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Shinjuku Ni-Chome
From Virtual Japan
Shinjuku Ni-Chome (新宿二丁目 orしんじゅくにちょうめ) is an area of Shinjuku known for its acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle. Also referred to as “Nicho,” Shinjuku Ni-Chome has almost 300 gay bars and clubs alone despite only filling up roughly .10 km² and fitting only a little over 1000 residents.
Though Shinjuku is acceptant of all homosexual lifestyles, it is primarily for gay men as most of the bars are male-only. There are some lesbian bars, and these bars are female-only, but the number of gay bars far outweigh the number of lesbian bars by at least 5:1.
Though the exact numbers are not known, it is estimated that Nicho has the largest number of gay bars per km² in the entire world.
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Summary
Because so many gay bars have to fit in such a small area, none of the gay bars are very large and most have various themes in order to include only the people interested in that particular type of male, fetish, or lifestyle.
Nicho has been a gay neighborhood (the Japanese refer to it as a “Gay Town” or “ゲイ・タウン” ) since the late 1960’s when although the homosexual lifestyle was considered taboo, the area already acted as a red light district which allowed to become a hub for these “unspeakable” activities. As the country began to change, the area began to chance, and Nicho continued to grow as one of the most well known Gay towns in Tokyo.
Navigating Around Shinjuku Ni-Chome
Nothing is subtle in Shinjuku Ni-Chome. The city itself welcomes its lifestyle with signs, lights and other blatant displays of their gay themes. Since Nicho has many themes, if you are looking for a place to go in the area you need to simply locate one of the signs pointing to your particular proclivities. However, since most bars only hold about 20 people, you may have to wait to get into the bar of the scene of your choice. Luckily, with over 300 bars available, there are likely other ones you can attend in order to spend your time.
Many of these bars have “masters” that decide who can come in, which means that many of the people inside these bars are regulars. Foreigners and visitors may have a hard time getting into most of the bars in the area on the busier days.
Red Light District
Nicho was also a red-light district. Because the area used to be an area that was high in crime, there is still a Yakuza/organized crime presence in the area. But the area is still safe, provided you do not veer off the beaten path.