Crossdressing in Japan...

What are attitudes like towards crossdressing in Japan?

I'm going to be in Tokyo/Kyoto in March/April and as a crossdresser was hoping to dress up when on holiday. WOuld I encounter any issues or are people quite open minded when it comes to this?

Japan is generally very tolerant and cd friendly. Maybe best to use the disabled toilets in train stations and department stores unless you are confident of your passability.

Japan is one of the most tolerant nation in the world in regards to many of these issues. Cross dressing is one of them. I find it very shameful about Untied States and the conservative attitude many Americans continue to hold. I wish we become more of an open society as it is in Japan. Maybe the new Obama administration here might help.

Many famous and well loved celebrity figures openly cross dress and they are greatly admired.

You will have no problem in Japan.

Chad

I think that to say "You will have no problem in Japan" is potentially quite misleading. While there are cross-dressing TV celebrities, there is lots of behaviour by TV celebrities that would not be accepted by the mainstream- they get away with it because they are TV celebrities.

I could easily see someone being told a hotel or ryokan was full if the owner didn't approve of cross-dressing, and you can expect to be stared at. I do see crossdressers around the Harajuku/Shinjuku area from time to time, but outside those areas (and of course Shinjuku 2-chome), you don't come across them that often.

I agree with Sira's assessment more than that of Chad's... Sure, there are certain areas within Japan where it is more widely accepted but in other areas, it simply isn't accepted/tolerated. Japan on many issues is still conservative and not accepting. I see this situation similar to that of the general LGBT issue of homosexuality. Sure, there are homosexual celebrities on television and they are also popular. That being said though, I'm willing to say that the majority of Japanese folks (of course, especially the older generations) still act uncomfortably and discriminate again them...

It depends a lot on the OP actual appearance. He should ask a true friend to give him a frank honest appraisal about his looks as a woman as some cross dresser sadly misjudge how well they "pass". And of course many people ARE uncomfortable with a person that doesn't "conform". The daughter of a store owner I often went to was naturally manly looking, tall with wide shoulders, big hands etc. and was bothered by it. When she wore a dress, heels, a bit of make up, people would laugh at her and joke that she was too ugly a man to pass for a woman, leaving her in tears. Out of the blue she met a young man, tall and husky, who found her feminine (which she truly was once you got to know her). They married, had kids, and she blossomed in a little bit more womanly very happy woman. Then there was this young male neighbour who only dressed with plain t-shirts and army camouflage pants yet was always called "miss" by everyone who met him. He didn't wore make up, wasn't effeminate, he just naturally looked like a young slim woman in army clothes! Luckily for him, he wasn't bothered at all by the mistaken identity and was too nice to correct people, who never believed him anyway. People do judge others by their appearance and pigeonhole them. As individuals we have the right to be and look who we think we are deep down, but we also have to have the common sense not to alienate others too much, to the point where it would make our life miserable and dangerous. This is true not just about how we look, dress etc. but also about how we behave In GENERAL. towards others.

I've always had the impression that crossdressing is viewed here in Japan just as same as it is viewed in the U.S. or the U.K. or Thailand or several other countries I've been to.

When I visited my old home in the cozy suburbs of L.A. back in the late 80s, a (quite an un-pretty, I must say) crossdresser actually passed by me, and no one seemed to care. I think it really depends on the person or perhaps the area.

A TV drama series written by a popular scriptwriter is being aired now in Japan. I'm not going to write the title, because this is a spoiler, but it's about two ordinary families, and most of the characters have some kind of a secret. The fathers' secrets are that they are crossdressers who occasionally dress up at this secret crossdressing club. One day, they decide to "be bold" enough to adventure outside the club. They walk down the streets of Kabukicho, an area close to 2-chome, and they notice people staring at them. But they encounter no trouble except for a pimp who, being suspicous if they were "working girls," asked them a few questions. They ended up enjoying themselves, but still decided to keep it all a big secret. I thought that might be a typical scene.

No problem? Yes (No), no problem with the law. You will not get arrested as a crossdresser.

Stared at. Yes. I get stared at (though very discretely) because I am 6 ft 5 inches talland weigh about 300 lbs. Fat yes. So is that a problem?

I was told "no more room" at a small restaurant because I would have probably taken two valuable seats!

So a cross dresser will be no greater problem than a FAT Gaijin.

However, that's not the case in some other countries. I will not name them for fear that somebody reading this post will be offended.

Chad

Thanks for the replies, a few other crossdressers have said i'm quite convincing given how young I look and the fact I have quite a feminine face/figure but i'm only out to my mum and I don't really want to ask her if i'll pass lol
I'll see how I feel when i'm out there, maybe have a short walkabout at night or something if i'm feeling brave