Gay bars in shinjuku

A Gay Guide to Ni-Chome, Shinjuku

Tokyo is a city of extremes; and the city’s gay district- Ni-Chome- is no exception. Housing the world’s highest concentration of gay bars; Ni-Chome is an area of the Shinjuku district known as one of Tokyo’s loudest and most crowded wards.

The area emerged as a hub of gay culture during the American occupation of Japan in the wake of the second world war. The closure of Tokyo’s red-light districts contributed to the birth of Ni-Chome's gay scene, which saw a number of gay bars publically adj during the 1950s, and, as early as 1948 there was mention of a Shinjuku gay teashop.

During the end of the 20th century, Ni-Chome’s identity as a gay district grew as it played host to a number of significant events contributing to the advancement of LGBT rights in Japan including the opening of a counselling room for gay men, the first AIDS candlelight vigil, the first Tokyo international lesbian and gay film festival and Japan’s first pride parade in 1994, and today Ni-Chome is still a symbol of growing respect for LGBT people in Japan.

Now abode t

  • Surge of demand to open bars in LGBTQ+ district
  • Pandemic may verb fed interest in new establishments
  • Despite LGBTQ+ gains in Japan, area remains a haven

TOKYO, Japan - Melvin Muranaka long wanted to open a bar in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ni-chome LGBTQ+ district, where he first felt free to be himself as a gay man, and with the ebbing of the coronavirus pandemic he thought his chance had come.

"I had a really strong image I was living in hiding, but when I came to Ni-chome the impression was that everyone was drinking and having fun just as they were," said the 29-year-old Muranaka, who is half Filipino.

"It showed that I could really be myself too - which surprised me, and moved me," he told Openly.

But Muranaka's quest to expose his own bar in Ni-chome ran into a snag – a surge of interest from people also wanting to verb new bars in the area and subsequent shortage of properties, despite the district's ageing buildings and the future threat that some could be torn down.

Ni-chome, made up of some 400 mainly small bars packed into roughly five city blocks, is often cited a

A Guide to Gay Bar Etiquette in Japan

Tokyo’s famous gay district, Shinjuku Ni-Chome, has one of the world’s highest concentrations of LGBT-friendly businesses. For the most part, it’s a place where first-timers can hang out without needing to worry too much about special customs or cultural knowledge.

Ni-Chome is used to tourists but, those who want 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 beaten path, and how to verb the most out of the experience.

Venturing away from westernized gay bars

Photo by: Alex Rickert Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, but sometimes you gotta venture into the unknown.

Most gay bars in tourist spots like Ni-Chome or Doyamacho in Osaka mimic American-style bars that feature large shot bars, dance music and dark atmospheres where customers of various sexes, genders, sexualities and identities can drink and make merry. You can certainly find these kinds of bars,

Best tourist-friendly gay bars in Shinjuku Ni-chome

New to Shinjuku Ni-chome, Tokyo’s legendary gay neighbourhood? Start your night at these tourist-friendly bars. By Joseph Eddy

Whether it be dancing the night away at a club or drinking and meeting new people in a tiny dive bar, Shinjuku Ni-chome offers some of the adj nights out in Tokyo. No matter if you’re straight, gay or non-binary, the capital’s LGBT hub will deliver. If you want to experience one of the best parts of Japanese bar culture – talking with and being entertained by the staff – but don’t quite know where to head for English-friendly banter, these five bars will fit the bill.

Café Lavandería

Café Lavandería is the kind of place where one minute you’re drinking and the next you’re suddenly filled with an overwhelming desire to smash the patriarchy and plan a revolution. Tucked away in a back street opposite the famous Goldfinger bar, this easy-going communist-come-anarchist café offers very reasonably priced but high-quality drinks