Same-sex marriage is not legal at the national level. Luckily the ongoing economic stagnation in Japan has made the country – and the gay scene of Tokyo – more open to foreigners, and there are no many gay saunas, bars, and clubs who actively welcome non-japanese into their midst. Japan is like nowhere else on Earth, and as anyone who has visited before will know, they do things very differently here.
You might think this is xenophobic – and it is – but it is, in large part, to protect members from being judged by unfamiliar standards. Local attitudes, however, mean many most foreigners can only sample, but a few as personal friendships with members and strict Japanese only rules dictate who can enter. Imagine bars for Gaisen (a Japanese gay man attracted to foreign, usually white, men), for those with rugby fetishes, lovers of older men, only those who enjoy oral sex or underwear kinks – yes, Gay Tokyo truly has something for everyone! We all know bars are often split into gay and lesbian, occasionally with leather/ bear bars – but Japan has taken this to a whole new level.
