Shju Nichome: Stretchg Your Yen Tokyo's Gay District | Tokyo Cheapo

Contents:

• 14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE
• SHJU NICHOME: STRETCHG YOUR YEN THE GAYBORHOOD
• GAY TOKYO · MID-RANGE HOTELS
• DISVERG GAY TOKYO

14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE

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).

SHJU NICHOME: STRETCHG YOUR YEN THE GAYBORHOOD

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. 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.

GAY TOKYO · MID-RANGE HOTELS

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. For more sual fare, some gay bars and f also offer food cludg Alamas Cafe and women-only Dorobune. Detailed Reviews: Reviews orr rmed by scriptivens of er-intified them such as cleanls, atmosphere, general tips and lotn rmatn.May 2023 • CouplThis is the dited gay district, and I do mean 'dited' bee there are over 400 gay bars wh a five-block area.

DISVERG GAY TOKYO

Some plac only acmodate a half-dozen people, but the astronomil number mak the hight ncentratn of gay bars anywhere the world.From 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!Wrten July 8, 2023This review is the subjective opn of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

| Posted on June 5, 2022 | Lookg for the most gay-iendly ci to vis on your next trip? Amsterdam has been our hometown for the past four years and is the (former) gay pal of Europe! In 2001, the Netherlands beme the first untry the world to legalise gay marriage and the untry is known for s tolerance.