The heat of Nichome's L scene

＜English＞

2008 Dec 8

Hi everybody,

Chief editor Yuki here.

Last weekend, on November 29th I went out for a night in Nichome with the TokyoWrestling team, and we had an absolute great time!

On Saturday there was the all women's party Girlfriend, at the event space Hijoguchi, AND at Kinswomyn there was a special birthday celebration for the owner of the bar, Okouchi! With so much going on, the streets of this gay heart of Tokyo were just flooded with more cute girls than ever!

We started our night at Kinswomyn, our own favorite hang out spot and also where we brought Jennifer Beals to meet Tokyo L girls during her visit to Japan for The L Word promotion.

Kinswomyn regulars flocked to the bar on Saturday night to celebrate bar owner Okouchi's birthday, and the establishment was soon inundated with champagne and cake that everyone was carrying in for the birthday girl.

We brought Okouchi a Queer & Dirty muscle T-shirt, designed by Parisa Parnian for her Rigged OUT/fitters brand. We wish Okouchi-san a very happy birthday...and look forward to seeing her in the muscle shirt at the bar! :-)

After some fun at the bar, we headed out into the streets with Miwa Tosaki to take some photographs for the collaborative project we started this summer Tokyo L Girls Snapshots. And we were both delighted and thrilled to find so many women out - looking upbeat and GOOD!! Check out the snapshots yourself to see girls from the Tokyo L scene.

One thing that we noticed as we took pictures was how a greater number of people now eagerly consent to appearing before the camera, without hesitating. Volunteers were totally relaxed and we all had a lot of fun with the photo shoots.

We also got into conversations with the girls between photo sessions. Listening to them, we learned that Japanese L girls of today are clearly more focused on living life outside of the closet. The positivity underlying their outlook radiates in their cheery manner and their sense of ease with themselves. It seems like, in Tokyo, women in their 20's no longer hide like they once did.

Tosaki, who had to attend the final day of a photo exhibition at her gallery Latitude☆P the next day, went home a bit early and the rest of us headed to Girlfriend.

At the event we found a club-full of party-goers easily just as sexy as anyone you'd find in The L Word. Surrounded by such a vivacious crowd of women dancing and freely chatting about all things lesbian (and more!), I couldn't help but feel excited by the growing heat rising within our own Japanese lesbian scene!! So much has changed in just one year!!

Peli-chan was the first up DJing at the event and not only was her selection of tunes impeccable, but so was her fashion. Just as cool & edgy as ever! As a club event, Girlfriend puts a lot into playing the best music - which is really a joy for us.

I get the feeling that Japanese queer girls are riding a wave that is gaining in energy and power every day!

After Girlfriend the TW team headed to CoCoLo Cafe and, I hafta say, an Ochazuke as you welcome the morning is delicious after a night of fun. CoCoLo Cafe is a winner, not just for having such a great menu, but also just for providing us with the perfect space for moments apart from the bustle. Their herb teas are fantastic, and it's a great place to head for catching a bite after a night of partying.

We'll be heading out to Nichome whenever possible, so if you see us - definitely give us a shout!
Yoroshiku!

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