I found pretty much all of the anime songs I was looking for, including the aforementioned giant robot themes, but also a wide array of hits both modern and retro, and even Vocaloid and Virtual YouTuber songs. In terms of song selection, Joysound’s catalog is very diverse.
From then on, it’s as simple as any other karaoke session, though one difference is that the generic video footage is all Nintendo cut scenes and trailers. While the 90-day one is by far the best value, even the three-hour one is a very affordable and cost-effective 330 yen (about $3 USD). It will take you to the eShop checkout page (remember to select your Japan account!), where you have the option of different payment plans ranging from three hours to 90 days. Indeed, while the app itself is free, the karaoke experience isn’t. A “suggestions” section to the right helps speed up the process somewhat.Īfter you’ve selected your first song, you’ll likely be notified that you haven’t paid for anything yet. Fortunately, the search bar is very large and obvious, so you just have to click on it and begin slowly entering hiragana letters. There are no English language options, so you’ll need to have some degree of Japanese literacy to navigate the menus. Once you get the Karaoke Joysound app downloaded onto your console, you’ll be able to immediately pick from over 150,000 available songs.
Japanese karaoke romaji free#
(If you’ve used the PS versions, feel free to leave a comment). They also have something for PlayStation systems that appears to be region-free, but I don’t own a Sony console, so I can’t say anything about it. Importantly, it does not require a Japanese Nintendo Online account. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to set up a Japanese Eshop account (it requires no use of VPNs or the like-only a separate email address), and you can get Japanese Nintendo point cards here at Apartment 507 ( Note that for first-time buyers, it may take a few hours to process your order).Īs for the microphone, I’ve read that not all of them work (and I had some trouble getting the mic sound to come out), but there are dedicated Switch peripherals out there. One important thing for Switch owners is that it requires a Japanese Nintendo eShop account, as well as access to either a Japanese credit card or Japanese point cards and a USB microphone. Joysound is one of the most established karaoke systems in Japan, and it’s no surprise that they would have a Switch app. What I found is that if you live alone, or even with other people whom you can trust to have avoided exposure to COVID-19, it’s a great way to scratch that songbird itch. After nearly a year, I decided to see if I could substitute the process from the comfort of my home: thus, this review of Karaoke Joysound for the Nintendo Switch. However, between the need to social distance and the fact that singing is actually a very effective way to potentially spread the virus, it’s just an incredibly bad idea to be in a karaoke box. I live in an area that normally has a number of multi-language karaoke options, and prior to the current crisis, it was a great way to both socialize and fulfill the desire to belt out giant robot openings. Of the many things I miss doing during this COVID-19 pandemic, there’s one that really stings: the inability to go out with friends and sing anime karaoke.