaoke or a snack(only been a few times) depends on who is there. If I’m with people around my age, I’ll sing songs that are popular now. When I’m with older people, I’ll sing some コブクロ or ゆず or スキマスイッチ.
バンザイ 〜好きでよかった〜 is a fun one to get people to join in with the noisy bits.
横浜たそがれ for the older crowd. It’s slow and lyrics are easy.
What the hell is a snack? When I google it only this topic shows up. The rest are about edible snacks.
I sing the one that has the long musical interlude breakdown in the middle so that we all have to make eye contact as I stand there goofily
A snack in Susukino?
I alway sing ‘show me the boobies’
Last 10 minutes is the best. 🤣
Is this a snakku bar? They sometimes don’t let people in if you’re American? Well that sucks. Guess I won’t be going there. Lol
My impression of snack bars is old people singing Enka all night. That would be absolute torture for me.
Uchusenkan Yamato.
Then that song about wearing sunglasses at night.
The second one I’ll do two or three times. Never gets old
長崎は今日も雨だった is a nice one