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 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

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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