Tokyo Pride 2025
Pride Festival: Held on June 7–8 from 11am to 6pm at Yoyogi Park Event Plaza, the festival features booths from LGBTQ+ organizations, businesses, and food vendors, along with live performances on the Pride Stage.
Pride Parade: Join the march on June 8, starting at 12pm, as participants walk a 3km route through Shibuya and Harajuku, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and visibility. Pre-registration is required for participants.
Pride Night: Celebrate the culmination of the weekend on June 8 from 6pm to midnight at AISOTOPE LOUNGE, featuring music and performances. This is a ticketed event.
Youth Pride: Aimed at younger generations, this festival-style event takes place on June 14–15 at WITH HARAJUKU HALL, offering resources and networking opportunities.
Queer Art Exhibition: From June 6–18, visit the exhibition at Tokyu Plaza Harajuku 'HaraKado' 3F, showcasing diverse artistic expressions from the LGBTQ+ community.
Human Rights Conference: Engage in discussions on critical human rights issues on June 22. Details on the venue and schedule will be announced on the official website.
Yoyogi Park Event Plaza https://pride.tokyo/en/
￥Most events are free and open to the public. However, some events, like Pride Night, require tickets.
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Japan Times
14-06-2025
- Japan Times
At Tokyo Pride's first queer art exhibition, intimacy and resistance share the wall
On the third floor of Tokyu Plaza Harajuku's Harakado space, the inaugural Queer Art Exhibition — one of the main events of Tokyo Pride 2025 — unfurls as both celebration and reflection. With 36 works by 30 LGBTQ+ and allied artists, the show presents a broad spectrum of media: painting, photography, illustration, mixed media — and an equally wide spectrum of voices. The result is less a tightly curated gallery show than a spirited, grassroots salon: uneven, but moving. The range of artistic quality is as wide as the range of mediums, and that goes for the messaging as well. While some pieces are fairly predictable — rainbow flags in various settings (one work is simply a painted flag) — others are intricate, formally sophisticated art objects. These standout pieces offer layered social commentary on what it means to live as an LGBTQ+ individual in Japan today, while also showcasing the technical and conceptual ingenuity of their creators. Organized through an open-call submission process, the exhibition is crowdsourced in the best sense, shaped by community rather than institution. That openness extends to the structure: visitors are invited to vote for the Tokyo Rainbow Pride Award, a ¥100,000 prize granted by public decision. Donations and artwork sales go directly to the artists themselves. In its structure and spirit, this is a show designed not just to exhibit queer art but to empower queer artists. 'Ordinary' by moriuo | ©TOKYO PRIDE 2025 Among the more resonant pieces is 'Ordinary' by moriuo, a painting drawing lightly on comic-book style, depicting a young male couple hand-in-hand by the ocean as a train passes in the background — perhaps in Kamakura. The image is seen through the eyes of an older gay man, who never had the freedom to express love so openly. 'I wish you could see this view ... this time that has finally come,' reads the artist's quietly devastating caption. It's a moment of tenderness across generations — a reckoning with what was once impossible. Noumra's 'In My Closet' turns introspection into visual poetry. A large, cutout panel painted in exquisite detail, it features the face of a bearded man surrounded by a wreath of flowers, foliage and a fox-like creature whispering into his ear. The face is serene. Here, the 'closet' is not a site of repression but a blooming inner landscape — a place where identity takes root. Noumra rejects outward signifiers of queerness and instead renders the closet as a space of psychological richness, where pride grows inside before reaching the surface. 'わたしたちの生活' ('Watashi-tachi no Seikatsu,' 'Our Lives') by Moe Kano | ©TOKYO PRIDE 2025 Moe Kano's photographic collage 'わたしたちの生活' ('Watashi-tachi no Seikatsu,' 'Our Lives') also echoes a commitment to pride via smaller gestures. A collection of slice-of-life, candid domestic moments shared with her partner — boxed lunches packed, rooms lived in, messes left uncleaned — it resists spectacle in favor of truth. 'We argue. We disagree. Sometimes we're broke,' she writes. 'But we're together.' The work gently insists that queer love doesn't need to be extraordinary to be valid. Then there are pieces that pierce more directly. Kazutaka Nagashima's '玫瑰少年' ('Meigui Shonan,' 'Rose Boy'), a gorgeous woodblock print, memorializes Yeh Yung-chih, a Taiwanese queer teenager who died as a result of bullying. Nagashima merges a rose tattoo motif with printmaking in an aching tribute. 'I could have ended up like him,' he confesses, reminding us survival can be political. '玫瑰少年' ('Meigui Shonan,' 'Rose Boy') by Kazutaka Nagashima | ©TOKYO PRIDE 2025 Natsuki Yoshida's trio of partially monochrome paintings — rooted in manga — traces lesbian romance with emotional clarity and quiet intensity. Through tender embraces, haunted gazes, and symbols like smoke and floating neck halos, these works capture the intimacy between young women, and also the beauty, hesitation and ache of desire in a world still learning how to hold it. Otokokokoto's '屁' ('He,' 'Fart') is a playful standout, a mixed-media depiction of a man in a public bath. Both irreverent and strangely tender, the work turns bodily humor into a bold artistic gesture. Queer art, it turns out, can embrace absurdity and the delightfully unserious. Taken together, these works form a constellation of perspectives — some polished, some raw, all urgent in their own way. And in this mix lies the true strength of the exhibition. Because it is crowdfunded and community-sourced, the show makes no claim to curatorial perfection. But it does succeed, powerfully, in reflecting a grassroots artistic community in all its heartfelt and irreducible complexity. The overall message is one of unity and inclusion: Everyone is welcome. The Queer Art Exhibition at Tokyu Plaza Harajuku's Harakado, runs through June 18. For more information, visit
Japan Times
12-06-2025
- Japan Times
The persistence of Pride: LGBTQ+ events in Tokyo and beyond
The centerpiece parade and festival of Tokyo Rainbow Pride may be over, but there's still ample opportunity to celebrate diversity and show your solidarity with the queer community. The following programs and events showcase the creativity and resilience of queer people and platforms in a range of creative and professional domains. Queer Art Exhibition (until June 18): Stop by Harajuku for a group show at Baby the Coffee Brew Club, featuring 30 queer artists from around the world working in mediums from wood engraving and photography to illustration. Admission is free. Some of the artwork is for sale and there will be a tip box for contributions to the artists. You can also vote for your favorite artist in the show, with the winner receiving the Tokyo Rainbow Pride Award of ¥100,000. Instagram: @ (until June 18): Stop by Harajuku for a group show at Baby the Coffee Brew Club, featuring 30 queer artists from around the world working in mediums from wood engraving and photography to illustration. Admission is free. Some of the artwork is for sale and there will be a tip box for contributions to the artists. You can also vote for your favorite artist in the show, with the winner receiving the Tokyo Rainbow Pride Award of ¥100,000. Instagram: @ Events at Loneliness Books (June 20-22, 27-29): The queer bookstore in Higashinakano will host a number of programs on the final two weekends of June, including a book launch for Naoki Ota's essay collection 'Gray and Life,' a cinema club discussion and a release party for the latest issue of magazine Kaguya Planet. Instagram: @lonelinessbooks (June 20-22, 27-29): The queer bookstore in Higashinakano will host a number of programs on the final two weekends of June, including a book launch for Naoki Ota's essay collection 'Gray and Life,' a cinema club discussion and a release party for the latest issue of magazine Kaguya Planet. Instagram: @lonelinessbooks Rainbow Reel Tokyo (June 21-22; July 12-13): The 32nd Tokyo International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will be held at two different venues in Shibuya, EuroLive and Tokyo Women's Plaza Hall. Five feature films and five shorts will be screened, representing productions from Belgium, France, India, the U.K. and the U.S., many of which are premiering in Japan for the first time. Instagram: @rainbowreeltokyo (June 21-22; July 12-13): The 32nd Tokyo International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will be held at two different venues in Shibuya, EuroLive and Tokyo Women's Plaza Hall. Five feature films and five shorts will be screened, representing productions from Belgium, France, India, the U.K. and the U.S., many of which are premiering in Japan for the first time. Instagram: @rainbowreeltokyo Human Rights Conference (June 22): At Shiseido Hanatsubaki Hall in Ginza, LGTBQ+ activists, academics and professionals will convene to discuss contemporary social issues connected to this year's Tokyo Rainbow Pride theme of 'Same Life, Same Rights.' Three panels and a keynote speech will cover topics such as marriage equality, media misinformation and combating discrimination. Admission is free, but registration is required. (June 22): At Shiseido Hanatsubaki Hall in Ginza, LGTBQ+ activists, academics and professionals will convene to discuss contemporary social issues connected to this year's Tokyo Rainbow Pride theme of 'Same Life, Same Rights.' Three panels and a keynote speech will cover topics such as marriage equality, media misinformation and combating discrimination. Admission is free, but registration is required. Aomori Rainbow Parade (June 28): The coastal city of Hachinohe will host a parade on the final Saturday of the month, beginning from the plaza in front of city hall. X: @RainbowAomori (June 28): The coastal city of Hachinohe will host a parade on the final Saturday of the month, beginning from the plaza in front of city hall. X: @RainbowAomori Seisho Queer Pride (June 29): Manazuru, Kanagawa Prefecture, will celebrate Pride with a parade and party. Original merchandise will be on sale to support the local community. The parade departs from Manazuru Station at 11 a.m. Instagram: @seisho_queer_pride Looking past the summer and beyond the capital, a slew of regional Pride events — some launching for the very first time — are scheduled throughout the fall. Most of these programs have only the dates and venues locked in, and other details are yet to be announced. Make sure to check their websites for the latest information about how to attend or get involved.
Japan Times
11-06-2025
- Japan Times
Pride and prose: Novels that illuminate queer lives in Japan
Japan has a long and colorful lineage of same-sex love and non-normative sexualities. As queer communities in Japan continue to fight for social acceptance, equal rights and legal protections, Pride Month is an opportune moment to look at how sexual minorities have been represented in the country's literary domain. Nowadays, Japanese fiction is more accessible than ever before, thanks to a burgeoning field of literary translators as well as the voracious appetites of readers around the world. While not all of the authors in the list below are queer themselves, their depictions of LGBTQ+ characters and themes illustrate, in some measure, the plight of marginalized communities in modern society. Storytelling is a bridge to empathy, offering insights into the lives and worldviews of people we might never be able to meet otherwise. If you're not yet familiar with queer narratives and characters from Japan, think of this list as a jumping-off point — and perhaps the beginning of your reading journey. 'Confessions of a Mask' by Yukio Mishima (translated by Meredith Weatherby) A classic of the modern queer canon, as it were, the significance of 'Confessions of a Mask' is perhaps overshadowed by the controversial legacy of its writer: Yukio Mishima, the ultra-right-wing nationalist, bodybuilder and literary titan who committed seppuku (ritual disembowelment) in 1970 after a failed attempt to overthrow the government. 'Confessions' was published in 1949 and is widely regarded as a semi-autobiographical account of Mishima's childhood and upbringing, relating the experience of a young man who struggles to reconcile with his same-sex attraction in a society of strict mores. 'Kitchen' by Banana Yoshimoto (translated by Megan Backus) Yoshimoto's 1988 book marked her debut on the literary scene and was the recipient of multiple prizes in Japan. The titular novella follows a young woman named Mikage, who takes up residence with Yuichi, a friend of her late grandmother's. Mikage grows fond of Yuichi as well as Eriko, his transgender mother who owns a nightclub. A meditation on family, food and grief, 'Kitchen' creates a space of solace in spite of the tragedy that shadows Mikage's world. 'Twinkle Twinkle' by Kaori Ekuni (translated by Emi Shimokawa) Ekuni's novel centers on a marriage of convenience between Shoko, an alcoholic translator, and Mutsuki, a gay physician who remains very much devoted to his partner Kon. Misfits in a society that prizes conformity, Shoko and Mutsuki decide to tie the knot to alleviate the pressures they face individually. When the topic of procreation comes up, the couple delineate the boundaries of their unconventional relationship and, alongside Kon, create a modern family in their own image. Originally published in 1991, Ekuni's debut novel earned her the Murasaki Shikibu Prize for Literature. 'Real World' by Natsuo Kirino (translated by Philip Gabriel) 'Real World' (published in 2003) follows a quartet of teenage girlfriends — Toshi, Yuzan, Terauchi and Kirarin — and their encounter with a boy nicknamed 'Worm,' who is accused of murdering his mother. Shifting between the perspectives of all five characters, Kirino's mosaic novel offers an intimate glimpse of Japanese youth at the turn of the century, including the interior life of a young woman who attempts to hide her sexuality amid the dynamics of her friend group. 'Sputnik Sweetheart' by Haruki Murakami (translated by Philip Gabriel) One of Murakami's more compact novels, 'Sputnik Sweetheart' is ostensibly a love story between Sumire, an aspiring writer, and the enigmatic Miu, an older Zainichi Korean woman whom she meets at a wedding. Originally published in 2000, the story is narrated by a male protagonist known simply as 'K,' who watches helplessly from the sidelines as Sumire absconds to Europe with Miu. Sumire disappears in Greece and K is compelled to travel afar to aid in her search — his journey revealing more questions than answers, in true Murakami fashion. 'Solo Dance' by Li Kotomi (translated by Arthur Reiji Morris) Li won the Gunzo Prize in 2017 for her novel about the coming of age of Cho Norie, a Taiwanese lesbian navigating a new life in Japan while haunted by the violence and trauma of her past. Alternating between the present day and Norie's younger years, the narrative presents a psychological portrait of a protagonist on the margins, grappling with a deep-rooted loneliness while holding onto hope for a kinder, softer future. 'The Night of Baba Yaga' by Akira Otani (translated by Sam Bett) Yoriko Shindo, a young woman with a checkered past, is the reader's avatar in this slim volume from 2020 that explores the bloody underworld of the 1970s. When Yoriko is forced into servitude in a yakuza compound, she becomes the driver and bodyguard for Shoko Naiki, the 18-year-old daughter of the mob boss. Yoriko and Shoko forge an unlikely bond that forms the core of the novel, which ricochets between two storylines as the violence escalates into a subversive and titillating climax. Untranslated gems in queer literature Despite the Japanese literature publishing boom of recent years, many more works of queer fiction still don't have English translations (for now). Japanese literacy can unlock a whole world of writers and stories from the LGBTQ+ literary canon. 'Two Virgins in the Attic' by Nobuko Yoshiya Originally published in 1919, Yoshiya's story about two young women who become roommates at a boarding school is widely considered to be a narrative prototype of and forerunner to yuri manga depicting same-sex romance and attraction between girls. 'A Lovers' Forest' by Mari Mori Mori, daughter of esteemed novelist Ogai Mori, published this collection of four short stories in 1961, which many credit for inspiring the Boys' Love genre of manga that began to flourish in the following decade. 'Yes, Yes, Yes' by Hisao Hiruma Hiruma's groundbreaking novel won the Bungei Prize in 1989 and delves into the lives of young men who work as hustlers in Shinjuku Ni-chome, Tokyo's LGBTQ+ neighborhood. 'Egoist' by Makoto Takayama The basis of the award-winning film of the same name from director Daishi Matsunaga, Takayama's novel centers on the ill-fated love affair between a magazine editor and his personal trainer. 'The Real Life of Julian Butler' by Nao Kawamoto Kawamoto's novel, published in 2021, is a 'translation' of the biography of Julian Butler — a fictional American writer — and an appraisal of his scandalous public life. 'Dtopia' by Jose Ando Mixed-race author Ando won the Akugatawa Prize this year for his third novel, which centers on contestants on a reality TV dating show set in Bora Bora. A translation of his debut novel 'Jackson Alone' by Kalau Almony is forthcoming in 2026.
