Shinjuku at Night V

One Coin Champion Bar sits on the edge of Golden Gai, one of Tokyo's most famous post-war bar districts. It dates from the 1950s. Tiny buildings house bars with less than ten seats. And to discourage anyone but regulars, seating charges are prominently displayed. According to some guidebooks, locals don't pay the surcharge.

Champion Bar is quite the opposite. Run by a Fillipino lady well-known inside the Tokyo Fillipino community, she runs a open-air karaoke bar. All drinks are one price: 500 yen. This is very cheap given its location in Shinjuku. Inside you will find an eclectic mix of backpackers, English tutors, and curious open-minded Japanese.

Karaoke takes place in front of twenty of your "closest" friends. Price of embarrassment: 100 yen. Fortunately, there are two microphones. A friend can bail you out of the high notes in Mariah Carey's Dreamlover.