Do you ever find yourself coming home after a long day, or laying in bed at the weekend, putting off getting up, watching YouTube videos on your TV, phone, tablet or — heaven forfend — Nintendo Switch? Don’t lie, yes you have.
With so many channels to choose from, as well as whatever you’re being fed by the inscrutable algorithm, how can you find the best YouTubers? More, how can you find LGBTQ+ YouTubers from Japan you want to like, comment on, and subscribe to? We at JGG have got you covered. Here are five of the best LGBTQ+ YouTubers based in Japan, with videos in English.
TokyoBTM
Tokyo BTM is hosted by Meng and Andrew, a pair of close gay friends. originally hailing from China and Australia respectively. This channel charts their journey as foreign gay people in Japan. Through their videos, they go through the difficulties and joys of gay living in the capital city, as well as broader topics on Japan, and interviews with people who have interesting stories to tell.
Some of their most popular videos include showcasing love hotels for gay men on a budget, the challenges facing gay foreign couples finding accepting landlords who will allow them to move in together, and an interview with a straight actor who performs in gay pornography.
They also make videos about everyday life in Japan, such as small apartments, or how to make friends in Japan, as well as videos that might initially seem specific to their experiences as gay men, but are universal (for example, cycles of dry spells on dating apps followed by sudden popularity). Informative and funny, it’s one of the first ports of call for people seeking gay Japan content on YouTube.
Yes Queen!
Yes Queen! is hosted by a bisexual woman who gives her views on her personal experiences as someone who loves and dates women from her perspective as a Japanese woman. One thing that is especially notable about her channel is that, where many channels will have subtitles in different languages for various audiences, here Queen records the same topic twice: first in English, and then in Japanese.
She offers reviews of media, such as the Japanese lesbian film Ride or Die (Kanojo; 彼女 in Japanese), and the Netflix reality dating show The Boyfriend, and advocates for a potential The Girlfriend as a way to expand knowledge and acceptance of lesbian relationships and LGBTQ+ women in Japan, to “awaken lesbian babies,” and to showcase the amount of drama that lesbians can produce (though to me, saying “there will be countless lesbian Shuns” sounds less like a reason to watch and more like a threat).
She also talks her audience through her experiences with what can be difficult matters for LGBTQ+ people, including managing her surprise when she first had romantic feelings for another woman to coming out to her family.
She also has guests, including her friends, to discuss their views of the LGBTQ+ community in Japan, as well as different aspects of daily life. She also has experience living and working abroad, and so is able to give her insight into the differences in working and dating culture as a lesbian between Japan and foreign countries.
worldofxtra
Hosted by Stan Fukase, also known by their drag persona Xtra, worldofxtra is a veritable phenomenon in the Tokyo LGBTQ+ space. He has over a million TikTok followers, and nearly as many for his YouTube channel, which he uses for more meaningful, long-form videos that showcase his life in Japan.
Originally from the Philippines, Fukase moved to Tokyo in 2017, and has documented a number of subjects that are of interest to a wide range of viewers. There are fun videos, such as visiting a maid cafe while being dressed as a maid, or staying at themed love hotels, or spending the night in a haunted hotel.
But there are also more serious videos. The most popular of his channel documents his coming out to his religious father at Christmas, a deeply moving piece that showcases the strength of conviction and of love to address and overcome difficulties in relationships.
As a bonus, his mother also has a YouTube channel! So if you become (or are already) a Stan stan, there’s even more for you to dig into!
Kane and Kofte
Kane and Kofte is a channel run by the eponymous gay couple, who have been in a relationship for over ten years. Both previously worked in civil service roles: Kofte as a police officer, and Kane as a firefighter.
Their channel documents their daily lives, and regularly features places they have visited on vacation. In this way, it functions not only as a travel guide for gay people, but as an ongoing documentation and celebration of their relationship, including a “mock” wedding ceremony, as marriage equality is not yet a reality in Japan.
They also occasionally will open up about other things that crop up in their lives that, while not specific to their being gay, may find unexpected audiences. For example, Kofte recently made a video addressing posts he had made regarding a diagnosis of sudden hearing loss,and discovered to his surprise that many of the channel’s viewers had experienced the same thing. Or, in a more light-hearted video, they are taken behind the scenes of the television detective drama Tokyo Salad Bowl. Their videos are spoken in Japanese, and have English subtitles.
2nd street
2nd street, hosted by Tatsuya & Yuuki, runs on the motto, “From Shinjuku Nichome to the World!”. It regularly updates on a range of topics, including fun adventures visiting different restaurants and stores in Tokyo while cross dressing, teaching lewd Japanese to foreign friends, and even having fans visit their studio to have a discussion.
They also look into subcultures, and post regular videos on “Topics of interest to gays,” to keep their audience informed and up-to-date on the goings on of the day. They also have videos showcasing different foods, or challenges, such as “How many glasses can a former gay bar staff drink if they keep enjoying shochu?”
The videos are filmed in Japanese, but have AI English voiceovers. All in all, very fun, light-hearted videos. Perfect for a spare ten minutes!
In Summary
No matter what you’re looking for in the LGBTQ+ YouTube space in Japan, you can probably find it. Whether you’re looking for videos that are funny, informative, moving, or a combination of all three, there’s something for you.
