Pride House Tokyo Legacy began as an effort to promote LGBTQ+ education during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Being one of many op-up “pride houses” that emerge during global sporting events, what makes Pride House Tokyo Legacy unique is that after the games ended, it took root in a permanent space in order to continue its advocacy efforts after the Olympics.
Today, the brick-and-mortar center is only a short walk from the well-known LGBTQ+ district of Tokyo: Shinjuku Nichome. Pride House Tokyo Legacy aims to be a hub of queer education in Tokyo, as well as a space to host events related to Tokyo Pride and LGBTQ+ life in Tokyo.
Pride House Tokyo is funded by a host of both Japanese and international corporations, making free entry to the space possible. In this article you’ll find more detailed information about what the center has to offer, as well as a recounting of my personal experience visiting Pride House Tokyo Legacy.
Where is Pride House Tokyo Legacy?
Pride House Tokyo Legacy is only a three minute walk from Shinjuku Gyoenmae Station via the Marunouchi Subway Line, and an 11-minute walk from Shinjuku Sanchome Station via the Fukutoshin Subway Line. Also, it’s an eight minute walk from Shinjuku Nichome, Tokyo’s famous gay and LGBTQ+ district.
It’s located on the second floor of a building with a delicious-looking patisserie below, and is a two minute walk to the beautiful and relaxing Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.
Pride House Details
- Japanese Name: プライドハウス東京レガシー
- Address: 〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Shinjuku, 1−2−9 ＪＦ新宿御苑ビル 2階
- Socials:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/PrideHouseTokyo/
X – https://x.com/pridehousetokyo
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/PrideHouseTokyo/?locale=ja_JP
- Website: https://pridehouse.jp/en/
- Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 1pm – 7pm
Features of Pride House Tokyo
The cool thing about Pride House Tokyo Legacy is that it runs a whole host of programs for different folks in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. Sometimes multiple times per month, they offer events such as Trans Day, Youth Day and Deaf Day. It plays host to several more events, which are easy to check out on their monthly calendar, available on all of their socials, as well as at the center itself.
Another great thing about Pride House Tokyo Legacy is that you can go there to work, study or hang out free of charge. There’s no need to have a concrete reason to check it out. It’s designed to be a community space, and if you just want to go there for the community, that’s completely fine. They offer a variety of perks for people studying, too, such as free WiFi, charging cables, earplugs, and headphones, so you can be comfortable and in the zone while you work.
The center also runs a small cafe, with options such as tea, coffee, and soda. Another perk is that you can get your first drink free, and any drink after that is available by making a small donation. Pride House Tokyo themed merchandise is also available at the cafe, including branded towels, tote bags, pins, lanyards and tumblers.
Pride House Tokyo Legacy also has a pretty substantial library. It offers books about queer and LGBTQ+ topics in multiple languages, including Japanese and English. It truly aims to be a community space in which Japanese and foreigners alike can come to learn more about queer issues and Tokyo Pride.
Talking With the Staff at Pride House Tokyo
During my visit to Pride House Tokyo Legacy, I was very fortunate to meet Kikumi-san, a member of the staff who has been working there for three years. Impressively, she speaks four languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean, and explained to me that since the center is envisaged as a community space, multilingual staff are a necessity. She kindly showed me around the space, and pointed out areas of it such as the cafe, library, and study area, so that I could get an idea of what to include when writing this article.
She also talked about how she was an office worker before starting her job there, but that a a lesbian herself, she wanted to become more concretely involved in the LGBTQ+ community. She gave me the rundown on the purpose of the center, which is, as was made clear by the many opportunities on offer here, to be a community hub that anyone can utilize in order to meet like minded people and learn more about LGBTQ+ issues.
She also informed me that there’s a counseling system available at Pride House Tokyo. Currently, private counseling for a range of life’s issues is offered at the center with a licensed, professional counselor.
However, with their current budget, these services are only available in Japanese. Kikumi-san told me that they are looking for patrons to commit to a monthly donation, and that once enough donations are secured, they will be able to hire an English-speaking professional counselor to assist a wider range of people at the center.
If you’re interested in setting up a monthly donation, please click here for more information, or pay a visit to Pride House Tokyo if you’re in the area. One-time donations are also possible via bank transfer through the Support Us page on the organization’s website, but keep in mind that these donations must be of ¥10,000 or more. Luckily, when setting up a recurring donation using the previous link, it’s possible to donate a smaller monthly amount.
Reflecting on Pride House Tokyo Legacy
When visiting Pride House Tokyo Legacy, I was amazed at the wealth and variety of amenities available at the center. From an extensive library, to its multilingual staff, to its cafe, to its study space, and its diverse calendar of events. It’s clear that a great amount of time and effort was put into making this center what it is today.
As someone interested in LGBTQ+ culture and history, and who also needs a place to study on the weekends, I will definitely return to Pride House Tokyo Legacy in the future. I hope you also get the chance to pay them a visit, and that there’s something there for you that keeps you coming back.
Read about Tokyo Pride.
