Anything “gay” would be from the West like David Bowie, Freddy Mercury etc.įrom around 2000 onwards, things started to change and more people felt comfortable coming out. Growing up, it was such a heteronormative society in Japan (as I'm sure it was in much of the world back then) that we rarely saw any gay icons. Shintaro showing Seby around Osaka's gay scene Were there any famous Japanese gay icons growing up? We sat Shintaro down and he told us what gay life in Japan is like from his perspective in this interview. One of our best friends in Japan is the amiable Shintaro, a fabulous local who is at the forefront of gay travel to Japan with his excellent company, Out Asia Travel. What's the reality like for the Japanese LGBTQ community? We often hear that whilst the Japanese are very welcoming to gay foreigners, on a local level, the country is very conservative when it comes to LGBTQ rights. Everything is well received with a sweet, warm smile and a humble bow.īut as we said, that's through our superficial perspective as gay travelers visiting. Everything is so much more advanced here, so clean, so impeccable, where trains arrive/leave on time, correct to the second!Īnd the Japanese themselves? Well, they're just the icing on top – you couldn't ask for a more welcoming and respectful nation. To our foreign eyes, Japan feels like you've taken a time machine into the future. Each time we leave, we say sayonara with a strong thirst to return for more!Īs a gay couple traveling in Japan, we've always felt extremely welcome, everywhere, never receiving any judgment or raised eyebrows. We've been fortunate to visit several times. As an American gay man living in China for 8 years, and Thailand for 5 years, I assure you that gay life is not as peaches and cream as you want it to be.Our gay friend Shintaro from Tokyo tells us what gay life in Japan is like from his perspective in this fascinating interview. You sweep in, enjoy the surface gratifications that present themselves in designated gay hotspots, but fail to look at the subsurface of what it does to families and society outside of the gay streets and bar areas of a community. Your comment about where it is best to party and travel. Your commentary in this article is from the viewpoint of a gay traveler, not invested in these societies and cultures. It can take decades for a society to become prepared. Just look at what happens when western nations, such as America or the UK "colonize" other nations. It is one thing to ensure that the minorities have equality and acceptance, but to push that acceptance on societies not prepared for such drastic and quick change is harmful. Sure, it is great for the minorities of gays in the country, but at what cost to the remainder of societies. This is especially true in places where LGBTQ progress has been made. Bi-sexual thinking is also more of a norm, as sex is a form of entertainment and relief from the daily dredges of life in these poorer nations.Īs western influences and liberal ideologies get introduced and accepted into these countries, they breakdown the fabric of the societies and are causing more harm to the general populous than actually doing good.
It is culturally expected for them to have children and families, so as to not be a burden on society. This is why you will find many "gays" in these countries marrying the opposing gender. Without that conservative society norm, the elderly would be forgotten and thrown away.
While you may condemn the "conservative" view in some of these countries, it is a necessity. Parents spend their lives giving and supporting their children, with the concept that the children will repay at the end of a person's life. That is the responsibility of the children of a family. For instance, many countries do not rely on retirement funds and social programs to take care of the elderly. On that same note, the family is much more important, as well as the progression through age. Even the concept of "love" and "relationship" is different. It should be noted that many Asians, regardless of country, view sexuality much differently than a western gay would.