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Japanese karaoke rooms become live concert venues for otaku and oshikatsu

Oona McGee Jan 20, 2022
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A place where you can dance with your idol like no one is watching.

Our Japanese-language reporter Ninoude Punico is a proud otaku who enjoys oshikatsu, which translates to “oshi activities“, where “oshi” is one’s favourite character or performer.

Punico’s oshikatsu currently revolves around Japanese idol boy band SixTONES, which is in the middle of a live tour at the moment. Unfortunately, Punico wasn’t able to attend any of their concerts this time around, but she had an idea for the next best thing — a night out at a special Dual Projector Room.

This type of room is becoming popular at karaoke joints in Japan, where otaku use them to sit back and watch their favourite bands rather than sing along to karaoke tunes.

Punico had never been to a Dual Projector Room before, so she made a booking for one at her local branch of the Round One indoor entertainment centre, where she could have the whole room entirely to herself.

The entrance to the room made Punico feel as if she really was about to enter a live show at a stadium, and when she stepped inside, she let out a squeal of delight at the sight in front of her.

The dual screens played out over dual walls, and Punico couldn’t wait to take control of them. First off, though, she would have to order a drink, as a one-drink order was part of the booking deal.

Taking a look at the menu, she saw that the recommended beverage was a special “Colourful Parfait Drink” for 480 yen (US$4.21), which came in 11 different colour options.

Why so many colours? According to the blurb, it’s so you can “Cheers in your oshi colour while watching the live concert!”

Punico’s oshi didn’t have a distinctive colour scheme like some do, so she opted for the “Black” version, as it was cola, her favourite drink.

Once she was given her drink, she knew she wasn’t going to be disturbed by staff for the rest of her visit, so she reached into her bag and pulled out her favourite DVD of the boys on stage, placing it carefully into the disc slot inside the entertainment system.

The screens then lit up, spreading the visuals across the two walls, which made Punico feel as if she were being totally enveloped by her favourite boy band.

▼ Cheers, boys!

The view was far more powerful than she ever imagined it to be, and the quality of sound and scale was something she could never achieve at home on her humble salary.

Punico was so impressed by it all she decided to list the four top things that she loved most about it.

1. The size of the screen

The screen is so large that you can’t even reach across it with both arms. And although you’re mostly looking at one screen at a time, there’s a sense of immersion that’s similar to actually attending a live concert.

2. The volume

With Japan’s poorly soundproofed houses and apartments, people are always conscious of keeping noise levels low in their homes, often using headphones when watching movies or playing games indoors. That’s not the case in a Dual Projector Room, though, as you can turn the volume up as loud as you want, safe in the knowledge that nobody is going to bang on the walls or complain to the landlord about you.

3. You can play videos from your smartphone

In addition to bringing in DVDs and Blu-ray discs, you can also connect your smartphone to the system, which opens up options for viewing live streams or other oshi-related videos on YouTube.

4. It’s great for oshi photos

Thanks to the size of the screen, you can take really big photos of your oshi’s face, and even line it up next to yours so it looks like you’re standing right next to them on stage.

▼ Heck, you can even run up and try to hug them — security won’t stop you!

When the lights go down, the feeling of being in the audience is even more realistic.

▼ Finger hearts, oshi!

Sitting down and looking up at your oshi from below is another way to recreate the viewing angle you’d get from being in the front row at a live show.

Punico had a fantastic time at her own private concert in Round One, and it cost her a total of 1,470 yen for the hour she was there, which covered the room fee of 690 yen, an additional 300-yen video viewing fee, and her 480-yen drink.

Prices vary according to the time and day of the week, so you might wind up paying a little more or a little less, depending on when you visit. Punico reckons it’s a great deal for those wanting to de-stress and spend some quality time with their crush, and you won’t need to learn any of these oshikatsu phrases to enjoy it!

Reference: Round One
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