1Kara Shibuya

Solo karaoke might sound like the loneliest kind of entertainment imaginable, but 1Kara has other ideas. This small chain (which has a few branches in Tokyo and one up in Sendai) offers nothing but single-occupancy karaoke booths, where salarymen can hone their routines for their next office party, and stressed housewives can belt out Ayumi Hamasaki ballads without the neighbours banging on the walls. Each room comes with the usual equipment you'd expect, only with headphones instead of speakers (bring your own pair if you want to avoid paying the ¥300 rental charge). The Shibuya branch of 1Kara also has a few novel touches of its own: you can pay extra for a luxury 'first class' room, with bigger TV, plush seat and coffee maker, and there's even a room fitted out with an electric drum kit (for Carpenters fans, perhaps?). A standard booth will set you back ¥800 per hour on weekdays and ¥900 at the weekend, including free soft drinks.