Nothing worries Satomi Oka more than the upcoming final choir competition of his middle school career—right up until he is accosted by a stranger from the shadows who demands, “Let’s go karaoke!” As a yakuza, Kyouji Narita doesn’t scare easily, but a terrifying prospect has driven him to seek Satomi’s help. The boss is holding a karaoke contest, with the loser forced to get a tattoo to be selected and torturously applied by the boss himself! Oka has been to many vocal rehearsals over the years, but never one-on-one karaoke sessions with a gangster!!
Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence A TIME Best Book of 2023 “Qian has a gift for sensory details, and for the speculative and grotesque. . . . a pleasure to read.”—Raven Leilani, author of Luster The electric, unsettling, and often surreal stories in LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S GO explore the alienated, technology-mediated lives of restless Asian and Asian American women today. A woman escapes into dating simulations to forget her best friend’s abandonment; a teenager begins to see menacing omens on others’ bodies after her double eyelid surgery; reunited schoolmates are drawn into the Japanese mountains to participate in an uncanny social experiment; a supernatural karaoke machine becomes a K-pop star’s channel for redemption. In every story, characters refuse dutiful, docile stereotypes. They are ready to explode, to question conventions. Their compulsions tangle with unrequited longing and queer desire in their search for something ineffable across cities, countries, and virtual worlds. With precision and provocation, Cleo Qian’s immersive debut jolts us into the reality of lives fragmented by screens, relentless consumer culture, and the flattening pressures of modern society—and asks how we might hold on to tenderness against the impulses within us.
Completely revised and updated, Let's Go: China is your comprehensive guide to Asia's most exciting destination. Let's Go's forty-five years of travel savvy deliver must-have practical information. This edition boasts more outdoors activities, expanded must-see historical sights, and brand-new coverage of trekking, ethnic villages, and daytrips. An extensive chapter on alternatives to tourism helps you find ways to extend your stay and make a difference, while a phrasebook in Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, and Uighur will help you get there, get around, and get busy, no matter where you may be. So, whether you'd rather chat it up with monks or trek to alpine lakes and glacier-capped peaks, Let's Go's intrepid researchers can lead the way.
Packed with travel information, including more listings, deals, and insider tips: CANDID LISTINGS of hundreds of places to eat, sleep, and surf like a local RELIABLE MAPS and directions to help you navigate the islands Rewarding VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES in ecological and cultural conservation STUDY ABROAD to learn about volcanology, indigenous languages, and exotic species INSIDER TIPS on saving money and finding aloha EXTENSIVE BEACH COVERAGE, from the sickest surf spots to the most breathtaking sunsets HIDDEN TREASURES, from roadside shave ice stands to deserted beaches
Dancing Queen. Respect. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl). There are some songs so infectious that you can’t help but belt out the lyrics along with the singer. Karaoke—meaning “empty orchestra” in Japanese—gets rid of the singer and leaves you in the spotlight alone. It is the social manifestation of our desire to sing, in tune or out, and in three short decades, it has exploded into a worldwide craze. In this unprecedented study, Zhou Xun and Francesca Tarocco engagingly examine karaoke and all its associated kitsch, crime, and weirdness. Usually thought of as the pastime of desperately bad singers and slurring drunks, karaoke has never enjoyed a particularly stellar image. Xun and Tarocco, however, reveal its surprisingly complex history and significant cultural impact around the world. Originating in postwar Japan, karaoke soon spread to Southeast Asia and the West. Karaoke traces how it became a wildly successful social phenomenon that constantly evolved to keep pace with changes in technology and culture. Drawing on extensive research and international travels, the authors chart the varied manifestations of karaoke, from karaoke taxis in Bangkok to nude karaoke in Toronto to the role of karaoke in prostitution. Extensive personal anecdotes reveal the dramatic range of social experiences made possible by karaoke and how the obsession with performance and song has touched politics, history, and pop culture throughout global society. Karaoke bars are at the heart of rich escapist fantasies and the authors—in readable fashion and using vibrant full-color illustrations—document this unpredictable fantasy world and the people who inhabit it. Karaoke,therefore, will delight anyone who has had the courage to take the mike and front the “empty orchestra.”
Hawaii has been billed as the American tropical paradise since the 1950s. The beauty of the trails, verdant wilderness, and cliffs of Kauai, the oldest and arguably most majestic island is unrivalled. Compiled by students, this guide provides insider tips and information for the socially conscious traveller.
This is a self-study guide to the Japanese language Harvard University's Tazuko Monane teaches you the secret of speaking Japanese fluently in simple 20-minute lessons. Each lesson zeroes in on one everyday activity: introducing yourself, asking directions, ordering sushi, giving directions to a taxi driver, eating with friends, and other everyday conversations. Japanese Made Easy is designed for people living in or going to Japan who would like to learn Japanese but have never studied it before. Obviously, living or traveling in Japan is itself not the secret to learning Japanese--many Westerners live in Japan for a long time and except for a few words learn very little about its language. The important thing will be your motivation to learn. An ability to speak Japanese and read Japanese is vital to understanding your surroundings. Whether you travel to Japan as a tourist, student or businessperson, whether you use this book before or after your arrival in Japan, what could provide better motivation than knowing that a familiarity with the Japanese language (and with the culture it reflects) will help make your stay in Japan much richer and more interesting. If you have the good fortune to know a Japanese person, he or she will surely make your learning even easier--especially when you study pronunciation. But don't be discouraged if you have no "live model" to learn from. By following the simple suggestions given here, you will be able to come out with good understandable Japanese on your own. Key features of this book include: More than 40 social situations commonly encountered by foreigners in Japan--including greetings, asking directions, dining out, visiting places, and shopping. Practice exercises based on over 30 of the most important Japanese sentence patterns, with example sentences and answer keys. Notes on the key points of Japanese vocabulary and Japanese grammar. A comprehensive glossary of important Japanese words and an index of vocabulary and grammar items.
Packed with travel information, including more listings, deals, and insider tips:CANDID LISTINGS of hundreds of places to eat, sleep, drink, and danceRELIABLE MAPS to help you get around cities, jungles, mountains, and beachesThe best VOLUNTEER, study, and work opportunities throughout VietnamTIPS for getting around, bargaining, and blending in with local customsSUGGESTED ITINERARIES for your time frame, from ten days to two monthsEXPANDED COVERAGE of the remote Northwest Highlands
