Gay culture in japan
LGBTQ+ Travel Guide to Japan
Interesting Cities to Visit in Japan
TOKYO
Tokyo is the capital, and main transport hub of Japan. On one hand it’s a very modern city, with neon-lit skyscrapers, but on the other, it’s very traditional with historic temples and palaces, prefer the Meiji Shinto Shrine and the Imperial Palace. Tokyo is also a foodie’s paradise, with many small izakayas (small gastro pubs) and the world’s largest fish market, Tsukiji. Shinjuku Ni-Chõme is where the city’s same-sex attracted bars and clubs can be establish. It is well-known for having the world’s highest concentration, with over 300 tiny gay bars crammed together in unassuming, unremarkable blocks. Some of the most famous add Arty Farty, Annex, FTM Bois Prevent, Campy!, Aiiro, Dragon Men and Leo Lounge. Read more about Tokyo from Passport Magazine >>
KYOTO
Kyoto is the cultural capital of Japan, and was the former capital city until 1869 when it was moved to Tokyo. It has retained its regal charm, with beautiful temples and intricate gardens. The most renowned are the Golden Temple, Kinkaku-Ji, and the Silver Temple, Ginkaku-Ji. Other highlights
My Life in Japan as an Openly Gay Foreigner
Tell us about moving to Japan? Did you decide to enter out?
When I first moved to Japan, I lived in Tokushima Prefecture attending Tokushima University as an exchange learner. I was staying in the pupil dorms located seven kilometers from the campus in a very rural part of Tokushima called Kitajima-cho. Basically, my balcony looked out onto rice paddies and mountains in the distance. It was really quite beautiful, yet, despite the generally caring locals, I felt I had to hide the reality that I was gay.
I was actually there with my then-boyfriend, and we certainly felt the need to go back into the closet for that year because of the “high profile” we had as two of only three foreign exchange students that year from the U.S. We had a great moment and didn’t meeting anything that you might expect in similar rural areas of other countries, but the process of hiding our relationship was incredibly painful and made my time in Tokushima quite challenging.
How about now, as several years hold passed?
Almost ten years later, and living in Tokyo, I feel more mentally prepared to be out at serve and with friends. When I moved to Tokyo
- The birth of the homosexual community
- The Tokyo Woman loving woman and Gay Parade 2000 was held on 27 August 2000. Having been revived after a four-year break, this was the largest parade so far to be held in Tokyo with over two thousand people participating. In conjunction with the year 2000 parade the Tokyo Rainbow Festival was later held in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ni-chōme district.[1] The festival was organized by a group of gay block owners and attracted such a large number of participants that it was impossible to move in the streets. Watching the fireworks released at the end of the festival brought tears to the eyes of many queer men present, gathered as they were in Ni-chōme, the site of so many gay bars and full of so many memories.
- Fushimi Noriaki, a gay critic who has been positively engaged with the mainstream media from the beginning of the 1990s, summed up the events of that day in the homosexual magazine Badi with the daunting phrase, 'the birth of the gay community.' In recent years, despite the difficulties of defining exactly what 'community' might mean, the use of the phrase 'gay community' has become much more frequent among gay men. While the phrase is s
A Guide to Gay Bar Etiquette in Japan
Tokyo’s famous gay district, Shinjuku Ni-Chome, has one of the world’s highest concentrations of LGBT-friendly businesses. For the most part, it’s a place where first-timers can hang out without needing to worry too much about special customs or cultural knowledge.
Ni-Chome is used to tourists but, those who want to sneak into smaller, more local LGBT bars might find some cultural practices surprising. In Japan, manners are everything, so here are some insider tips on what to expect when visiting LGBT bars off the thrashed path, and how to obtain the most out of the experience.
Venturing away from westernized queer bars
Photo by: Alex Rickert Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, but sometimes you gotta venture into the unknown.
Most gay bars in tourist spots like Ni-Chome or Doyamacho in Osaka mimic American-style bars that feature large shot bars, dance music and dark atmospheres where customers of various sexes, genders, sexualities and identities can drink and make merry. You can certainly find these kinds of bars, especially in Tokyo, but the vast majority are similar to what is commonly referred to as a スナックバー