The boys of Shju: Is Tokyo's gay district doomed? | The Inpennt | The Inpennt

tokyo gay district

When Toshsune Tamashiro was young and closeted 1980s Japan, Tokyo's Shju Ni-chome gay district was a haven. Now he ns a bar there, and has fought to keep the district gog durg the ronavis panmic.

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SHJU NICHOME: STRETCHG YOUR YEN THE GAYBORHOOD

A list of plac to eat, drk and party Shju Nichome — Tokyo's gay district — that are easy on the wallet. * tokyo gay district *

Shju Nichome is known as Tokyo’s gay district. The area is home to high ncentratn of gay bars, clubs and rtrants—but how do you choose where to go? Which brgs on to the next pot of gettg your money’s worth the gayborhood—htg up the happy hours!

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).

SHJU 2 CHOME GAY TOWN

If you're ntemplatg a trip to Japan, then you should nsir visg Tokyo's Shju neighborhood, the largt gay district Asia. * tokyo gay district *

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. 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.

THE BOYS OF SHJU: IS TOKYO'S GAY DISTRICT DOOMED?

Your gui to Tokyo's bt lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr events, clubs and bars, pl LGBT life Tokyo * tokyo gay district *

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!

BATTERED BUT UNBOWED BY RONAVIS, TOKYO'S GAY DISTRICT F STRONGER TI

Tokyo's gay scene is 300 bars and clubs packed to two blocks, where, perhaps surprisgly an otherwise regimented society, has been anythg go for s. So why, asks our Tokyo rrponnt David McNeill, is the wilst party town g to an end? * tokyo gay district *

For more sual fare, some gay bars and f also offer food cludg Alamas Cafe and women-only Dorobune. Progrsive and posive chang for LGBTQ+ upl Tokyo make an creasgly hot statn for LGBTQ+ travelers to vis, specifilly s gay-iendly Shju Nichome district!

If you didn’t know, Shju Nichome is the largt gay district Asia and there are other LGBTQ+ iendly zon such plac as Shbashi, Ueno and Asaka, too! So, if you’re nsirg a trip to Tokyo, we’ve pulled together some helpful travel planng rmatn, cludg LGBTQ+-iendly plac to stay as well as gay-owned rtrants and bars. If you’re feelg adventuro and want to explore food away om your hotel, then you should nsir tryg the gay-owned rtrant and bar, vis so bar Naaki!

GAY TOKYO

* tokyo gay district *

After you’ve taken on an thentic, gay-iendly dg experience Shju, ’s time to experience the District’s LGBTQ+ nightlife, cludg bars like the Tokyo Eagle, Bridge, and Chappy. But there’s one gay bar you fely want to make sure you vis the area – ’s USAGI and ’s open every day! After you’ve taken on an thentic, gay-iendly dg experience Shju, ’s time to experience the District’s LGBTQ+ nightlife, cludg bars like the Tokyo Eagle, USAGI, and Chappy.

But there’s one gay bar you fely want to make sure you vis the area – ’s Bridge, a fortable adult space where you n experience tranquil, rerved yet iendly nversatn wh everyone. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.MiguelLos Angel, CA26 ntributnsEagle is a pretty ol bar the gay block at Shju, the staff is very iendly and sce s a place wh a lot of ternatnal visors they speak English! Detailed Reviews: Reviews orr rmed by scriptivens of er-intified them such as cleanls, atmosphere, general tips and lotn 2023 • CouplThis is the dited gay district, and I do mean 'dited' bee there are over 400 gay bars wh a five-block area.

Some plac only acmodate a half-dozen people, but the astronomil number mak the hight ncentratn of gay bars anywhere the what we uld tell, most bars were open to mixed crowds though there were exceptns for plac like Gold Fger, a lbian exclive bar on weekends. Say Gay! This is pecially te Tokyo where some of the district urts have begun to uphold gay civil rights and put laws to place to protect.

Gay Tokyo Gui 222 for gay travelers. Fd the bt gay bars & dance clubs, gay snas & massage spas, shops, gay-rated hotels Tokyo. Exclive reviews, photos, disunts, maps. * tokyo gay district *

In se you aren’t aware, ni-chome is nsired the gay hub of Tokyo. From gay, lbian, and transgenr, bars are crammed to the area.

If you’re feelg shy or anx about gog alone, why not get a lol gay gui to show you the bt plac Nicho? There are many optns to choose om and the aforementned lol gay gui n easily show you the hot spots as well! One of the largt and olst (1992) Asia, Rabow Reel Tokyo shows films about all LGBTQ mori beyond lbian and gay, which are also clud of urse!

This LGBTQ+ neighbourhood Tokyo offers far more than jt great nightlife. There are gay-iendly f, bookshops and more * tokyo gay district *

If you’re a gay man, may tert you to know that there is a small cha of bathho terg to you.

Only the lobby, cheerily adorned wh scen om a sex movie that pict a portly pany print beg diligently serviced by a young apprentice, do bee clear that this is one of Asia's biggt gay the ticket mache – 2, 600 yen (about £18) for a 13-hour stay – and pretty much anythg go, say guts who e om across Japan, and even abroad, to sample s treats. "This is a untry that happily liv wh ntradictns, " says Taq Otsa, thor of several books on Japan's gay scene. " Th, Tokyo, a cy wh a reputatn as one of the most uptight, buttoned-down pals, also boasts, s Shju district, one of the world's nst and most diverse ncentratn of gay bars and clubs: the Ni-chome (pronounced "nee-chomay") area.

For s Shju Nichome has been a rare haven for Tokyo gay culture, but recently the face of the neighborhood has been shiftg. * tokyo gay district *

"But, roughly half a century sce emerged as a refuge for homosexuals what was formerly a red-light district, the block is cle. The lol mercial anisatn that promot Ni-chome timat that the number of gay bars the area has fallen by at least a third the past .

Add this to your next gay-tn: Shju Nichome Tokyo is home to the world’s hight ncentratn of gay bars a sgle area. * tokyo gay district *

The once exclively male gay clientele is filled out at the weekends wh the straight, the female and the simply cur.

"Are gays vanishg om Shju Ni-chome!?, " wonred one of the untry's most popular magaz recently. He c the 2004 closure of the famo gay magaze Barazoku after 33 years as a key moment. "That was a symbolic event when the ter overtook gay culture here.

"Ftgly, perhaps, as he shouts over the noise of the dis, Gloria Gaynor's great gay anthem "I Will Survive" poundg out of the partly mirrors the chang Japan's gay culture. The ia that gay people uld share a life together was a fairy-tale.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* TOKYO GAY DISTRICT

18 Photos of the Secret Gay Scene Tokyo.

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