The populary of gay manga Japan: What are ‘Bara’ and ‘Yaoi’ and who are s fans? - Japan Today

Contents:

• THE 8 BT LGBT-FRIENDLY BARS TOKYO KABICHO, SHJU | © 思弦 張/ FLICKR LUCY DAYMAN 13 FEBARY 2018 COPY LK FACEBOOK EMAIL TWTER PTERT THOUGH JAPAN’S LGBTIQ+ MUNY SEEMS A LTLE MORE HIDN THAN S WTERN NEIGHBOURS, THERE’S STILL A VIBRANT AND DIVERSE QUEER MUNY HERE TOKYO. THE BT WAY TO GET VOLVED IS BY GOG OUT AND JOG THE MANY UNIQUE PARTI AND EVENTS THAT HAPPEN ALL YEAR ROUND. SHJU‘S NI-CHOME (ALSO WRTEN AS 2-CHOME) AREA IS THE HEART OF TOKYO’S GAY SCENE. FEATURG A DIVERSE LLECTN OF BARS AND PATRONS, ’S ONLY A TEN-MUTE WALK OM SHJU STATN. HERE’S JT A HANDFUL OF SOME OF THE BT LGBT-IENDLY BARS THE AREA. VIEW ALL TRIPS ARTY FARTY ARTY FARTY IS A LONG NNG NI-CHOME FAVOURE. IT FEATUR A STEAMY, ALWAYS BTLG DANCE FLOOR AND A VERY FOREIGNER-IENDLY ATMOSPHERE. TUCKED UP A SMALL STAIRWAY, THIS PLACE GETS PRETTY PACKED ON THE WEEKENDS, SO IF YOU’RE LOOKG TO MAKE SOME NEW IENDS OR MEET ONE SPECIAL IEND, YOU’LL PROBABLY HAVE SOME LUCK HERE. IN ORR TO KEEP GAY IENDLY, ON FRIDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT LADI HAVE TO BRG ALONG A GAY MALE CHAPERONE. TAKE A SP TO FD YOUR PERFECT SMALL-GROUP TRIP STATN PASSPORTS READY? YOUR NEXT STATN IS... VIEW TRIP SP THAILAND MOROC GREECE TURKEY SOUTH AI CROATIA ICELAND BALI INDIA MEXI SPA ECUADOR EGYPT JAPAN 2 CHOME-11-7 SHJU, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 5362 9720 - EMBED - DRAGON MEN IF YOU’RE WANRG AROUND THE AREA AND HAVE NO IA WHERE TO GO, JT HEAD STRAIGHT TO DRAGON MEN. A FAILSAFE OPTN, THIS VERY POPULAR BAR IS FILLED WH AN ECLECTIC MIX OF BOTH JAPANE AND FOREIGN PATRONS EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK. THE MIC IS A SHAMELS MIX OF TOP 40 POP BANGERS AND EDM. THE WEEKENDS IS WHEN ’S REALLY HAPPENG; HOWEVER, DO N A PRETTY NICE LTLE HAPPY HOUR AL BETWEEN 6PM TO 8PM MONDAY TO THURSDAY. MAJESTIC TURKEY TRAVEL OM THE BAZAARS OF ISTANBUL TO THE BETIFUL BEACH OF ANTALYA. VIEW TRIP 2 CHOME-11-14 SHJU, SHJU TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 3341 0606 - EMBED - AIIRO CAFé STG ON ONE OF NI-CHOME’S MOST WELL-TRODN RNERS IS THE MALY OUTDOOR AIIRO CAFé AND BAR. HOME TO A DIVERSE GROUP OF CLIENTS OF ALL GENRS, THE BAR HAS AN CREDIBLY WELG ATMOSPHERE. OPEN OM 6PM ON, THIS IS ONE OF THE BT PLAC TO START YOUR EVENG. TO FD , JT WANR THE STREETS OF NI-CHOME AND KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR THE LARGE TORII GATE THAT HOVERS OVER THE BAR’S ENTRANCE AND THE HEAVG CROWD OF GUTS HANDG AROUND THE ENTRANCE. BEE A CULTURE TRIPPER! SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER TO SAVE UP TO 40% ON OUR UNIQUE TRIPS. SIGN UP SEE PRIVACY POLICY. 7TH TENKA BUILDG 1F, SHJU 2-18-1, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 6273 0740 - EMBED - NEW SAZAE FOR SOMETHG A LTLE MORE CLASSIC, YOU N’T MISS THE CHANCE TO VIS NEW SAZAE. A GAY BAR AND OLD-SCHOOL DIS HUB, THIS TOKYO STUTN HAS BEEN AROUND SCE 1966 AND IS STILL AS POPULAR AS EVER. EVERYONE IS WELE HERE, AS LONG AS YOU LIKE TO DANCE. SOUNDTRACK-WISE THE MIC IS MALY A BLEND OF ‘70S AND ‘80S DIS AND HOE. THOUGH ’S MOST POPULAR ON THE WEEKEND, THE BAR IS OPEN EVERY SGLE DAY OF THE YEAR, AND S FASCATG AND WELG OWNER SHN IS A NI-CHOME IN. SHJU ISHIKAWA BUILDG, 2 CHOME – 18 – 5, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 3354 1745 - EMBED - TAC’S KNOT FOR THOSE TERTED QUEER ART AND CULTURE, THEN MAKE YOUR WAY TO TAC’S KNOT. THIS ZY CKTAIL BAR IS ALL ABOUT GAY ART. THE WALLS OF THE TABLISHMENT FEATURE A ROTATG DISPLAY OF ARTWORK BY A DIFFERENT ARTIST EACH MONTH. THE MAN BEHD THE BAR, MASTER TAC, IS A LOL LEGEND AND AN IN THE GAY ART SCENE. A LTLE MORE LAID-BACK THAN SOME OF S NEIGHBOURS, THE BAR IS OPEN BETWEEN 8PM AND 3AM EVERY DAY. TAKANO MA STORE BUILDG, 2 CHOME – 18 – 5, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN - EMBED - CAMPY! BAR RUN BY INIC LOL CROSS-DRSER BOURBONNE, THIS Fé AND BAR IS A VERY WELG HUB FOR PEOPLE OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE. THE MA ATTRACTN HERE IS THE BAR’S DRAG SHOWS, WHICH TYPILLY START AT AROUND 8PM. POPULAR FOR S IENDLY AND FUN ATMOSPHERE AND IMPECBLE SERVICE, CAMPY! BAR IS A GREAT PLACE TO BEG YOUR FORAY TO THE NI-CHOME SCENE. ANOTHER BON IS, UNLIKE MANY OTHER CLUBS THE AREA, THERE’S NO ENTRY CHARGE HERE, UNLS YOU WANT TO RERVE A SOFA ON THE WEEKENDS, WHICH STS 1,000 YEN (US$9.25). TOKYO, SHJU, MASHO BUILDG, 2 CHOME-13-10, SHJU, TOKYO, +81 3 3341 4445 - EMBED - GOLD FGER LBIAN BARS ARE QUICKLY BEG AN ENDANGERED SPECI ACROSS THE WORLD; HOWEVER, NI-CHOME’S POPULAR GOLD FGER ISN’T GOG ANYWHERE ANYTIME SOON. THIS LOL IN IS OPEN TO EVERYONE ALL NIGHTS OF THE WEEK EXCEPT SATURDAYS WHEN ’S STRICTLY WOMEN ONLY. HOME TO A DIVERSE SELECTN OF PATRONS OM ACROSS THE WORLD, THE BAR’S MA DRAWRD IS THE MUNAL KARAOKE SSNS – YOU ARE THE WORLD PAL OF KARAOKE AFTER ALL. 2 CHOME-12-11, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 6383 4649 - EMBED - AISOTOPE LOUNGE A LTLE B MORE OF A NEWER ON THE NI-CHOME SCENE, AISOTOPE LOUNGE OPENED 2012, BUT HAS QUICKLY GAED A LOYAL CTOMER BASE. WEAVG ACROSS TWO ROOMS, THIS IS ONE OF THE AREA’S BIGGER NIGHTCLUBS, AND AS A RULT THEY HOST A NUMBER OF SPECIAL PARTI AND ONE OFF EVENTS. FROM EDM, TECHNO AND POP, WHAT TYPE OF MIC YOU’LL HEAR PENDS ON THE NIGHT, BUT IF YOU DO MA DOWN, ’S GUARANTEED TO BE A WHOLE STACK OF FUN. 2 CHOME – 12, SHJU 2 – CHOME 12 – 16, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 6380 1504 - EMBED - VOLNIC ICELAND EPIC TRIP MEET OUR LOL INSIR HANNA HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE? 2 YEARS. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB? IT'S THE PERSONAL NTACT, THE PERSONAL EXPERIENC. I LOVE MEETG PEOPLE OM ALL OVER THE WORLD... I REALLY LIKE GETTG TO KNOW EVERYONE AND FEELG LIKE I'M TRAVELG WH A GROUP OF IENDS. WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST? I HAVE SO MANY PLAC ON MY LIST, BUT I WOULD REALLY LOBE TO GO TO AI. I NSIR MYSELF AN “ADVENTURE GIRL” AND AI FEELS LIKE THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE! EVERY CULTURE TRIP SMALL-GROUP ADVENTURE IS LED BY A LOL INSIR JT LIKE HANNA. SEE OUR CULTURE TRIPS KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?
• THE POPULARY OF GAY MANGA JAPAN: WHAT ARE ‘BARA’ AND ‘YAOI’ AND WHO ARE S FANS?
• TOKYO GAY NIGHT TOURS WH TOKYO HANDSOME BOYS
• A SECRET GAY HISTORY OF UK PNAGE: ‘THE SKILL-SET OF HOMOSEXUALS AND SPI OVERLAPPED’

THE 8 BT LGBT-FRIENDLY BARS TOKYO KABICHO, SHJU | © 思弦 張/ FLICKR LUCY DAYMAN 13 FEBARY 2018 COPY LK FACEBOOK EMAIL TWTER PTERT THOUGH JAPAN’S LGBTIQ+ MUNY SEEMS A LTLE MORE HIDN THAN S WTERN NEIGHBOURS, THERE’S STILL A VIBRANT AND DIVERSE QUEER MUNY HERE TOKYO. THE BT WAY TO GET VOLVED IS BY GOG OUT AND JOG THE MANY UNIQUE PARTI AND EVENTS THAT HAPPEN ALL YEAR ROUND. SHJU‘S NI-CHOME (ALSO WRTEN AS 2-CHOME) AREA IS THE HEART OF TOKYO’S GAY SCENE. FEATURG A DIVERSE LLECTN OF BARS AND PATRONS, ’S ONLY A TEN-MUTE WALK OM SHJU STATN. HERE’S JT A HANDFUL OF SOME OF THE BT LGBT-IENDLY BARS THE AREA. VIEW ALL TRIPS ARTY FARTY ARTY FARTY IS A LONG NNG NI-CHOME FAVOURE. IT FEATUR A STEAMY, ALWAYS BTLG DANCE FLOOR AND A VERY FOREIGNER-IENDLY ATMOSPHERE. TUCKED UP A SMALL STAIRWAY, THIS PLACE GETS PRETTY PACKED ON THE WEEKENDS, SO IF YOU’RE LOOKG TO MAKE SOME NEW IENDS OR MEET ONE SPECIAL IEND, YOU’LL PROBABLY HAVE SOME LUCK HERE. IN ORR TO KEEP GAY IENDLY, ON FRIDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT LADI HAVE TO BRG ALONG A GAY MALE CHAPERONE. TAKE A SP TO FD YOUR PERFECT SMALL-GROUP TRIP STATN PASSPORTS READY? YOUR NEXT STATN IS... VIEW TRIP SP THAILAND MOROC GREECE TURKEY SOUTH AI CROATIA ICELAND BALI INDIA MEXI SPA ECUADOR EGYPT JAPAN 2 CHOME-11-7 SHJU, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 5362 9720 - EMBED - DRAGON MEN IF YOU’RE WANRG AROUND THE AREA AND HAVE NO IA WHERE TO GO, JT HEAD STRAIGHT TO DRAGON MEN. A FAILSAFE OPTN, THIS VERY POPULAR BAR IS FILLED WH AN ECLECTIC MIX OF BOTH JAPANE AND FOREIGN PATRONS EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK. THE MIC IS A SHAMELS MIX OF TOP 40 POP BANGERS AND EDM. THE WEEKENDS IS WHEN ’S REALLY HAPPENG; HOWEVER, DO N A PRETTY NICE LTLE HAPPY HOUR AL BETWEEN 6PM TO 8PM MONDAY TO THURSDAY. MAJESTIC TURKEY TRAVEL OM THE BAZAARS OF ISTANBUL TO THE BETIFUL BEACH OF ANTALYA. VIEW TRIP 2 CHOME-11-14 SHJU, SHJU TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 3341 0606 - EMBED - AIIRO CAFé STG ON ONE OF NI-CHOME’S MOST WELL-TRODN RNERS IS THE MALY OUTDOOR AIIRO CAFé AND BAR. HOME TO A DIVERSE GROUP OF CLIENTS OF ALL GENRS, THE BAR HAS AN CREDIBLY WELG ATMOSPHERE. OPEN OM 6PM ON, THIS IS ONE OF THE BT PLAC TO START YOUR EVENG. TO FD , JT WANR THE STREETS OF NI-CHOME AND KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR THE LARGE TORII GATE THAT HOVERS OVER THE BAR’S ENTRANCE AND THE HEAVG CROWD OF GUTS HANDG AROUND THE ENTRANCE. BEE A CULTURE TRIPPER! SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER TO SAVE UP TO 40% ON OUR UNIQUE TRIPS. SIGN UP SEE PRIVACY POLICY. 7TH TENKA BUILDG 1F, SHJU 2-18-1, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 6273 0740 - EMBED - NEW SAZAE FOR SOMETHG A LTLE MORE CLASSIC, YOU N’T MISS THE CHANCE TO VIS NEW SAZAE. A GAY BAR AND OLD-SCHOOL DIS HUB, THIS TOKYO STUTN HAS BEEN AROUND SCE 1966 AND IS STILL AS POPULAR AS EVER. EVERYONE IS WELE HERE, AS LONG AS YOU LIKE TO DANCE. SOUNDTRACK-WISE THE MIC IS MALY A BLEND OF ‘70S AND ‘80S DIS AND HOE. THOUGH ’S MOST POPULAR ON THE WEEKEND, THE BAR IS OPEN EVERY SGLE DAY OF THE YEAR, AND S FASCATG AND WELG OWNER SHN IS A NI-CHOME IN. SHJU ISHIKAWA BUILDG, 2 CHOME – 18 – 5, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 3354 1745 - EMBED - TAC’S KNOT FOR THOSE TERTED QUEER ART AND CULTURE, THEN MAKE YOUR WAY TO TAC’S KNOT. THIS ZY CKTAIL BAR IS ALL ABOUT GAY ART. THE WALLS OF THE TABLISHMENT FEATURE A ROTATG DISPLAY OF ARTWORK BY A DIFFERENT ARTIST EACH MONTH. THE MAN BEHD THE BAR, MASTER TAC, IS A LOL LEGEND AND AN IN THE GAY ART SCENE. A LTLE MORE LAID-BACK THAN SOME OF S NEIGHBOURS, THE BAR IS OPEN BETWEEN 8PM AND 3AM EVERY DAY. TAKANO MA STORE BUILDG, 2 CHOME – 18 – 5, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN - EMBED - CAMPY! BAR RUN BY INIC LOL CROSS-DRSER BOURBONNE, THIS Fé AND BAR IS A VERY WELG HUB FOR PEOPLE OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE. THE MA ATTRACTN HERE IS THE BAR’S DRAG SHOWS, WHICH TYPILLY START AT AROUND 8PM. POPULAR FOR S IENDLY AND FUN ATMOSPHERE AND IMPECBLE SERVICE, CAMPY! BAR IS A GREAT PLACE TO BEG YOUR FORAY TO THE NI-CHOME SCENE. ANOTHER BON IS, UNLIKE MANY OTHER CLUBS THE AREA, THERE’S NO ENTRY CHARGE HERE, UNLS YOU WANT TO RERVE A SOFA ON THE WEEKENDS, WHICH STS 1,000 YEN (US$9.25). TOKYO, SHJU, MASHO BUILDG, 2 CHOME-13-10, SHJU, TOKYO, +81 3 3341 4445 - EMBED - GOLD FGER LBIAN BARS ARE QUICKLY BEG AN ENDANGERED SPECI ACROSS THE WORLD; HOWEVER, NI-CHOME’S POPULAR GOLD FGER ISN’T GOG ANYWHERE ANYTIME SOON. THIS LOL IN IS OPEN TO EVERYONE ALL NIGHTS OF THE WEEK EXCEPT SATURDAYS WHEN ’S STRICTLY WOMEN ONLY. HOME TO A DIVERSE SELECTN OF PATRONS OM ACROSS THE WORLD, THE BAR’S MA DRAWRD IS THE MUNAL KARAOKE SSNS – YOU ARE THE WORLD PAL OF KARAOKE AFTER ALL. 2 CHOME-12-11, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 6383 4649 - EMBED - AISOTOPE LOUNGE A LTLE B MORE OF A NEWER ON THE NI-CHOME SCENE, AISOTOPE LOUNGE OPENED 2012, BUT HAS QUICKLY GAED A LOYAL CTOMER BASE. WEAVG ACROSS TWO ROOMS, THIS IS ONE OF THE AREA’S BIGGER NIGHTCLUBS, AND AS A RULT THEY HOST A NUMBER OF SPECIAL PARTI AND ONE OFF EVENTS. FROM EDM, TECHNO AND POP, WHAT TYPE OF MIC YOU’LL HEAR PENDS ON THE NIGHT, BUT IF YOU DO MA DOWN, ’S GUARANTEED TO BE A WHOLE STACK OF FUN. 2 CHOME – 12, SHJU 2 – CHOME 12 – 16, SHJU, TOKYO, JAPAN, +81 3 6380 1504 - EMBED - VOLNIC ICELAND EPIC TRIP MEET OUR LOL INSIR HANNA HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE? 2 YEARS. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB? IT'S THE PERSONAL NTACT, THE PERSONAL EXPERIENC. I LOVE MEETG PEOPLE OM ALL OVER THE WORLD... I REALLY LIKE GETTG TO KNOW EVERYONE AND FEELG LIKE I'M TRAVELG WH A GROUP OF IENDS. WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST? I HAVE SO MANY PLAC ON MY LIST, BUT I WOULD REALLY LOBE TO GO TO AI. I NSIR MYSELF AN “ADVENTURE GIRL” AND AI FEELS LIKE THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE! EVERY CULTURE TRIP SMALL-GROUP ADVENTURE IS LED BY A LOL INSIR JT LIKE HANNA. SEE OUR CULTURE TRIPS KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

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.

THE POPULARY OF GAY MANGA JAPAN: WHAT ARE ‘BARA’ AND ‘YAOI’ AND WHO ARE S FANS?

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.

TOKYO GAY NIGHT TOURS WH TOKYO HANDSOME BOYS

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’s cultural norms and s attus around homosexualy are difficult to terpret.

A SECRET GAY HISTORY OF UK PNAGE: ‘THE SKILL-SET OF HOMOSEXUALS AND SPI OVERLAPPED’

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. 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.