Private karaoke bar hitting right notes

Published 1:30 am Saturday, February 28, 2026

PORT ANGELES — If you’ve ever wanted to sing karaoke but been too afraid to sing in front of strangers, Qelly Yoshida has a solution with his new business.

Yoshida owns Echo Neko Karaoke Box, a new Japanese-style private-booth karaoke bar that’s in a soft opening right now.

“In Japan, when you go to karaoke, the whole image is very different than what we see in the United States,” Yoshida said. “For Americans, we go do karaoke to sing in a bar in front of strangers to embarrass yourself or to show off. But with private-style karaoke, you don’t sing in front of strangers. You sing for your friends or family; it could be a date, or you could be by yourself to just let out some steam.”

Yoshida grew up in the United States and went to school in Sequim in the 1990s, but he moved to Japan in 2000 and stayed there on and off for 20 years while he raised his children.

“I love karaoke so much, but going to a karaoke bar is really awkward for me because I can’t sing in front of strangers,” Yoshida said. “I love watching other people sing, but even if I’m a little tipsy, I can’t get up and sing in front of strangers.”

Then he discovered private-booth karaoke while living in Japan.

“With my friends and family at Japanese-style karaoke, I can get up and relax and there’s no judgment, it’s just me and my friends having fun,” Yoshida said. “When I went to Japan, that was my favorite pasttime.”

Yoshida came back to the Olympic Peninsula to take care of his father and his wife fell in love with the area, he said.

“I kind of felt stuck coming back to America and I really missed my favorite hobby,” Yoshida said.

Then his friend, Erik Slater, bought the Falls Building in Port Angeles from which he runs a laser tag business.

“Erik really inspired me to start my own business,” Yoshida said. “We had known each other since high school. He had his mobile business doing laser tag and then he got this building and I thought if he can do laser tag, I can do karaoke.”

Echo Neko, at 127 E. First St., suite 3E, is a little bit difficult to find. The building has five other businesses in it, and the karaoke bar is deep within the building. To find it, park and take a walk past the Elks Building on the corner of Lincoln and First streets.

The space is also under construction as Yoshida finishes a second karaoke booth.

“It’s a tiny venue, but I’ve got to start somewhere,” he said. “When I have a second booth ready for customers, I’m going to do the grand opening. I’m hoping for middle of March, but it really depends on how much resources I can put into it. April is probably more realistic.”

During this soft-opening period, making a reservation through the website at echoneko.fun is recommended. Walk-ins are welcome if Yoshida is there, he said.

“Anybody can come in off the street. I’ve grabbed people off the street and said, ‘Hey, you want to try something new?’” Yoshida said. “Reservation is highly recommended because I’m not always here because I might be getting construction materials. Doing two full-time jobs is kind of difficult.”

Although business has been slow so far, Yoshida said the people who have tried out the private karaoke suite have enjoyed it.

The business will have two themed booths. The completed one, called Cyber-Fusion, features neon pinks and electric purples.

“It’s kind of like a techno nightclub with neon lights and a futuristic city mural on the wall,” Yoshida said.

The room he’s still working on, called Stellar-Day, is more casual.

“Stellar-Day is going to be more of a slice of life, and it’s going to have scenery from abroad where you can kind of imagine yourself being on a street somewhere in Japan and enjoying a sunset with stars,” Yoshida said.

The rooms can comfortably seat up to six guests, so small parties can be held there.

“I plan on expanding, hopefully later this year, into one of my neighboring spaces, and I want to make a kid-friendly zone,” Yoshida said.

With the space so small right now, it’s classified as a tavern for the beverage license so it’s 21 and older. Once Yoshida expands, that classification can change and the business will be able to accommodate families and people younger than 21.

“I’m winging it, but I’m having fun, and I can’t wait for it to really take off,” Yoshida said.

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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.