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transgender travelling 2018/11/3 02:29
Hello everyone. My friends and I are going to Japan for holidays in summer 2019. However, at this point I already know I'll probably have troubles at the airport. I am a transgender man, female to male, and whereas my passport still hasn't expired, I obviously look drastically different in person than in my picture in the passport. I also know I won't be able to update it before our trip because of my country's way of dealing with transgender people.
And here is my question: what can I possibly do to prepare for my trip to Japan? I'm going to bring a certificate (in English) from my doctor that says I'm transgender and in the middle of transitioning, and haven't been able to change my ID yet, but will it suffice? Or will it cause any problems? I'm also gonna bring my medicine (testosterone shots) to Japan, and of course I'll have copies of my prescriptions prepared in advance in case they start questioning me, however I'm really not sure whether I should or could do anything else to avoid troubles...
I honestly don't know where I can get help regarding this matter, so I'll be grateful for any answers.
by Hyacinth96  

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/3 10:40
Also, do you think it will be possible for me to enter any onsen in Kanto area? I pass 100% as male and am post top surgery (masculinisation of chest), howeveer I still have my biological genitalia. Is there any way my friends and I can go to a public onsen (is it such a big deal to Japanese people what genitalia I have? can I possible cover myself up with a towel or something so nobody could notice?), or should we only count on privately-rented baths?
by Hyacinth96 rate this post as useful

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/3 11:47
Not that I "know" fo sure, but the doctor's certificate sounds plausible.

About the testosterone, you might want to check if these are allowed in Japan, and also if (I don't know how long you are going to in Japan) you need to apply for permit to bring them into Japan:
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/0...


Bath: When you move from the dressing room (with lockers/boxes for your clothing) and when you are in the wash area, it would be possible to cover yourself with a towel so that noone will notice. But you cannot keep the towel on in the bathwater.

I would say just as people who are shy of showing their full naked body to strangers, I might recommend getting a private bath, for your comfort as well as for avoiding awkwardness among other bathers.
by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/3 12:25
Hi!

You could also look for one of the mixed gender onsen like some of these:
https://blog.gaijinpot.com/7-onsen-kanto-men-women-can-bathe-together/

The Nasu-Shiobara one looks amazing.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your trip!
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/3 13:42
Thank you very much for your answers. I'll be staying in Japan for one month and apparently my medicine falls under a category of injectable drugs and a syringe, and since I'm going to Japan just for one month, I can bring it without getting any official permission from the government.
As for the onsen, I'll probably follow your advice and use either a mixed one or a private one (it'd be a shame though, we really want to have that experience of typical public onsen).
by Hyacinth96 rate this post as useful

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/3 15:56
"I obviously look drastically different in person than in my picture in the passport."
I am very suspicious that you can path through passport control. they only compare your actual face and the picture on the passport.
I think you can get a new passport, if you lost the old one.
by ken (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/3 17:10
Regarding passport isnft it possible to get a new one with a current picture of you?(but all other details unchanged)? Then at least youfd look like on the picture.

For onsen, you canft really hide yourself. Actually the more you try to wrap yourself in a towel the more gsuspicious g you will look like as it isnft really done that much. And yes, towel inside the water is a total no go.

A mixed onsen is obviously a possibility. gTechnically g no other guest could complain but it depends on if yourself will feel comfortable or not. The mixed gender ones are often also in very nice, rural or mountainous areas. So definitely nice. A private onsen is more expensive and you have less choices of tubs but if you go with several friends price gets more acceptable. In some ryokans they might also have a private onsen for you to enjoy as part of the hotel facilities.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!
by LikeBike (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/3 17:56
There have been many transgender question asked before. So they would be difficult to find. But if you use the search function on the forum. You'll find them. I used the keyword transgender and many came up.

I remember a question thread about a year ago that became quite heated but had heaps of useful info as it went 30+ responses.
by hakata14 (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/3 18:54
Regarding the passport, you may want to inquire at your local Japanese Embassy/Consulate. They may not be able to give you a concrete answer, but their ideas would certainly be better than those from anonymous internet users like me. Hope you have fun in Japan!
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/3 19:00
Hi again. This video of an awareness event is just for your reference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd_stP-4o8c
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/3 23:05
To be fair, technically the mixed gender onsen are the more traditional ones. In the past nearly all onsen were mixed gender and it is with Western influence that more became single gender. So they might not be the most typical now, but usually the mixed gender ones are really well known and particularly beautiful. You might travel a bit further, but they will be every bit an authentic onsen experience.

If you are interested in places outside Kanto, Nyuto onsen: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3650.html is one of the most famous onsen in Japan and the majority of onsen there a mixed gender.
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/4 05:41
"Regarding passport isnft it possible to get a new one with a current picture of you?(but all other details unchanged)? Then at least youfd look like on the picture."

For some reason I've never really thought of that... I was too fixated on updating everything in one go, together with my name, sex mark, etc. It never crossed my mind I can actually just change my picture. This is a very good advice and thank you for opening my eyes, I appreciate that, and of course I'll do this.

To everybody else: Thank you too, I didn't expect this many people to respond to my post.
by Hyacinth96 rate this post as useful

Re: transgender travelling 2018/11/5 20:31
There are also 'resort onsens' - maybe someone here can supply the correct name for them, but they are family oriented - with swimming pools as well as other baths, and everybody wears a bathing suit - no full nudity allowed and all waters are mixed sex.
by Paul (guest) rate this post as useful

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