As my partner Yohei and I entered the lobby of the Bangkok Airport, I reached for my passport and realized it was still on top of the hotel bureau. Yohei had forgotten it. Not one to cast blame, I began by telling him not to panic: words guaranteed to panic anyone and it did. He…
Reluctantly, I replaced bungee jumping with Mama Chan’s cooking class consisting of two very masculine German women, a snooty French couple, two giggling Korean girls, a wizened Swede of undetermined sex, my partner and me. Once we had arrived at Mama’s house, I upset all with an ill-timed witticism involving the dogs out front on…
I just left Tokyo and am now in Thailand. Visiting my former hometown was a little strange. I was glad to see the old haunts, but many of my favorites were gone and others unrecognizable. Furthermore, the circle of friends I usually visit had dwindled. As an LGBT cardholder I always check to see what…
Step by seemingly immeasurable step, Japan is beginning to acknowledge its country’s sexual minorities, an act at once both radical and surprisingly belated. And no one seems to represent those conflicted cultural strains more emblematically than 26-year-old Kazuki Osawa and his partner Shoi Osawa, a childhood friend. What makes this relationship so different is that…
TOKYO — From GayAsiaNews comes a story about Japan’s first lady, who has not only taken part in the annual Tokyo gay parade but gone on to write about equality and anti-gay discrimination on her Facebook page. Akie Abe wore a white suite and stood on a float with a drag queen, as some 3,000…
Ignoring the rumors of unrest amongst the locals, we have arrived in Bangkok for a few days before heading north to quieter and cooler Chiang Mai. As usual, we soon skip the tourist areas and wander around the ordinary neighborhoods. At our age we often have to stop for a drink or ice cream. Business…
For the next issue or two I may comment about my current travels. I’m with my partner in Tokyo at the moment and cold. Our apartment is about 55 degrees with the kerosene heater on and no heat at all in the toilet and separate shower room. Whatever we do, we do it fast. Speaking…
Despite besmirching the Shijonawate Fire Department reputation, two young Japanese firefighters, both 20, were suspended for six months after it was discovered they appeared in adult films, reports the TokyoReporter.com. According to the story, the pair were approached by an adult video scout on a beach in the Suma Ward of Kobe. After being complimented…
When I was reading comics as a teenager, I was one of the few readers who did not claim that Wolverine was his favorite member of the X-Men. I found him a somewhat shallow construction, gruff and violent, with a mostly golden heart. The adamantium-clawed, cigar-chomping Canadian seemed obvious to me, the kind of character…
