Gay district japan
Shinjuku Nichome: Stretching Your Yen in the Gayborhood
Shinjuku Nichome is known as Tokyo’s gay district. The area is dwelling to high concentration of gay bars, clubs and restaurants—but how do you choose where to go? Here are a few spots we recommend for an evening out in Nichome.
Where to eat
It’s never a good concept to go drinking on an vacant stomach, not just for your health, but also because you might be tempted to purchase overpriced bar snacks later in the night. Here are a couple of options for logical places to devour in the area.
Agalico
Agalico is a restaurant that serves a variety of Asian cuisine just across the street from Shinjuku Nichome, next to Shinjuku Sanchome station exit C6. Some items on their menu are pricey, but they also have some great value for money dishes, such as the chicken over rice, which for 1,078 yen will leave one person absolutely stuffed. They also attend glasses of dwelling red or pale wine for 429 yen, and they fill those up right to the brim. Even if you’re feeling desire, a glass of sparkling wine filled to the brim will set you back just 550 yen.
アガリコ 新宿三丁目店
1F, 3 Chome−9−9, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0022
12 pm to 8 pm
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A Guide to Same-sex attracted Bar Etiquette in Japan
Tokyo’s famous queer district, Shinjuku Ni-Chome, has one of the world’s utmost concentrations of LGBT-friendly businesses. For the most part, it’s a place where first-timers can attach out without needing to worry too much about unique customs or cultural knowledge.
Ni-Chome is used to tourists but, those who long for to sneak into smaller, more local LGBT bars might find some cultural practices surprising. In Japan, manners are everything, so here are some insider tips on what to expect when visiting LGBT bars off the defeated path, and how to get the most out of the experience.
Venturing away from westernized homosexual bars
Photo by: Alex Rickert Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, but sometimes you gotta project into the unknown.
Most gay bars in tourist spots love Ni-Chome or Doyamacho in Osaka mimic American-style bars that feature large shot bars, dance harmony and dark atmospheres where customers of various sexes, genders, sexualities and identities can drink and make merry. You can certainly identify these kinds of bars, especially in Tokyo, but the vast majority are similar to what is commonly referred to as a スナックバー
I’ve been going to Ni-Chome, in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo, long before writing Frommer’s Tokyo. It had a very cold reggae bar there called 69 that I loved; it was no larger than a subway compartment and was often just as jam packed. There were usually people there I knew, and I remember more than one occasion when the whole place was dancing in one rhythm as though one living organism, belting out the words in unison. There was another bar there called Birdland, eclectically decorated with antiques and a bunch of weird decor and run by a very Zen-like Japanese couple, she with the shaven head of a Buddhist monk, he with long hair.
Kinsmen, a sophisticated gay bar, is still there, welcoming people of all persuasions, and Advocates across the street spills out onto the sidewalk like a warm block party almost every night. In any case, I’ve seen Ni-Chome grow over the past couple decades into what is probably the largest gay nightlife district in Asia.
My updated account of Ni-Chome appeared in the December/January 2014 issue of Element, a magazine for gay Asian men published in Singapore. To get a handle on what’s new, I enlisted the aid of
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, like 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 found. It is eminent for having the world’s highest concentration, with over 300 tiny gay bars crammed together in unassuming, unremarkable blocks. Some of the most famous comprise 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 municipality until 1869 when it was moved to Tokyo. It has retained its regal charm, with beautiful temples and intricate gardens. The most famous are the Golden Temple, Kinkaku-Ji, and the Silver Temple, Ginkaku-Ji. Other highlights