Karaoke for Dummies

One of the things I missed in my first trip to Japan was to experience this kind of entertainment and this time I want to make sure that I enjoy at least a few sessions in one of these places with my friend, but before you start suggesting names I would like to note that:

A) While I can read hiragana, katakana and some basic kanjis, I'm not sure I could follow some quick-paced songs, so I'm hoping for romaji lyrics to be something usual in the karaoke scene.

B) I am expecting a song bank with timeless anime songs and maybe some international pop classics.

C) We are too shy to sing in front of strangers, so I was thinking in one of those small, private rooms.

Given those facts, I was wondering if I'd be able to find a place that meets all the requirements, preferably around Asakusa or Akihabara. Shinjuku or Roppongi would also be okay.

Plenty of English songs...

there are so many Karaoke places which have English guides and Songs.

Last karaoke store I went to was one of the three main chain places I see all over Japan - we were passing it late in the evening and we had talked about maybe doing it earlier in the trip. Mostly it is pretty easy, but a few observations:

- Get the mike/music/echo levels right at the beginning (with a test song). The unit we had used four different volume settings (the same as one of the places I had been to before).
- Most of the mainstream stores will have a reasonable English catalog. Smaller places might not have as much range.
- If you are wanting to sing along to anime tunes or Japanese songs, don't count on their being romanji (kana and kanji are the norm). But, pull up the lyrics on your phone/tablet and use that (or even print out your faves before you arrive). Finding the songs in the catalog will require you to be able to put in the song title in kana.
- So you don't make a complete hash of your songs, it does pay to know them really well, not just the chorus,
- and finally, enjoy it. Put your heart and soul into it and belt out those tunes. People don't really care if you can't sing.

Sounds like I'll have to stick to the universal classics and learn the full lyrics for a few anime themes on beforehand.

Thanks for all the advice. Could you share the names of some of the bigger karaoke franchises?

Actually you can turn on the romaji in karaoke pretty easily, I mean the English letters on top of the kanji lol