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Quibby84 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 643 Location: Japan

This is triggered by Asparas post about being gay
This has been bothering me for some time (maybe since we came to Japan).
I ride the train to work and I have lots of time to study the people onboard. I ALWAYS see boys hanging all over each other, they hug, they put the legs on top of each other, the pick at each others hair...etc. I almost never see this contact with boy on girl, always boy on boy. Maybe it is because I am from america and boys dont do that to each other unless they are gay...or maybe they are gay?
I am so confused. When I ask Japanese people if they know anyone gay, they say no.
So what do you think? Are they gay or just super friendly? Do you think they are gay but never act on it because it is unexceptable and this is why husbands never seem to take much interest in their wives? Or do you think that it is all in my head?
What percent of Japanese do you think are gay? What percent do you think are gay and dont act on it? What percent do you think are gay and do act on it?

So I am assuming alot with this post but you cant deny that it is an interesting topic....

groothewanderer · Joined: 14 Sep 2007 Posts: 33

bluefrog · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Posts: 87 Location: Osaka

I'd chalk it up to a difference in culture.

When I was in West Africa guys would hold hands when they walked down the road together. It took a while to get used to but I eventually did it myself.

Quibby84 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 643 Location: Japan

I care because it is interesting. If I never asked questions about things I am curious about I would never be able to better understand Japan; not knowing or understanding anything about the country I live in would make my stay rather boring...
I am very interesting in understand how people interact with each other, you are not?

Quibby84 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 643 Location: Japan

I think culture has a lot to do with it. Do you think that this is how friends act with each other and it is totally normal for Japan?
All of this is so different from the states...it is hard to reprogram my mind...

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Just yesterday I was on my home and had a hard time getting down our narrow street because it was full of high school boys walking along with their arms around each other's shoulders and generally jumping all over each other. On the other hand girls and guys holding hands is still mildly daring here.

Just a cultural thing, like boys wearing headbands or styling their hair in public- some behaviour which would be considered gay in my country doesn't necessarily mean the same thing in Japan.

I would say the number of gay people in Japan is pretty much on par with the gay population in any country although there would definitely be more people hiding it here than somewhere like Holland for example. I have gay friends here, both foreign and Japanese, who seem quite comfortable not being in the closet. I'm willing to bet it's a lot harder to be gay in a small town in Tohoku than in Tokyo though- like small towns everywhere.

chollimaspeed · Joined: 11 Sep 2007 Posts: 120

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Wikipedia article on homsexuality in Japan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_Japan

Quibby84 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 643 Location: Japan

Very interesting..thank you

Noxness · Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 15 Location: Toronto, ON

The other day in one of my classes we were talking about festivals in other parts of the world. I mentioned Gay Pride because it is a big deal in Toronto as well as other larger cities in both Canada and the US. I had never seen such shock.. or amazement ever.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:58 am Post subject:

Well, saying that a 'gay pride festival' is a festival in the sense of Japanese ones (or Xmas etc) is probably stretching the meaning of the word a bit too far (even for native speakers). Yes, I know it's a shame there aren't national "Gay day" holidays everywhere, but until then maybe gay "festival"='march, somewhat militant event' would be the better semantics.

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

If Carnaval in Rio could be considered a festival, then something like the Sydney Mardi Gras also could be- about equally theatric and colourful...

natsume · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 409 Location: Chongqing, China

San Francisco's Pride tradition is definitely a festival. In the Japanese sense. Unless you don't think a festival is a celebration of culture, food, music, etc.

If I have to explain it to a Japanese person, and I have, I use the word matsuri. Seems to get the idea across. "Militant march" I think would be very confusing.

wabisabi365 · Joined: 04 Feb 2007 Posts: 111 Location: japan

Militant March? I've been to Gay Pride in Toronto, Vancouver and San Francisco... The festivities I witnessed (ie: costumes, floats, kiosks with food and souvenirs, dancing, etc...) were very much in keeping with the "matsuri" I've been to here in Japan. I've seen naked matsuri, fire-burning matsuri, drum beating matsuri, drink-'til-dawn matsuri, dance-with-strangers-drunk matsuri... sounds like Gay Pride to me. Militant? Missed out on that parade, I guess.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:34 am Post subject:

Oh, don't get me wrong, I have no objection myself to gay festivals. I can however see how some Japanese students might experience a disconnect between nationally or locally observed "folk" festivals and the drug-fuelled go-go boy orgies then playing in their minds (however well-attended and supported by the communities the latter might be).