Our gay cultural tour of the famo island natn of Japan clus samurai lsons, hand-feedg er, Mt. Fuji, and a bullet tra ri!
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JAPAN GAY TRAVEL
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. * travel gay asia tokyo *
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. And one of the most popular TV dramas of late is "What Did You Eat Yterday?" 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. NY-based, Japan-born photographer Kaz Senju documented this buzzy yet discreet scene and some of s nizens the fantastic, English-language 2018 photography books "Shju Story" and "Shju Story Vol.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.
GAY ASIA TRAVEL GUI
, statn travel guis wh a gay perspective. * travel gay asia tokyo *
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. An onsen—natural sprg water bath spa—is a fantastic place to spend an afternoon or night (or both!), 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!) and women-only parti.