Japan has all for gay travellers. From the chaotic streets of Tokyo to the quiet onsens of Hakone, the history of Kyoto, and the sumptuo food Osaka.
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JAPAN GAY CULTURAL TOUR
HE Travel's Gay Japan Cultural Tour explor Tokyo and Kyoto, snow monkeys the Japane Alps, the Bense Art Se, and Hiroshima. * gay tokyo itinerary *
Rints range om outrageoly out-there, alien, and genr-bent to culturally tradnal and polilly nservative (though 's worth notg that the past few years have seen LGBTQ activists elected to ernment offic cludg Kanako Otsuji, the first openly gay member of the Hoe of Reprentativ, and 2019, Taiga Ishikawa to Japan's Hoe of Councillors). To w, some of the most popular genr of manga and anime are gay-themed "yaoi" and "BL" (short for "boylove") romanc, which sell like gangbters among Japane femal and have spired dozens of live-actn movi the same ve.
" about a gay uple and the wonrful food they nsume (which has spired viewers to create those dish at home). The center of Japan's gay universe his pla sight, smack dab the 7-square-e district (or ward) of Shju, Tokyo.
A 10 or 15-mute walk om btlg Shju Statn brgs you to a quieter, more rintial feelg sectn of the cy lled Shju Ni-chome, which is home to at least a hundred LGBTQ bars and clubs, a sna plex, and gay-centric shops brimmg wh clothg, accsori, paraphernalia, and adult goods. 2, " which offer a ep dive to Shju Ni-chome's history and how beme the "gayborhood" is today, wh glimps behd the closed doors. And 2019, Queer Eye dispatched s Fab Five to Tokyo for a season to dig to the culture and gay life.
TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS TOKYO
Here's a gui to tips for gay and lbian travelers Tokyo - everythg you need to know. * gay tokyo itinerary *
Queer men n also get the si sop on Tokyo gay life, and possibly make a iend (or more), via the app 9Monsters: s chat functn nveniently to translat English to Japane and vice versa, and there's a b of Pokemon cutens to the way assigns a kd of creature (or Monster) to the er and the type of guy they seem to like. GaijPot Travel, a webse for English-speakg expats (and would-be expats, also featur a helpful page of Tokyo LGBTQ plac to check out, om f to nightlife, pl Japane gay bar etiquette and other helpful cultural hts.
), and Shju Ni-chome's 24 Kaikan Shju adds a whole lot of gay cisg and actn to the mix, wh eight floors of facili cludg steam room, dark rooms, and private bs (for a premium).
Kick thgs off wh the misleadgly named New Sazae, which is actually Tokyo's olst gay bar— opened 1966—and pays plenty of homage to s past wh s r and "funky dis" and soul mic nights. AiSOTOPE Lounge, possibly the district's biggt gay venue, boasts two dance floors, a stage, and mix thgs up wh men-only (and very cisy! For more sual fare, some gay bars and f also offer food cludg Alamas Cafe and women-only Dorobune.
JAPAN GAY TRAVEL
* gay tokyo itinerary *
Japan’s cultural norms and s attus around homosexualy are difficult to terpret. LGBTQ+ travel expert Ed Salvato shows around the gayborhood and shar his safety tips. Sexualy – homo or hetero – is nsired a private matter; It’s not flnted public displays of affectn or discsed.
Bee of this, much of lol gay life is not jt hidn – ’s accsible.
That said, homosexualy is legal Japan, wh small protectns for gays, lbians and even transgenr people enacted mostly on a lol level. Japane travel provirs are also startg to regnise the gay travel market.
Our gay cultural tour of the famo island natn of Japan clus samurai lsons, hand-feedg er, Mt. Fuji, and a bullet tra ri! * gay tokyo itinerary *
Tokyo has hundreds of gay bars, but only a handful wele foreigners. As openly gay travelers (who ed the word hband, but didn’t hold hands public), we felt pletely fortable and wele.
Tokyo gayborhood. This is where you’ll fd the gay neighbourhood and the most ncentrated dose of queer travel Japan offers.
Near the seedy red-light district is Ni-chome district, a clter of olr low-rise buildgs wh hundreds of tablishments oriented towards gay men. Dpe the hundreds of gay bars Tokyo, there are only a few optns for non-Japane speakg ctomers. OutAsia Travel offers night tours of Shju — basilly a gay gui to brg you to two or three of the bars that wele foreigners, and generally show you around.