“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy,” everyone’s favorite Prince tells his confidant in Hamlet. And so it is there are far more distinctions among people than just “gay, straight, or bi.” There are many types of gay men: and naturally, many types of gay men in Japan.
While you may be familiar with these in your homeland — maybe you can spot a twink from two hundred and twenty two yards away, or perhaps you’re a seasoned bear hunter — but many of those terms fall away once you’re in Japan. So what terms should you use to describe your favorite kind of guy? No worries, Johnny, we can walk you through it: starting with Johnny!
Common Gay Types in Japan
While each person is as unique as a snowflake, and there are many different types of gay — from sloppy twinks to scruffy power bottoms — there are a few basics in Japan that can summarize a few broad categories.
Johnny (ジャニーズ系)
As promised, we’re starting with Johnny-kei, or “Johnny” for short. This is, broadly, your “twink” type in Japan: young, slender, fit guys with cute features and sculpted hair. The name comes not from any association with a typical western name, but rather from the similarity that Johnny-types bear to the kind of guys often chosen by the talent agency Johnny, which regularly represents guys with such looks for boybands.
GMPD
This is an area that we’ve covered in more detail elsewhere, so we’ll be a little briefer here. Essentially, “GMPD,” short for “Gacchiri, Mucchiri, Pocchari, and Debu,” is a broad, all-encompassing term for bigger guys. This covers western bears, jocks, big beautiful men, and everything in-between. If you like ‘em big, then GMPD is the term to learn!
Shio-kao (塩顔)
Meaning “salty-faced,” once might be forgiven, at first, for thinking that this refers to a silver fox, or someone with a little salt-and-pepper hair. However, this is instead more about guys who is, essentially, neutral. Not too tall or short, well built but not especially slim or muscular, neat hair, pale skin, and no facial hair. Imagine the “Default” setting on a videogame character creation menu, and you’re basically there.
Onei (オネエ)
This one is as much about personality type as it is about looks. An “onei” (spelled “onee” in Japanese, but an “i” here used to aid pronunciation) is what we may think of as a “fem” gay: effeminate in presentation and personality. Often linked to drag queens, it is derived from “onee-san” (お姉さん), meaning “big sister.” You may find that people on Grindr note “NO オネエ,” or “no fems” as a preference. But if they don’t, then the oneis out there may be in luck!
Salaryman
A “salaryman” is, broadly speaking, the equivalent of an “office worker” in Japan. However, given the tendency of formality in Japanese businesses, most office workers will tend to head to the office in a suit and tie… and who can resist a sharply dressed man? This is the type of guy wrapped up tight in a jacket and tie that you just want to rip off.
@9monchannel オリジナルBLショートドラマ『俺がかわいいワケがない！！』第1話公開！ サラリーマンゲイのタカヒロ、親友のシンヤ（ノンケ）の飲み会にシンヤの会社の後輩カズキ君が訪れて、タカヒロが一目惚れ！？ 純粋なカズキの悪気ない行動にドギマギするタカヒロ、この2人一体どうなっちゃうの～！？ ボーイズラブ好きや腐女子必見！ドタバタのラブコメディーをお楽しみください♡ キャスト タカヒロ役：聡 シンヤ役：Ryosuke カズキ役：門司聖 スタッフ ヘアメイク：P 音声：21グラム 撮影場所協力：HAB AD：bossy プロデューサー：いっせー 脚本：OT 監督・撮影：Koyo #BLドラマ #ボーイズラブ #ラブコメ #腐女子 #俺かわ ♬ オリジナル楽曲 – ナイモンチャンネル
Nonke (ノンケ)
Wait a minute… why are we talking about straight men in an article about gay types? Well, as many people many know, there are straight men, and then there are “straight” men. Some people identify as, and live their lives, as straight men, but… sometimes they’re not so straight. And of course, it’s not us to tell them that they aren’t who they are. Conversely, some people prefer “straight men” for the relative challenge.
Representation in Media
In the majority of media, onei are the typical depiction of gay men. The often exaggerated effeminate behavior of fem gay men has long been a stereotype in comedies, and as a number of gay men enjoy drag, which frequently involves hyper-feminine performance, this kind pf presentation has become almost the standard when depicting gay men in media, especially in television.
However, there are exceptions. Many more serious-minded films, such as Call Me By Your Name, tend to have more masculine gay men as the subject. Salarymen have been depicted in Ossan’s Love, and GMPD types on the more muscular side thrived in Netflix’s The Boyfriend. Bear and chubby sorts of GMPD men are hugely popular in manga, where artists like Jiraiya have become symbols of the gay community.
I hope this was exactly your type of article. There are many subcategories and subcultures within these types of gay men, of course: many more philosophies for you to dream of.
