Kyoto is known, far and wide, as Japan’s ancient capital. It was the home of the Emperor for centuries. But today, it is one of the most highly regarded cities in Japan — if not, the world. And while it is not as widely regarded for its LGBTQ+ presence, that is not to say that it does not have modern systems and, more importantly, modern sensibilities.,
So, when you visit the ancient capital, where should you go? Let’s take you through s couple!
Calcium House
Broadcast all over Japan on MBS Radio, Calcium House is an LGBTQ+ friendly drag bar, with a number of hostesses happy to help you feel at home.
Like many hostess bars, you pay a set price, but get an all-you-can-drink deal after you begin. Your friendly hostess will engage you in conversation – although she may ask for a drink from you, in return.
The hostesses make sure to make everything easy to understand, so please don’t be afraid to ask them if there’s anything you don’t grasp.
You can also grab a bite to eat… but no cigarettes! The only things smoking here are your beloved hostesses!
Kitsune Kyoto
Admired by TripAdvisor, and thought of by some as the largest club in Kyoto, this is a bar-cum-club that is welcoming to LGBTQ+ people.
A multi-floor location that often has live acts, including from such performers as Albert Conner, DJ EASE, and Bell Angel, AKA Hurley Queen. A fine places to find friendship, or even more, it is a paradise for those who appreciate live music, and a comfortable environment.
Apple
A bar that caters exclusively to men, it sits in a relatively unassuming location on the third floor of an office building. Nevertheless, visitors will find an intriguing interior, hosted by a landlord who has been the master of the establishment for over three decades.
The beloved owner of the bar is not just a master of crafting cocktails, but he is also an expert in all of the places of interests in the local area, and will happily mark any maps that tourists bring in to help them to find their way around the beautiful city. But, while you’re there, you can also enjoy some utterly rapturous cocktails.
Additionally, it is a fine locale to warm your lungs up, as it has a karaoke machine for any and all who want to use it, whether to impress a date, or just blast out your favorite Avril Lavigne track.
Bar Look Me
One of the few lesbian bars in Kyoto that caters exclusively to women, Bar Look Me is best known as a safe haven for any lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and asexual women in town. Although it has a ¥500 cover charge, alcoholic drinks are inexpensive at ¥800, and soft drinks for ¥500 are available for anyone who isn’t in the mood for drinking.
It has long been known as a home for LGBTQ+ women, although heterosexual women are also welcome — but not with any male companions. This is a women’s only space!
With an excellent selection of beers, whiskeys, and spirits, it’s the perfect place to let loose with the girls in a place that enjoys a reputation for getting louder and louder as the night gets later and later.
Club Metro
Club Metro is the host of one of the Kyoto gay scene’s hottest monthly night: the “Diamonds are Forever” drag evening. This is considered by some to be THE LGBTQ+ night of the month, every month.
The show, like many drag shows, often has a monthly theme, such as “Diva Collection,” where performers specifically emulate iconic divas, such as Cher, Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, or Liza Minelli.
While it is not an explicitly LGBTQ+ bar, it is very friendly to people if all sexual orientations and persuasions, as any of the 1.5 million visitors who have walked through its doors in the past three decades since its opening. It has even taken the title of being described as being among the top 15 “weirdest places you can go clubbing.”
No trip to Kyoto is complete without visiting Club Metro.
In Summary
Kyoto is Japan’s ancient capital, and with such deep history can come some conservative thinking. As such, there are fewer LGBTQ+ bars here than in other cities. But, you cannot stop the bird from singing, and you cannot stop people from being true to themselves in public. So it is here, where despite the fact that there are fewer members of the populace than in, say, Tokyo, there are more than enough to make some noise.
