Singing, Drinking, and Forgetting Loneliness for a While—Reflections on 'Document 72 Hours: Singing at a Karaoke Izakaya in Nishinari'

I watched the episode 'Singing at a Karaoke Izakaya in Nishinari' from NHK's 'Document 72 Hours'.
The setting is a 24-hour karaoke izakaya in Nishinari, Osaka, that opens at 9:00 AM. Karaoke costs 100 yen per song. It was a place where people drank and sang from the morning, sharing the same space with strangers.

What I found interesting in the program was the system where you get perks based on your karaoke score. If you score 96 or higher, you get a free snack; if you score 99 or higher, you get a free bottle. Everyone was singing, aiming for high scores. It was impressive that it wasn't just an ordinary bar, but had a game-like element—a clever way to make people want to keep coming back.

And, of course, the 'Nishinari Morning' was quite intense.
Drinking, eating boiled eggs, and singing karaoke starting at 9:00 AM. By normal standards, it's a bit surprising, but in the town of Nishinari, it exists quite naturally. That unique atmosphere was fascinating.

Watching this program, I felt that this place isn't just a bar, but a 'sanctuary' for many.
You don't have to talk deeply with anyone. You can just sing and go home while surrounded by strangers. You can even just listen to others sing without singing yourself. That kind of distance might actually be quite comfortable.

Plus, the casual price of 100 yen per song is great.
It's not high-end or stylish, but I realized how important it is to have a place where you can just drop by and let off a little steam.

On the other hand, there were some sad moments.
A man staying at a lodging facility for day laborers came in, but because he had drunk too much and was slurring his words, he was refused entry. He might have been a regular, but his lonely back as he walked away left a strange impression on me.

Precisely because it's a place where you can drink freely, drinking too much can cause you to lose your place there.
While it's a fun space, I also felt the difficulty of maintaining a healthy relationship with alcohol.

I felt that the work also carried a message of 'be careful not to drink too much,' which served as a warning to myself as well.

But ultimately, these 72 hours made me realize the importance of having a place in town that accepts anyone.