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Karaoke Box Though karaoke was at first an entertainment mainly for Japanese business people, it has grown to be a country-wide amusement, thanks to technological development and a new business called the "karaoke box." Using technological innovations such as the videodisc, laser disc, and CD graphics, karaoke has grown to be a major entertainment industry. Family-use karaoke sets have also become popular, making this amusement possible in the home. However, there is an obstacle to this end of the business: if houses are built close to each other and have poor soundproofing, it becomes very annoying for the neighbours to hear loud music and singing at night. On the other hand, however, since families generally enjoy singing together, the karaoke box also plays a role as a place for family communication through singing. This is important at a time when generation gaps and family break-ups are a world-wide concern. Now, the karaoke boom has spread abroad, and is enjoyed not only in Asia but also in the U.S. and Europe. Since karaoke displays the words and scenes of a song on a screen, it has also been attracting the attention of countries trying to improve their literacy rate, as a good educational tool. Check that you understand what these words mean in this document Obstacle: something that blocks a movement or action. Annoying: upsetting. Break-ups: relationships coming to an end. To display: to show. Literacy: the ability to read and write.