How’s life for a transsexual in Japan?

Hello, and thank you for reading! I'm a 26 year old male-to-female transsexual, and it's my dream to live in Japan. I was wondering - how are people like me are treated in society, and what sort of problems I should look out for?

(I searched the other threads on the boards here, but none of them really answered my questions. Sorry if I missed one that explained this completely or something!)


Some background:

I look like a normal woman and have been living solely as a female since I was 16, but my legal papers say that I'm male and it would be next to impossible to change them (long story). Fortunately, this almost never causes problems. In fact, the only time it comes up is when I'm applying for a job, an apartment, or something else that requires my ID.

If someone's prejudiced against trannies (it happens now and then), they'll give me a really hard time after they discover my ''secret''. People aren't supposed to discriminate about things like that where I live, but they do it anyway, and authorities usually turn a blind eye. It can be a real pain in the butt.


Experiences thus far:

I've been to Japan a few times, know the language decently well, keep up on the culture, and so on. I never really ran into any problems during my visits - everyone just figured I was another girl traipsing around, no big deal.

However, I did notice how old-fashioned the society is in some ways. Women and men are expected to dress a little differently, the ways of speaking are slightly different, train-groping occasionally happens (*laughs*), and so on.

Don't get me wrong - I don't mind adapting. In fact, it's sort of fun. :) I'm just afraid that they'd be really intolerant of someone trans, sort of like the story above but even worse.


My question:

I've only ever stayed with a tourist visa, so I never had to do the ''survival'' type things like finding a job, applying for school, or going to a government office. For all I know, life sucks for trans people. I wouldn't know, since I've only seen the ''fun parts'' of Japanese life.

What if a company hired me, found out I was legally male, and told me I had to wear a suit, use the men's bathroom, cut my hair, and adopt a male pattern of speech? Or what if I'll only be able to get a job as a prostitute? I have absolutely no idea of what to expect.

I'd rather not do something dangerous or humiliating, so I figured I'd ask about the subject beforehand. Is it possible to get a normal decent job or go to school without too much trouble, or should I expect a lot of problems?

Emi,

While your gender status is likely to complicate things, I think you first need to decide on what it is you wish to do or are capable of doing in in Japan. What qualifications do you have? Do you have a university degree? These basic issues are discussed frequently on this forum, so I would recommend trawling through the archives.
From what I have heard from several (Japanese) transsexual friends, times are changing in Japan, and companies generally bend over backwards to accommodate employees' special needs. Ironically, the problems seem to come more from fellow employees and/or clients, who may be (not unreasonably) unsure how to treat a transsexual person. This can unfortunately extend to unpleasant situations in which the person is ignored or ostracized in the workplace, leaving the person little choice other than to resign.
In the case of a non-Japanese employee, if you were to become an English teacher, for example, I guess you should be prepared for the "We don't mind, but the students might complain" line.
Note that, as a non-Japanese resident, you would not able to get a visa to work legally in the entertainment (or prostitution) business, even if you wanted to, although that is where a lot of Japanese trans people seem to end up due to the daily stress of trying to work in a normal company.
At the end of the day, I think it is largely down to your personal attitude to life and work, which is presumably the same in your own country. If you show confidence and a willingness to overcome minor problems, I don't think you face any insurmountable problems. Your biggest problems will probably be just finding a job and visa sponsor like any other non-Japanese moving to Japan for the first time.

ugh look im gonna be as honest and short to the point as i can.

dont bother. try an easier and more accepting place such as thailand.

sorry to be so brutally honest. sometimes thats the best advice.

Dave is right.
Most probable area would be the Geinoukai(TV talk/talent show, singers, etc.). Also many of the female rolls are played by males(vise versa. aka, Kabukiza, Takarazuka, etc.) and accepted.
But for regular jobs, it is difficult, if not impossible. You may find a special niche somewhere, though.
Also you may hear often behind the back a derogatory name calling "Okama". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_Japan

guys..don't mistake a transsexual and a transvestite... The former has surgery to become the woman or man that he/ she always felt that he/ she was deep down inside.
The later keep the sex that he/she was born with, only dress up for business (theatre, TV, movies etc. ) and in many cases has a family and children that are truly his/hers.

The Takarazuka "male" players and the classical female opera singers that play a male in some operas don' t even try to really look and sound truly masculine....
One funny example are mezzo-soprano with a mature figure playing Cherubino, a teenage boy, in the Marriage of Figaro..

Okama is a cross dresser. The OP clearly stated that she is living her life as a woman. So, in that case, I don't see how anyone would call her an "Okama" or any other derogatory name, if they can't tell that she was originally a male. I think the original question was: will paperwork be a problem, with the conflicting ID and person who is presented? I live in Japan, but don't have any experience in this type of matter. I think some companies wouldn't have a problem with it if you are a good candidate for the job. I worked in America at a big company and we had a transgender who was changing from man to woman, and everyone was really supportive (including the company).

Yes, paperwork is precisely the issue. :) As far as appearance and things like that, I can reliably say there's no mistaking me for a man. Not a transvestite or crossdresser (although I have friends who are).

My question is, to be blunt, how big of a jerk would an employer or someone like that be about the legal issues of hiring someone with "boy" on their documents who is asking to be called "girl"? Countries differ a lot on this - attitudes range anywhere from open tolerance of transsexuals, to actually making it a jailable offense.

It does indeed seem like not many people have experience with how this works in Japan, so I was hoping that by making a public post, someone "in the know" might chime in.

From the way it sounds, it seems like the verdict is "Don't expect it to be a cakewalk and be prepared to explain yourself, but if you really do look and act like a woman at all times, people will probably be understanding." Is that about right?

As the first reply pointed out, the best thing to do would be to come prepared, which is good advice anyway. Figure out exactly what I want to do, research it, and be prepared for the questions that might arise.

Difficult or not, I'm just glad to know that it sounds possible. :)