Japanese Lesbian/Transgender Identities in Contemporary Media. The anime and manga community will probably be familiar with the term okama (literally, kettle), variously translated as ‘transvestite’ or ‘Drag Queen’, which is commonly applied to (effeminately) gay characters, especially in a cross-dressing context. Bentham/Bon Curry from Oda Eiichiro’s One Piece may turn being okama into a martial…
Category: Social Customs
Gay in Japan
Japanese history is well known for celebrating homosexuality. Well, what we in the West call homosexuality. During the feudal era, homosexuality wasn’t an identity as it is today. The celebration of male love changed with many other aspects of their society during the Meiji Reformation. Like the protections single mothers and women enjoyed, homosexuality declined…
Gender Roles of Men in Japanese Society
Many trees have died to research the effects of Japan’s patriarchal society on women. I also did my part by killing digital trees. Surprisingly, not as much research has been done on men. Patriarchal societies may appear to be a man’s paradise, but these societies place a heavy burden on men, perhaps even heavier than…
Halloween, Japan Style
Up until 2000, Halloween was only something the Japanese heard about in English classes. That changed when Tokyo Disneyland started decorating for the holiday. The first event was held back in 1997, and it was a hit. Over time it became an annual autumn event. Universal Studios Japan joined the act in 2002 with “Hollywood…
Japan’s Warrior Women
The one characteristic that sets women apart from men has shaped how women are treated in most societies. No, I am not referring to boobs. There is something about childbirth that relegates women to the role of property in most agricultural societies. Perhaps it is because most agricultural societies have the idea of land ownership…
Paris Syndrome
You step off the plane in the fabled City of Light. Paris. What do you do first? Find a cab? Book a hotel room? Jump in and visit the Louvre? If you are Japanese, your first visit may just well be the hospital. Between 12 and 20 Japanese tourists each year are overwhelmed by Paris…