Onna no Ko Club is fast becoming the biggest (and certainly the most accessible) player in the growing otoko no ko and josou cross-dressing scene. It already has bars in Shinjuku (in Nichome, of course) and Osaka where you can go to try dressing up as the opposite sex (or just watch if you're not into actual cross-dressing).
It was recently featured in the Ellen Page documentary about gay Japan and its manager interviewed by Kyodo News.
Now it has a new salon bar in Ueno, this time with stylish chandeliers.
Opening on April 1st, it is located in the Okachimachi area of Ueno, a ...
We're loving the ever-growing range of otoko no ko items that are appearing in the Japanese adult market right now.
Mainly produced by Tama Toys, these products tread the ambiguous line between cosplay-style costumes and actual cross-dressing accessories.
That said, we have never seen anything quite like this one.
The Otoko no Ko Crossdresser Cock Bag allows you to cover up your penis (erect or flaccid) and complete your transgender transformation.
As Kanojo Toys say, the stretchy and comfortable "bag" fits snugly over your member's head, shaft and balls. It gives you ...
Ignition has posted an article about transgender artist Pyuupiru, who makes costumes such as the elaborate "Planetaria" series.
The article also provides a glimpse into the domestic arrangements of someone in Tokyo who has undergone sex realignment, living in the suburbs and taking in stray cats.
She was born a man, she explains, but always felt she had the soul of a woman. Having suffered for much of her life from obsessive-compulsive disorder and severe depression, she began making art around the same time she began to think about changing her body and identity. Born out of such ...
Gaycation is a new series from Viceland, Vice's TV channel, featuring Ellen Page and her friend traveling the world in search of gay stuff.
Episode 1 is Japan, especially Tokyo and Nichome.
Of course, Vice likes to veer toward the sensationalism, as its previous "schoolgirls for sale" article showed, and as such this episode does have some bad choices ("rent-a-friend agency and joining the party in the world's smallest gay bar").
It also starts with some cliched footage of Shibuya and halfway through resorts to shots of Scramble Crossing, but if you keep watching, there is some ...
Kyodo News recently had a feature on Onna no ko Kurabu (Girls’ Club), the popular cross-dressing bar and club in Nichome where you can try on women's clothes away from prying eyes.
The article highlights the "home from home" aspect.
Onna no ko Kurabu is not a drag bar with theatrical outfits and shows, but rather a relaxed space where a man can arrive straight from the office, perhaps in a suit, and indulge his feminine side with a complete transformation.
One side of this cozy bar is marked off with a heaving rack of outfits — everything from understated blazers to gowns with ...
You see?! Japanese cross-dressing is so rampant that even mainstream corporations sing its praises in their marketing campaigns.
Showing how the otoko no ko "male daughter" subculture is something to admire rather than be repelled by, cosmetics maker Shiseido has released a video promoting the benefits of the brand's make-up.
In fact, Shiseido's cosmetics are so good, they can convince others that you are a different gender.
These "schoolgirls" are not what they seem.
They're guys!
This video of behind-the-scenes footage shows how they did it.
So if you have some ...
Cross-dressing in Japan is different to cross-dressing in other countries.
The rise of the otoko no ko cross-dressing male cosplayer, who may or may not be attracted to other men, has created a great broadening of acceptance of dressing up and gender-bending.
Bibi Lab, who specialize in making some wacky clothes and other household items, are latching onto this boom with the Boku Sera ("I am Sailor") Male Sailor School Uniform.
It's not just a Japanese schoolgirl sailor costume -- but one for guys. It's make of fleece, so it's actually warm in the winter.
Plus it's designed to ...
Watch this cross-dressing sexy version of "Let It Go", the Disney song that inspired a million karaoke renditions of greatly varying quality.
The poker-face performers sing and dance to the Japanese version ("Ari no mama de"), but we think you get the general idea even if you can't understand the lyrics.
Yes, it's camp. It's very camp.
The choreographer and main dancer is IG, a cross-dressing performer who certainly looks better in heels that ...
Head over to Ebisu, a plush part of Tokyo just south of Shibuya, where you can visit Total Beauty Salon ZOOM and transform yourself into the opposite sex... temporarily, at least.
It's not a sex change medical clinic per se but it does offer beauty treatment courses for crossdressers (otoko no ko or josoko), both male or female.
As with lots of things in Japanese sexuality, there's little black and white here. Leave your preconceptions of transsexuality and homosexuality at the door, since in Japan cross-dressing does not mean you are "gay" and it often merges with more casual ...
Recently a Saitama civil servant got himself arrested for entering a female-only changing room at a spa while in drag.
Perhaps he should have gone to Tokyo...
Because Josokko Koishitsu (literally meaning "cross-dresser changing room" but with the English name Locker Girls Club) has just opened in Nichome, Shinjuku's gay district. Josokko Koishitsu (or "Kouishitsu" depending on your Romanicizing preferences) is a changing room facility especially for newhalf, otoko no ko cross-dressers and other types of transgender.
After all, if you are heading out to Nichome for some fun, ...
