I'll try to keep this short(er), unlike my other mile-long post that no one can read. lol
I was supposed to meet my friend Sachi and our other friend (who didn't show - lol), and some of her ESS (English Speaking Students) friends. After a lot of waiting, running around hither and thither to gather other people (and crashing an ESS party xD), we headed down to Karaoke at Rokkomichi!
It was funny, because it ended up being just Sachi, me, and 4 other of her friends from ESS. And, then just about (or even less than!) half-way through our 2 hours, Sachi had to leave! So... I was singing Karaoke. In a little room. With 4 Japanese "strangers" (just meaning, I'd never met them before like an hour ago!)
Hehe, these are the kinds of nights that I could never ever plan out. Would never guess would happen. And, they are exactly what make life interesting. And how blessed am I that they seem to happen each week, if not more often here!?! ♥
Anyhow, it was like めっちゃ恥ずかしいいいいいい～ (majorly embarrassing), but I did my best to sing Japanese songs. And managed that decently well - I just realized, I only sang two English songs?! Wow. Even I'm shocked. :P And, tried to understand what was being said around me. Which, wasn't everything of course, but mostly! ^^ And, it was just super fun. Because they were ESS students, they also had a decent grasp of English, and I was SUPER impressed by their English singing-ability!!! So awesome. :)))
Anyhow, it was like めっちゃ恥ずかしいいいいいい～ (majorly embarrassing), but I did my best to sing Japanese songs. And managed that decently well - I just realized, I only sang two English songs?! Wow. Even I'm shocked. :P And, tried to understand what was being said around me. Which, wasn't everything of course, but mostly! ^^ And, it was just super fun. Because they were ESS students, they also had a decent grasp of English, and I was SUPER impressed by their English singing-ability!!! So awesome. :)))
(Btw, this way of Karaoke-ing was different than I've experienced before. Everyone took their turn, and it wasn't like everyone pick whatever song they want whenever they want, and we all sing along, like I'm used to. It was interesting! And also felt like there was more pressure - LOL. I think at the start, my voice was not super steady... ^^;; )
Anyhow, I ended up spending my night with these four:
To-to: Got to talk with her a bit before about the ESS drama section, and we sang California Girls together - fun stuff! x) Unfortunately, didn't know any of the other English singers she knew - I need to brush up on my English music too, apparently! ^^;;
Atsuko: Her voice is SUPER cutesy, and all her songs sounded absolutely perfect to me. ^^ Super Japanese-poi, I think! :)
Yuki: Sang some heavy metal songs in English, and I probably couldn't have done them - lol! Very impressed, because I get stressed out by even slow Japanese songs, and I definitely couldn't try almost screaming them - lols
Toitoi: I'd already listened to 2 hours of his English in the ESS play I went to a month or so ago (he was the main character!), so that was intimidating enough, but he also sings amazingly! Like, super good - probably one of the strongest voices I've heard in a Karaoke room. ^^
Hehe, all in all, it was a super fun night. Though they were being typical way-too-nice Japanese and saying my Japanese pronunciation was good (and even praising my English pronunciation - LOL, sorry, that's not needed, guys xD).
And then... I spent like 2 hours after coming home typing my status in Japanese and messages to these new friends in Japanese (DUDE, this takes sooooo long for me >.<), and also typing up this post. When I need to pack/do homework/do a million other things instead. Oh well. x)
In conclusion... Karaoke-ing with strangers? Never, ever, ever, EVER would happen in the US. I'd most definitely leave with my friend when she had to leave, if I'd even go in the first place. But here?... It just feels okay. And, for some reason, because they are the awesome Japanese that they are, it is, and I end up with karaoke-ing with new friends instead. ^^♥
Yeah, that's a difference between Japan and the US. In the US people aren't as reluctant to talk to strangers, but you also don't trust them very much. In Japan, everyone is too shy to talk to strangers, but once they do they usually become friends.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. It's a definite culture difference. But, when I think more about it, I also feel it is not limited by country boundaries: like, I could see this potentially happening in the States too, but with Japanese people, and not just "Americans," if that makes sense. Quite odd, and I can't exactly put my finger on why that is the case...
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