Doyama, Osaka, Japan
Encyclopedia
Doyama is a district in the Umeda
area of Osaka
, Japan
. It is close to the JR Osaka and Umeda Station, many restaurants, bars, izakaya, karaoke, massage parlors, host clubs, hotels, and shops concentrate in the area. Many salary-men, OL (office ladies) and students stop by Doyama-cho to have fun in the evening before they go back home. It is one of the largest party towns in Japan. Recently, this area has attracted gay communities, and now Doyama-cho is also known for its gay scene.
Osaka Station
and 300m east from Hankyu, Hanshin
and Subway Umeda station
. The area is called "Kita
" or north of Osaka, and best known as a party town. There are three main streets in Doyama-Cho; Hankyu Higashi Dori Shotengai (Hankyu's Eastside Mall), Hankyu Higashi Naka Dori (Hankyu's Eastside Central Mall)and Park Avenue Doyama. There are a lot of business offices and business hotels in south side of Doyama-Cho. North side of Doyama-Cho started becoming a gay community in last 20–30 years.
There were lots of luxury Japanese restaurants, sushi places, cabaret
and Jazz clubs targeting high-end business customers until the bubble economy burst of the early 90s. However, since the real estate bubble crashed and many business headquarters have moved to Tokyo area, Osaka's economy lost its momentum. Many high-end bars or restaurants could not keep their business. Many usual restaurants, izakaya, pubs or adult entertainment businesses started their business to target general salary-man, OLs or students.
Recently, many tourists from foreign countries visit Doyama-cho which is introduced as an entertainment district in many travel guide books, where are, amongst others, convenience hotels, such as Hotel Kinki which attracts many foreign visitors.
Doyama-Cho also attracted gay communities. "Hokuou-Kan", one of the most popular sauna places, became very popular, and because of its convenient location, Doyama-Cho became a hub of gay community in West Japan. However, unlike in Western gay towns, the gay community does not want to interact with the general public and Doyama-Cho's neighborhood association still hesitates to mark Doyama-Cho as a gay friendly community.
s, hotels, "host bars or clubs" (bars where patrons can meet hustlers
), massage parlours, and brothel
s of varying sizes and legality. Establishments vary in size, but many are limited to ten or fewer seats.
At most bars in this area, patrons usually sit at a counter and chat with the bartender. Karaoke is also popular, and gay monthly and pornographic magazines can be read at many establishments as well. Those who visit these small bars are usually regulars; since many bars operate on the bottle-keep system, many customers may have their own bottle at their favourite bar. Loyalty to bars is returned by the bars organizing outings to onsen
, hanami
parties, picnics, gay sporting events, and so on. Many bars maintain large photo albums of customers, for customers, often taken at such events.
While most bar owners ("Mamas"
or "Masters") are accommodating to new customers and to non-Japanese, the scene is largely geared towards regular, Japanese-speaking customers, and some venues discourage or prohibit non-Japanese from entering, regardless of their Japanese language abilities. A handful of establishments, in contrast, specifically target foreigners with advertising and information in English. These include Bar Physique and FrenZ Bar. While most bars have a cover charge system, these do not. Frenz is the only gay bar in Osaka owned and operated by a foreigner. They have also recently opened a dance bar, called [FrenZY], in the same building.
With the advent of the internet and less segregation, Doyama is seeing a downturn in visitors. While weekends are busy, foreign visitors should not expect the same numbers as one would expect in a city of this size in the West.
In 2008, the event falls on Sunday, October 12.
34.703165°N 135.502882°W
Umeda
Umeda is the main commercial and central business district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, best known as the city's main northern railway terminus .Umeda is a large traffic hub, as well as the principal office and hotel district...
area of Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is close to the JR Osaka and Umeda Station, many restaurants, bars, izakaya, karaoke, massage parlors, host clubs, hotels, and shops concentrate in the area. Many salary-men, OL (office ladies) and students stop by Doyama-cho to have fun in the evening before they go back home. It is one of the largest party towns in Japan. Recently, this area has attracted gay communities, and now Doyama-cho is also known for its gay scene.
Location and History
It is about 500m east from JRJapan Railways
The Japan Railways Group, more commonly known as , consists of seven for-profit companies that took over most of the assets and operations of the government-owned Japanese National Railways on April 1, 1987...
Osaka Station
Osaka Station
is a station on the West Japan Railway Company located in the Umeda district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the city's main rail terminal in the north....
and 300m east from Hankyu, Hanshin
Hanshin
, a word derived from the second kanji from and the first kanji from , can refer to:*Great Hanshin earthquake, the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan*Hanshin Department Store, a chain of stores in Japan*Hanshin Electric Railway, a railway company in Japan...
and Subway Umeda station
Umeda Station
is a railway station located in Kita-ku in the northern commercial center of Osaka, Japan. It is the busiest station in Western Japan, serving 2,343,727 passengers daily in 2005.Umeda Station is served by the following railways:...
. The area is called "Kita
Kita
-People:* Ikki Kita, Japanese philosopher* Hideki Kita , Japanese long-distance runner.* Michal Kita, Polish mixed martial artist* Kita, the stage name of Sampsa Astala, a member of the Finnish band Lordi...
" or north of Osaka, and best known as a party town. There are three main streets in Doyama-Cho; Hankyu Higashi Dori Shotengai (Hankyu's Eastside Mall), Hankyu Higashi Naka Dori (Hankyu's Eastside Central Mall)and Park Avenue Doyama. There are a lot of business offices and business hotels in south side of Doyama-Cho. North side of Doyama-Cho started becoming a gay community in last 20–30 years.
There were lots of luxury Japanese restaurants, sushi places, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
and Jazz clubs targeting high-end business customers until the bubble economy burst of the early 90s. However, since the real estate bubble crashed and many business headquarters have moved to Tokyo area, Osaka's economy lost its momentum. Many high-end bars or restaurants could not keep their business. Many usual restaurants, izakaya, pubs or adult entertainment businesses started their business to target general salary-man, OLs or students.
Recently, many tourists from foreign countries visit Doyama-cho which is introduced as an entertainment district in many travel guide books, where are, amongst others, convenience hotels, such as Hotel Kinki which attracts many foreign visitors.
Doyama-Cho also attracted gay communities. "Hokuou-Kan", one of the most popular sauna places, became very popular, and because of its convenient location, Doyama-Cho became a hub of gay community in West Japan. However, unlike in Western gay towns, the gay community does not want to interact with the general public and Doyama-Cho's neighborhood association still hesitates to mark Doyama-Cho as a gay friendly community.
The Center of Gay Scene in West Japan
Besides bars, the area is also home to restaurants and cafes, shops, saunaSauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
s, hotels, "host bars or clubs" (bars where patrons can meet hustlers
Gay slang
LGBT slang, LGBT speak or gay slang is a set of slang used predominantly among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It has been used in various languages, including English and Japanese since the early 1900s as a means by members of the LGBT community as a group to self-advertise as a...
), massage parlours, and brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
s of varying sizes and legality. Establishments vary in size, but many are limited to ten or fewer seats.
Doyama Scene
Much like in Tokyo, bars here are usually themed towards "types" - bears, salarymen, young guys etc. Many of the gay bars in Doyama do not permit female customers. The few lesbian bars that can be found do not permit male customers. Mixed venues are few.At most bars in this area, patrons usually sit at a counter and chat with the bartender. Karaoke is also popular, and gay monthly and pornographic magazines can be read at many establishments as well. Those who visit these small bars are usually regulars; since many bars operate on the bottle-keep system, many customers may have their own bottle at their favourite bar. Loyalty to bars is returned by the bars organizing outings to onsen
Onsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
, hanami
Hanami
is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, "flower" in this case almost always meaning cherry blossoms or ume blossoms. From the end of March to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan, and around the first of February on the island of Okinawa...
parties, picnics, gay sporting events, and so on. Many bars maintain large photo albums of customers, for customers, often taken at such events.
While most bar owners ("Mamas"
Mama-san
A "mama-san", or "mamasan" is usually a woman in a position of authority, especially one in charge of a geisha house or bar in Japan and East Asia....
or "Masters") are accommodating to new customers and to non-Japanese, the scene is largely geared towards regular, Japanese-speaking customers, and some venues discourage or prohibit non-Japanese from entering, regardless of their Japanese language abilities. A handful of establishments, in contrast, specifically target foreigners with advertising and information in English. These include Bar Physique and FrenZ Bar. While most bars have a cover charge system, these do not. Frenz is the only gay bar in Osaka owned and operated by a foreigner. They have also recently opened a dance bar, called [FrenZY], in the same building.
With the advent of the internet and less segregation, Doyama is seeing a downturn in visitors. While weekends are busy, foreign visitors should not expect the same numbers as one would expect in a city of this size in the West.
Rainbow Parade
While Tokyo has been the site of numerous gay pride parades over the past decade, Osaka has lagged in this regard. Finally, October 22, 2006 saw the inaugural Rainbow Parade, with more than 900 participants marching from Nakanoshima Park to Motomachi-Naka Park, near Namba Station. The second Rainbow Parade took place on October 28, 2007, with organizers reporting approximately 1300 participants. The next parade will take place in October, 2008.PLus
Mash (Men and Sexual Health Osaka) organize a yearly event called PLus+ promoting AIDS awareness. Taking place in Ogimachi Park, close to the Doyama area, there is entertainment and drinks available. Organisers estimate more than 10,000 people participated in the 2007 event.In 2008, the event falls on Sunday, October 12.
See also
- UmedaUmedaUmeda is the main commercial and central business district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, best known as the city's main northern railway terminus .Umeda is a large traffic hub, as well as the principal office and hotel district...
- Gay rights in JapanGay rights in JapanHomosexuality is legal in Japan. There are currently no laws against homosexuality, but there is no legal recognition of same-sex relationships. Japanese culture and the major religions in Japan do not have a history of hostility towards LGBT individuals....
- Homosexuality in JapanHomosexuality in JapanRecords of men who have sex with men in Japan date back to ancient times. Western scholars have identified these as evidence of homosexuality in Japan.There were few laws restricting sexual behavior in Japan before the early modern period...
- Shinjuku ni-chōmeShinjuku ni-chomeShinjuku Ni-chōme , referred to colloquially as Ni-chōme or simply Nichō, is Area 2 in the Shinjuku District of the Shinjuku Special Ward of Tōkyō, Japan...
, Tokyo - Gay Japan NewsGay Japan NewsWith visibility of gays and Lesbians being negligible in traditional media within Japan, GAYJAPANNEWS was launched in 2005 as the first news service specializing in LGBT issues from around the world in the Japanese Language...
- List of LGBT events
External links
- GayJapanNews Bilingual
- Rainbow Parade homepage
- Tokyo Lesbian Wrestling
- NHK TV programme Haato o Tsunago- Gay & Lesbian
Bars
34.703165°N 135.502882°W