Naked Camping: Where can you do it?

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Gay Halloween in Tokyo, Shinjuku Ni-chome, at Advocates Cafe, Oct 31, 9:00pm-2am

In Tokyo, Halloween is starting to become a bigger commercialized American 'festival' - of sorts. I am one of the few people who attempts to get gay-buds to dress up and go out on Halloween weekend. We're rounding up in Tokyo Ni-chome gay district on the Saturday before Halloween.

Check out the Eventbrite link below for maps and to RSVP (not needed) since it's a commercial bar and open to the public, also viewable from the street since it is mainly right on the street. Or you can also read more info about our Oct 31 Halloween Costume Street Party at the end of this entry.  For now, the party is impromptu, starts after 9:00pm and runs until 2:00pm with an after-party at one of the late-bars (Kinsmen), costumes are not required, but please wear one - the sexier the better!    See the map to Advocates Cafe below.  You can compare this one with the Google Map above. 

Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tokyo-halloween-costume-street-party-tickets-4597176278

Advocates Cafe is just 7 meters from the corner (traffic light) on Nakadori ('center-street') of Ni-chome. (二丁目）  

The bar opens up right onto the sidewalk, so you can't miss the crowd as it starts to gather and spill out into the street. 

The map is a little bit old. Sunkus Convenience Store is now Lawson's (I think).Shinjuku Park has been dismantled - there's nothing left but a small public restroom on the corner. 

MAP

Halloween used to be pretty wild in Tokyo. There used to be a time when hundreds of costumed foreigners would gather at Shinjuku train station for a raucous ride around the green circle train, the Yamanote Line. At a designated time on the Saturday before All Saint's Day or Tous Saints (Nov 1) (or All Hallow's Eve (Oct 31), as many as 500 foreign residents would all board a late evening train headed counter clockwise around the center of Tokyo. At each station, approximately 2-4 minutes intervals, the whole gang would jump off the train car (actually more like a subway although mainly above ground) and then dash into another train car in a mad howling mass - before the doors closed. Of course, it causes chaos and a lot of local commuters were also pushed and shoved. So it used to be a kind of revenge act for all those other 51 weeks when we are involuntarily packed like sardines on our way to and from work every day.

People wore all kinds of simple and elaborate costumes, but I love to see the straight men wearing a yukata (summer kimono) with nothing on underneath, so their freeballing ended up becoming a point of departure for an interesting conversation over beers after the 'wild ride.' Invariably, you would meet a new group of mildly acquainted people and stay out in the bars and streets under the sunrise.

Because there was a lot of 'incidental damage' to the trains (broken light fixtures, trash, and people getting hurt - mainly some drunk participants slipping or getting caught in train doors), the police decided to put a complete stop to the shenanigans a few years back. So hundreds of them arrive around the suspected witching with shields and riot batons, ready to stand firm (and maybe 'erect' too) if a crowd of mainly white people in weird clothes shows up. So far no one has seemed to see that simply choosing another station on the circle or working in tandom with cellphones from various small stations would allow the 'Wild Ride' to go on. The problem is that 500 strangers don't usually meet up and then go in cohoots to plan what might be considered a urban terrorist act.

I'll be at the Gay Halloween Costume Street Party that is starting to become a mini tradition  on the street in front of Advocates Cafe (gay bar) in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ni-chome district ( a 10-minute walk from the main Shinjuku Train station). See maps above.

http://advocates-cafe.com/

Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tokyo-halloween-costume-street-party-tickets-4597176278

If you are in Tokyo on Sat, Oct 31, then drop by Advocates (in costume or without) or you could try

your luck for another spontaneous Wild Ride at Shinjuku JR Station at about 10pm that night. But beware the police will be out in droves to prevent it. Still....

Back in Shinjuku, I'll be dressed as a Greek Senator - in a toga, the one I described from N2N in an earlier blog posting. Stop by and give me a Trick or Treat, or just say hello.

Cheers,
Kelly sunbuns99 / sunbuns / sunbunz

Gay Life in Japan: a personal explanation

seanolan

Expert on Something
 Posts: 166
Location: Shirakawa, Fukushima, Japan

 As a gay man in Japan, I have some experience in this, so let me give my 2 yen. First, there is no religious bias from most Japanese. Historically, many Japanese have been homosexual (some buddhist temples in Japan actually kept young men {even young boys at time, sadly} specifically because they were beautiful and the monks would have regular sexual encounters with them, and samurai often had relationships with their "squires" or "apprentices" {not sure what the Japanese word for that is} )according to some of the gay literature I have read here. That said, there is a strong bias, not against same sex acts, but against a homosexual lifestyle, because it is not within the traditional Japanese lifestyle.

A youth is expected to go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, and support the family by doing so. Someone who falls outside of that pattern is instantly regarded with suspicion and even contempt by many traditional Japanese. Obviously, a homosexual relationship and lifestyle falls well outside that pattern. I would liken Japanese homosexual culture to that of America in the early 70's, without the active persecution or violence of that time. Most people don't even consider it (you'd be AMAZED how many Japanese have told me that there are no gay Japanese...hand to god!) Those that do, often consider it a choice (and not a good one) and somehow deficient, although many women do consider it hip and cool to have a gay male friend.

There is a lot of confusion, incidentally, even in the language, about the difference between being gay, trangendered and transvestite. In fact, most words in the Japanese language make no distinction between the different identities. Ironically, while homosexuality as a lifestyle is looked at askance, entertainers who break the gender boundaries are incredibly popular, both as objects of amusement and as legitimate entertainers. This leads to many Japanese having confusion about or denial of their orientation. The Japanese closet is deep. Almost all the gay Japanese men I have met over 30 are also married with children. Many of their wives even know that they are gay. It seems that as long as they have fulfilled the obligation to the community of a wife and children, it is tolerated.

Some just look at it as a physical thing (and the stereotype is that this sort of Japanese man is very unaffectionate with their partners in gay sex; no kissing or any form of emotional attachment is formed); that they simply want sex with a man as an urge to be satisfied. This attitude is also held by many heterosexual Japanese about homosexuals, that it is simply a physical urge, not a life-altering orientation. Many other gay Japanese men go the far opposite extreme, becoming extremely effeminate in all their behavior; sometimes even dressing and appearing as women (although not quite to the degree of transvestism).

 Rather than hiding it, they embrace the stereotype that Japanese culture places on them and in fact seem to be throwing it back in that culture's face. Gay bars and gay-oriented businesses are few and far between outside of the metropolises (such as Tokyo's Shinjuku Nichome) and compared to the America, even those venues are small. For instance, Nichome has approximately 200 gay bars (according to Fodor's) in the neighborhood, but from personal experience I can tell you that aside from a very few, these bars have a seating capacity of 6-15 people...they are bars, not clubs. There are also occasionally places in the most out-of-the-way towns that would shock you...my small town does not have a gay bar (or in fact any night clubs) but it does have a transexual snack/hostess bar! HOW it stays open in this town, I couldn't even tell you...

 There are quite a few small gay newspapers and magazines published in Japan, and they tend to be

very discrete in delivery. In the larger cities, there are gay encounter/social groups as well. Now, a bit of good news for foreigners coming to Japan...usually, Japanese have NO problem with homosexual foreigners. Remember, we are expected to not conform to Japanese culture (which can work for and against us in many situations) and so without any religious bias against homosexuality, we slip unscathed under the "conformity" radar...it's just one more weird thing about you, like eating raw vegetables, hating natto and wearing non-white shirts to work. However, there seems to be a bit of mild prejudice about us working with kids (or maybe not...I'll explain).

A few of the teachers I work/have worked with who know my orientation have told me it would be better for me not to talk about it, as some parents might be uncomfortable with me being in charge of their kids. On the other hand, several of my gay JET friends are not only out at the schools they teach at, but they have even taught lessons on homosexuality in other countries and how it is received there, without any negative fallout. So it could be that the teachers who spoke to me were simply being extra cautious, or my friends could have been lucky. I hope this is useful to you, or at least informative.

 Smile,  Sean

The idea of a gay clothing-optional camping resort

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Kalani and Kehena - clothing optional camping / beaches

When it gets closer to the time you start actually planning a trip to Hawaii, let me know and I'll fill

you in on more exactly where  -- at least Oahu and Hawaii. I'm afraid that I don't know Maui or Kauai very well - although I've been to each those islands at least once.

 Maybe I can't let you stay on my property since I've sold it now.  It was nothing but a square acre partly forested land but you can find several campgrounds or maybe a shared room in a hostel. So you'll probably enjoy more staying at a place like Kalani Resort (not free and it no longer has camping at $30 per night for a tent site. Kalani has a large pool with hot tubs and sauna which is clothing optional after 3 pm every day.

Kalani is within walking distance to Kehena Black Sands beach and that's nude all year long - very mixed set of people who hang out at Kehena -- as well as at Kalani. By the way, you might be able to get a job at Kalani Oceanside Resort. They have a program for temporary work-stays that pays your room and board in exchange for some work (20 - 30 hours a week). There are usually some really cool guys and gals -- from young people to seniors are needed for various kinds of work (kitchen, grounds, guest services, etc) and for teaching classes too. You could also look into temp jobs elsewhere around the islands if you wanted to stay longer.

Oahu has a very adequate public bus system that can get you almost

anywhere on the island you want to go. The Big Island is a different story: while there is a public bus system, the buses do not run very often (typically just twice a day on all but the couple of routes). You'll either have to hitch rides (very doable in Puna (the southeast region where I've been describing) or share a rental car - although there may be very limited bus service between major points. It's by picking up hitchers that I kind of stay tuned to the local vibes and also what the 'visitors' are doing - some are homesteading or housesitting, or just making ends meet by doing odd jobs etc. I've almost never been asked for money -- just rides or maybe cigarettes (but I don't smoke). Some of the people I've picked up are just living for a while on the island because they can and they like the laid-back life.

Actually, there are always some people staying/camping on Kehena Beach -- I guess you have to call them 'hippies' - I mean that's exactly what they look like and how they live -- most of the guys seem to let their hair grow long and they braid it and twist into a Rastafarian (sp?) reggae style. They often wear long flowing shirts with or without pants and are obviously anti-underwear - there are women too, but fewer actually live/camp on the beach -- although there are all kinds of people there, especially on the weekends. It's really cool on Sundays when dozens -- even hundreds of people gather on Kehena to dance, play music, and enjoy partying/socializing/smoking. The hippie guys and gals never hesitate to join in and love to get naked and gyrate, cavort to the ethnic beat that the drummers and other amateur musicians have gathered to improvise.

While that's amusing, it's more fun to watch for dolphins and whales (not the beached types) and to look at the cool board-type male and female bodies, many of which aren't wearing any at the moment,  throw themselves into the crashing waves trying to bodysurf or boogie board. Hey. I've gone on way to long....

Below is a pic of me walking back from Kehena Black Sands Beach, it's in a sheltered lagoon under a cliff face (so it's not public exposure and so too why some people camp out there - discreetly, of course) -- I am freeballing in my see-thru mesh shorts. I can't wait to get back there after Christmas - just after I leave the San Fran Bay area from a few days with my son and his family
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