Is Tokyo Gay Friendly?

Contents:

• THE 10 BEST TOKYO GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS TOKYO
• TOKYO GAY MASSAGE SPAS
• THE 10 BEST SHJU GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS SHJU
• BT TOURIST-IENDLY GAY BARS SHJU NI-CHOME
• BODYBREATHHOTELS · LUXURYHOTELS · MID-RANGEHOTELS · BUDGETHOTEL DISUNTSHOSTELSON TODAYBARSCLUBSSNASCISE CLUBSMASSAGETOURSSHOPSCAFSERVICCY GUIGAY MAPSHOW MOREBODYBREATH

THE 10 BEST TOKYO GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS TOKYO

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.

TOKYO GAY MASSAGE SPAS

Bee of this, much of lol gay life is not jt hidn – ’s accsible.

THE 10 BEST SHJU GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS SHJU

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. 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.

BT TOURIST-IENDLY GAY BARS SHJU NI-CHOME

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. Dancg was banned Shju’s gay clubs startg Augt of 2012, wh signs and tabl stalled on the dance floor to ter dancg.

For the most extensive and up-to-date bar, club and sna listgs, the bt reference is A prtout of their gay map is also very eful. Full-erary planng assistance: In our search for assistance and rmatn, all gay roads Tokyo led to Shtaro, the owner of OutAsia Travel.

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.

BODYBREATHHOTELS · LUXURYHOTELS · MID-RANGEHOTELS · BUDGETHOTEL DISUNTSHOSTELSON TODAYBARSCLUBSSNASCISE CLUBSMASSAGETOURSSHOPSCAFSERVICCY GUIGAY MAPSHOW MOREBODYBREATH

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.