Tokyo Gay Tours – The Nomadic Boys

BLOG - Tokyo Gay Tours - The Nomadic Boys

An urban jungle of intense energy, electric colours and lights. Yet it all flows together in an impressive orderly manner, absolutely nothing out of place.

This is Tokyo. It’s absolutely mad, like nothing you’ll ever experience! A frenetic city of almost 15 million people, yet somehow doesn’t ever feel crowded – unless you take the metro at rush hour…try this just once to experience it, but otherwise, to be avoided!

Every time we visit Tokyo it always feels like a culture shock and we love it! It gives us everything we want no matter how many times we visit. And as a bonus, it has a terrific gay scene with over 300 gay bars crammed in the tiny Shinjuku Ni-Chome district. We recommend checking out our detailed gay guide to Tokyo for more about this.

Whether you’ve been to Tokyo before or this is your first time, there are a variety of excellent Tokyo gay tours you can join to explore the best the city has to offer from experiencing the Shinjkuku gay scene with a local LGBTQ guide or learning about the city’s history with an LGBTQ focus. We’ve put together some of the best gay tours in Tokyo for LGBTQ travellers to check out right here.

Gay Night Tour of Tokyo

To experience Tokyo’s gay nightlife through the eyes of gay locals, we recommend joining this excellent tour of the gay scene. Remember above when we said there are over 300 gay bars? We weren’t kidding! The majority of Tokyo’s gay bars are tiny spaces all packed together in the Shinjuku Ni-Chome district. The one downside of this is that a handful of these small gay bars do not welcome foreigners and may even refuse you entry if you’re not local or know someone local to take you. Therefore having a gay local showing you the gay scene of Tokyo is the perfect way to get you into such bars as well as steering you through this wacky minefield of Tokyo queerness!

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Tokyo – The Nomadic Boys

Tokyo ranks as one of our legit favourite destinations ever! It’s clean, extremely safe, the people just impeccable, foodgasms galore and a fantastic gay scene with over 300 gay bars in Shinjuku’s Ni-Chōme district!

Put it this way, Tokyo is so fabulous, even the gorgeous Queer Eye Fab Five team made it over here (not to mention the 2020 Olympic Games!).

We’ve visited Tokyo several times over the past few years and experienced the best Tokyo’s gay scene has to offer. We’ve put together our LGBTQ travel guide to Tokyo based on our first-hand experience to help you have a fabulous holiday there.

How safe is Tokyo for gay travellers?

Short answer, extremely safe! Whether you’re straight or gay, Japan is one of the safest places on the planet: crime is low, people are extremely respectful, particularly towards foreigners visiting. At no stage did we ever feel unsafe in Tokyo.

As a gay couple travelling in Tokyo, we repeat, we felt just as safe. Whilst Japanese society is very conservative towards LGBTQ rights, they are extremely respectful towards foreigners and Japanese people will do their absolute best to make you feel welcome. Getting a double bed was never an issue in any of the places we stayed in Tokyo, whether a local guesthouse or a hotel.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Japan – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Japan - The Nomadic Boys

Japan is an incredible country. Everything is so advanced, done with such careful precision, immaculate attention to detail – and always with a smile. The Japanese culture itself is rich with tradition, dating back thousands of years and manifests itself in the way the people behave with each other, the many beautiful temples and even in the delicious Japanese food.

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Ten Gay Friendly Tokyo Hotels – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Friendly Tokyo Hotels - The Nomadic Boys

Tokyo is a lot of fun! Each time we’ve visited, we’ve always had a hilarious time partying in the gay bars of Shinjuku. The city is notorious for having over 300 tiny bars crammed together into a small space centred around Shinjuku’s Ni-chōme (Area 2).

In terms of finding a place to stay, Tokyo has an array of gay friendly hotels to choose from. But be warned, whilst Tokyo is not as expensive as it used to be, hotels are not the cheapest here. Despite this, we’ve also managed to find a few gay friendly budget options to include in this list.

Please note that while many of these hotels have lovely swimming pools and on-site spa and sauna areas, all travellers to Japan should be aware that if you have tattoos you may not be permitted in public bathing areas. While it’s not likely that pools in hotels are being ‘policed’, it’s something to be mindful of and if you are really looking forward to swimming, maybe check the specific policy of the hotel before your trip.

These are the 10 best gay friendly Tokyo hotels that we loved, where we had no problems getting a double bed, and where we felt welcomed as a gay couple.

Tokyo is a massive city so it can be daunting to try and figure out the best areas to stay, especially if it’s your first time. These are our thoughts on the best neighbourhoods to stay in Tokyo for gay travellers.

Shinjuku: Shinjuku is our favourite part of Tokyo because it is the gay hub of the city! It’s also a good area for tourists as there are lots of options for accommodation, shopping and entertainment. Being near the Shinjuku train station is especially handy since this is one of the busiest stations in the world, which means you will easily be able to get to other parts of the city from here. Our favourite gay friendly hotel to stay in Shinjuku is Keio Plaza.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

 

Gay Tokyo – The Hornet

gay Tokyo

Tokyo is an extraordinary place — where else can you find ancient shrines and temples hidden within one of the world’s most modern city? The host of 2020 Summer Olympics, that’s where. Tokyo is all about the hustle and bustle, and so is Gay Tokyo. For the first time visitor, Tokyo can be overwhelming with its bright lights, tall skyscrapers and massive crowds.

But as busy as it is, there’s much to explore — ancient history, the freshest and most beautifully prepared food and, of course, the Tokyo nightlife. From its high energy clubs to the cozy dive bars, it’s easy to party till dawn.

And if that weren’t enough, Japan is one of the gay rights leaders in Asia. Even though Japanese culture is typically conservative with strict social norms, Japan (along with Taiwan) is one of the few Asian countries genuinely accepting of its gay communities. An increasing number of districts across Japan have legalized gay civil unions. Two of them are in Tokyo: Shibuya and Setagaya. With this progressive attitude, Tokyo is a top gay destination.

By Charles Thompson-Wang – Full Story at The Hornet

Queer Tokyo – Passport Magazine

Queer Tokyo
Photo by CASSIDY DUHON PHOTOGRAPHY

As the city gears up to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, new relationships are being constructed between East and West, gay and straight, old and new. These new dynamics are exciting, and the energy is palpable. A few years ago, I went on an international marathon tour. You can learn a lot about a city from how it cheers on its runners. Bostonians handed out plates of oranges and shouted positive encouragements. Tokyoites offered hand-carved chocolates and homemade sushi, and bowed to the runners.

Gay Tokyo offers something unique and different from many other big cities. In Tokyo, the extremely ancient meets the extremely modern, and those juxtapositions play out in everyday life. Photographer Cassidy DuHon and I visited Tokyo earlier this year. During our week there, we met with LGBT rights activists, male geishas, and Japanese drag queens. We sought out the newest luxury hotels and spas, the most popular gay bars, and the freshest slices of sashimi.

Some people say that Tokyo is similar to Taipei or Seoul. On the surface, it may look so, but scratch below the kimono and you quickly find tastes, sights, and sounds in Tokyo that you can’t find anywhere else in the world.

From the moment I boarded the plane to Tokyo from Washington, D.C., the All Nippon Airways (www.fly-ana.com) staff only spoke to me with smiles. At some point I had to remind myself that I didn’t always have to smile back. Auspiciously, I turned on our inflight entertainment to find an LGBT movie called Close-Knit, which tells the story of a Japanese transgender woman and the relationship she builds with her boyfriend’s niece. It’s beautifully directed and includes an emotional scene where the heroine of the story burns 108 colorful wool-knit penises on the beach, symbolically breaking from her former male identity.

By Allister Chang – Full Story at Passport

The Best Sushi in Tokyo – Nomadic Boys

Sushi in Tokyo When you first think of Japanese cuisine, sushi is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Tokyo is one of the best places in the world for an intense sushi #foodporn experience, mainly as a result of having the world’s largest fish market. We set out to discover some of the places to enjoy the best sushi in Tokyo and also stumbled on a few more obscure discoveries. WHAT IS SUSHI? Sushi is raw fish, sliced into small pieces and served on cooked vinegared rice. When it’s served without the rice it’s called sashimi. Sushi literally means, sour tasting in Japanese and comes from the old tradition of preserving raw fish by fermenting it by wrapping it in soured fermenting rice. The fish proteins are then broken down via the fermentation. WHERE TO EAT THE BEST SUSHI IN TOKYO? – THE TSUKIJI FISH MARKET! Tsukiji is famous for being the largest fish market in the world. Daily auctions start from 4am, drawing huge crowds. This is serious fish business. The most expensive fish (222kg of bluefin tuna) was sold here for $1.8m (155.4 million yen) on 5 January 2013.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

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Gay Tokyo – The Nomadic Boys

Nomadic Boys - Gay Tokyo Japan is one of the leaders of gay rights in Asia. Gay TokyoSurprising isn’t it? Japanese society is so regimented, conservative, with strict social norms and little room for acceptance for anything different. Despite this, Japan (along with Taiwan) is one of the few countries in Asia which has truly started to accept and protect its gay community to the point where it’s opened the door to gay civil unions. More and more districts across Japan are legalising gay civil unions, two of them in Tokyo: Shibuya and Setagaya. So what better time to come visit the city as a gay couple? A very patient (unmarried) Stefan secretly hoping this could be THE moment… Tokyo itself is massive, made up of 23 wards, each governed as a separate city and inhabited by over 9 million people. Statistically that’s just under 1 million gays waiting to welcome you. Gay Tokyo is mainly congregated in Shinjuku’s Ni-chome (Area 2) where all the action happens. We enjoyed our time there so much that we decided to write our LGBT travel guide to Japan’s capital city.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

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ANA Business Class Review: Tokyo Haneda to London – Nomadic Boys

Stefan Nomadic Boys The very sweet Japanese cabin crew girl onboard our ANA business class flight from Tokyo to London giggled at this proud Frenchman as he pouted fiercely, preparing to tuck into his beef steak fillet and Aomori black garlic confit. Stefan also looked on in a fit of giggles as Sebastien so effortlessly settled into his ANA business class experience. And wouldn’t you? All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest airline, is not only recognised as one of the seven 5-star Airlines by Skytrax, its business class was rated as the fourth best in the world at the 2015 World Airline Awards. The accolades don’t stop there: in the same year, ANA’s business class was also highly rated for its seats, airline staff, catering and comfort amenities.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

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Geisha Makeover in Tokyo – Nomadic Boys

Geisha Makeover “As Sayuri was standing beneath the Cherry tree, speaking to the one man she loved but could not have, a sprinkle of delicate pale pink petals fell upon them like snow…” At this point, Sebastien GRABBED the remote control, interrupting the most beautiful moment of Memoirs of a Geisha to declare: “STEFAN! One day, we too, will become geisha!” Fast forward a few years and we find ourselves in the unassuming Studio Geisha Cafe in Morishita, suburbia Tokyo, ready for our own Geisha makeover and experience of a lifetime. “50% of our customers are in fact Japanese (mainly heterosexual) men who simply want to transform into something completely different”. Michiru, a former model/actress, set up the Studio Geisha Cafe with her husband to provide people the chance to live out their dream. She’s used to Japanese men who want to be transformed and we were fortunate to be her first foreign male geisha makeover.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

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