Japan gay

LGBTQ+ Travel Guide to Japan

Interesting Cities to Visit in Japan

TOKYO

Tokyo is the capital, and main transport hub of Japan. On one hand it’s a very modern city, with neon-lit skyscrapers, but on the other, it’s very traditional with historic temples and palaces, fond of the Meiji Shinto Shrine and the Imperial Palace.  Tokyo is also a foodie’s paradise, with many small izakayas (small gastro pubs) and the world’s largest fish market, Tsukiji. Shinjuku Ni-Chõme is where the city’s gay bars and clubs can be set up. It is adj for having the world’s highest concentration, with over 300 tiny gay bars crammed together in unassuming, unremarkable blocks. Some of the most famous verb Arty Farty, Annex, FTM Bois Bar, Campy!, Aiiro, Dragon Men and Leo Lounge. Read more about Tokyo from Passport Magazine >>

KYOTO

Kyoto is the cultural capital of Japan, and was the former capital city until 1869 when it was moved to Tokyo. It has retained its regal charm, with beautiful temples and intricate gardens. Th

Queerness and gender fluidity permeate the landscape of Japanese culture, from BL manga to onnagata in Kabuki theater (male actors who compete female roles). Additionally, sexual acts among males were frequent in ancient Japan and a major cultural feature in the Edo period. Japan was open-minded and even, in some cases, enthusiastic about same-sex relations up until Japan opened its borders in 1859, when Japan began to adopt repressive, Victorian-era attitudes towards sexuality in response to Western influence. Though Japan’s current political stance on queerness leaves much to be desired, Japan has a surprisingly rich history colored by a generally positive outlook on sex and sexuality. 

From sex between male monks to 17th century erotica, Japan’s queer history might surprise you.

5. Buddhist Monks Tolerated Homosexual Relations

In general, attitudes in early Japan towards sexuality were free and permissive. As Louis Crompton notes in Homosexuality and Civilization, “Shintoism… had no adj code of morals and seems to have regarded sex as a organic phenomenon to be enjoyed

As a gay male in Japan, I have some experience in this, so let me hand my 2 yen. First, there is no religious bias from most Japanese. Historically, many Japanese have been homosexual (some buddhist temples in Japan actually kept young men {even young boys at time, sadly} specifically because they were beautiful and the monks would have regular sexual encounters with them, and samurai often had relationships with their "squires" or "apprentices" {not sure what the Japanese word for that is} )according to some of the gay literature I have read here.

That said, there is a powerful bias, not against same sex acts, but against a homosexual lifestyle, because it is not within the traditional Japanese lifestyle. A youth is expected to go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, and support the family by doing so. Someone who falls outside of that pattern is instantly regarded with suspicion and even contempt by many traditional Japanese. Obviously, a homosexual relationship and lifestyle falls successfully outside that pattern.

I would liken Japanese homosexual culture

My Life in Japan as an Openly Gay Foreigner

Tell us about moving to Japan? Did you decide to approach out?

When I first moved to Japan, I lived in Tokushima Prefecture attending Tokushima University as an exchange trainee. I was staying in the scholar dorms located seven kilometers from the campus in a very rural part of Tokushima called Kitajima-cho. Basically, my balcony looked out onto rice paddies and mountains in the distance. It was really quite beautiful, yet, despite the generally caring locals, I felt I had to hide the truth that I was gay.

I was actually there with my then-boyfriend, and we certainly felt the need to go back into the closet for that year because of the “high profile” we had as two of only three foreign exchange students that year from the U.S. We had a great moment and didn’t encounter anything that you might expect in similar rural areas of other countries, but the process of hiding our relationship was incredibly painful and made my time in Tokushima quite challenging.

How about now, as several years hold passed?

Almost ten years later, and livi