Is Tokyo Gay Friendly?

As forward-thinking as Japan is sometimes portrayed, many people who have visited or lived there, realize that the country still remains isolated and steeped in tradition in many ways.

WCN-TV.com, an online TV station based in Tokyo, Japan, recently produced a show for their Tokyo Voice show titled, “Is Tokyo Gay Friendly?” that offers insight into the LGBT community and its history in Japan. The camera crew and interviewers visited Tokyo Gay Pride to find the answer from locals and foreign visitors — including drag queens, gay men, lesbians, and many other on the gay spectrum. Among topics discussed, the people interviewed mention the fact that the Shibuya district recently recognized same-sex marriage and the Kanagawa Ward has Japan's first openly trans woman politician, Aya Kamakawa, a Tokyo municipal official.

"I walk around with my girlfriend and there's no judgment," one young foreigner shares. Her Japanese girlfriend adds: "I can be myself whenever, wherever."

Watch the video segment below: