Karaoke, the Universal Language

In the private rooms, the group controls the vibe. Bachelorette parties tend to be raucous. The kung fu class was not. Members politely passed the microphone, tapping their feet through Green Day, Smash Mouth and U2.

Then Kiyoshi Yamamoto, 36, a self-professed veteran of Japan's "karaoke era," found his groove. Halfway through Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," he began to jam. Seated, the spiky-haired massage therapist and computer consultant first pulled out the vibrato -- go-o-o-o-ne -- then leapt an octave to a hysterical falsetto.

The room erupted in laughter. Yamamoto kept the falsetto until the final notes.

Shut your mouth, I just can't take it

Again and again and again and agaaaaaiiin!

"That rocks!" someone shouted.

The class was celebrating Lee's completion of an exam that would certify him to practice Chinese herbal medicine.

Karaoke was the teacher's idea, the students said.

This was hard to believe. Lee, 62 and bespectacled, sat quietly apart from the group, hands on knees. A few songs later, he slowly rose.

"This is mine," Lee said. On the huge flat-screen television came scenes of sunset and romance. Still serene, he began the 1950s Platters ballad "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes."

Mina Choi ducked into the hall and quickly returned with two tambourines.

"Oh, now she's getting into it!" someone said.