Tokyo gay bars 1950s

Walk through the narrow streets of Ni-Chome on a Saturday night, and you're forgiven for thinking you've stumbled upon a massive impromptu gay-pride festival. That's because Ni-Chome pronounced knee-chomay boasts the highest concentration of gay bars in Asia, if not the world. When I first started coming here 30 years ago, much of the action centered on only a few key spots and was largely underground.

The vast majority of the establishments are no larger than walk-in closets, with room for only a dozen or so regular customers. The language barrier may also be an impediment. Japan has no laws forbidding homosexual activity. On the other hand, while gay celebrities and drag queens are ubiquitous on talk and TV shows, gays have no legal rights in Japan.

Some local governments, however, including Tokyo, have laws that ban discrimination, and in any case, discrimination is uncommon. In addition to bars and clubs, Ni-Chome boasts restaurants, cafes, saunas, love hotels, massage parlors and gay video stores.

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Despite the drawbacks related above, a number of establishments welcome—and even pursue—foreign travelers. Nearby, civilized Kinsmen, in business more than 30 years, welcomes everyone including womenwhile Indulge is a classy wine bar popular with both gays and straights for its karaoke though women are allowed only if accompanied by men.

If you want to take it up a notch and can afford ithead over to boy-bar King of College, where you can simply order a drink while eyeing the lineup of possibilities or pay for escort service to a nearby hotel photos and prices are clearly outlined on its website, www. Although Ni-Chome caters mostly to men, there are also lesbian bars, most notably Kinswomyn, a tiny women-only bar friendly to foreigners, and Goldfinger, closed to men except Tuesdays when it has a transgender staff and Fridays.

There are also other smaller gay districts in Tokyo, as well as that mother of all drag shows, Kabuki, in which men play female roles.