(*Sorry for writing in English! Learning Japanese hard recently but still on beginner’s level.)
I’m seeing my 50’s sooner or later, so plan to live in Japan, specially from Osaka&Kyoto to Nagoya. My journey starts from July-end to Aug-end. First 5 days at Osaka and then Kyoto for 2 weeks and finally goes on Nagoya for the rest of 2 weeks.
I dont’ like drinking, have never smoked at all for lifetime, which makes me a little away from the ‘typical’ L type. During my stay there, I like to meet my peers living in Japan and wish to share each lifetime experience and sense of sisterhood as a mid-aged lesbian. I googled some places for queers but still can’t get any one for my gut. I might feel more comfortable at small grouped or one-on-one meeting. Is there anyone or any place to hit me?
この相談の回答期限は終了しました
人との接点を避けて生きている女子高生・星川雫は、誰にも見せずに執筆していた小説をクラスメイトの朝香夏織に見られてしまう。作品を嘲笑されると怯える雫だったが...
Have translated this into Japanese, so perhaps someone will be able to answer
Taking the liberty of using this space
（英語でのメッセージとなり申し訳ありません！最近日本語を勉強していますが、まだ初級レベルなのです。）
もうすぐ50代を迎えるにあたり、日本（特に大阪・京都から名古屋にかけて）での滞在を計画しています。
旅の期間は7月下旬から8月下旬までです。最初の5日間は大阪、続く2週間は京都、そして最後の2週間は名古屋で過ごす予定です。
お酒は飲まず、タバコも生涯一度も吸ったことがないため、いわゆる「典型的なレズビアン」のイメージとは少し違うかもしれません。
滞在中は、日本に住む同世代の女性たちと出会い、お互いの人生経験や、中年のレズビアンとしての連帯感（シスターフッド）を分かち合いたいと思っています。
ネットでクィア向けの場所を調べてみましたが、ピンとくる場所がまだ見つかりません。
大人数よりも、少人数や一対一での交流の方が居心地が良いと感じるかもしれません。どなたか、あるいは何かおすすめの場所をご存知でしょうか？
First, I think you should mention which country you are from.
That way, the image of a “typical lesbian” that you have in mind is likely to be conveyed to people in Japan.
Happy early birthday!
I’m truly delighted that you chose Japan as your destination for your birthday trip as a Japanese person, it makes me very happy.
Now, regarding your question: meeting lesbians in their 50s or middle age can be challenging even for Japanese people. Finding a small, intimate group of women who share your interests, especially while traveling from abroad, is understandably quite difficult.
You might consider using community apps or online platforms to connect with people first.
That could make it easier to find others with similar backgrounds or interests.
I hope your trip to Japan turns out to be wonderful.
Thanks for showing me your warm shoulders! I’m not that much ‘community-into’ here in Korea or a few other countries that I’ve worked or studied. I might already know it’s difficult to find a good one, specially for me. The thing I expected for Japan, may be much more away from ‘ALL DIGITALS’ for queer meetings, and that’s why I adore Japan and wish to live there for the rest of my life.
I would try to download your local app on my arrival, so you can recommend me any good one if you wouldn’t mind. 🙂
A world that isn’t “all digital”…
I’ve traveled abroad, but I’m not very familiar with LGBTQ culture outside Japan.
So hearing that Japan feels like a place with a warm, human-centered lesbian community makes me genuinely proud.
Compared to other countries, Japan still has many areas where social systems lag behind, and I often feel that lesbians are not fully recognized yet.
Even so, it’s true that Japan has neighborhoods with bars exclusively for queer women and local events where people can meet casually.
In that sense, Japan might actually be a comfortable place for building connections offline.
I live in Tokyo, so I’m not very familiar with the lesbian bar culture in Osaka or Kyoto, which is a shame because I can’t recommend anything there.
But in Tokyo’s ２-chome, many foreign lesbian visitors come regularly, and they always seem to enjoy themselves in a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
As for apps, PIAMY is often mentioned on this site, and although the number of users in Japan is still small, HER is also available.
And while the age range might be a bit younger, I’ve heard Tinder allows you to set detailed preferences for the kind of people you want to meet.
I can understand what you tried to mean by all those experiences above. Japan is a big and gateway city as worldwide. I’d been there for work couples of times when I was quite young while working at banks. But as I get older, I find more inner peace at small towns.
Thanks for your tips on queer apps there, and I’d try it if taking my breath back from flight. Happy Obong Holiday quite in advance!
It sounds like you’ve been to Japan for work before — you must be quite talented, Yamanichi-san!
I really admire Korean professionals working in Japan. Everyone I’ve met has been so skilled with languages and incredibly driven.
If you happen to meet someone wonderful from the queer women’s community during your stay, that would be great, but don’t feel pressured.
I hope you enjoy the people you meet, the food, the culture, and the chance to relax.
And when you come back to Japan again, please let me know here. I’ll be looking forward to it.
We, Koreans, are angry, sad, and merciless people. It is falling down so fast without even a bottomline both socially and economically. I wish to enjoy my early retirement with peace but ended up with ‘no-more-Korea’. Japan has been also falling down for a long while, but it looks like a sort of art to adjust its speed very carefully and smoothly- that’s how the art works aroud our human history… I’ve never imagined that I spend more time with Japanese stuff rather than Korean one for a day. Japanese language is not that easy that Korean always say like ignoring it, so I’m having hard time to study alone.
Anyways, if chances allowed, I like to talk more with you. Do you have a LINE account?
I truly admire how sincerely you think about your country. Facing such a rapid decline, being able to consider living abroad is something you can do precisely because you’ve worked so hard up until now, Yamanichi-san. I respect that very much.
Japanese is easy!? That’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone say that!
If Japanese weren’t my native language, I don’t think I would ever choose to study it.
Hiragana, katakana, kanji, expressions… there are just so many things to memorize and understand. It’s a difficult language. Maybe pronunciation isn’t that hard, but still.
Considering how diligent Korean people are, though, I feel like any language might seem “easy” to you.
I do have LINE, of course, but I don’t think it would be appropriate to share it here.
Thank you for the meaningful conversation. I’ll take my leave here.
Hi. I’d like to talk to you. Could you please create a thread on the message board?
Thanks for the reply. I can’t find any button to open a thread freely here on this site – no edit, no delete, it’s hard to get adjusted. This is an open place for all, I’d rather to drop my email for more chat with you: andie.kim77@….. (mailing by Google)
In Osaka, there’s an area called Doyama where you can find many lesbian bars.
If you’re looking for a place with an older crowd, I think a bar called 3F would be a good choice.
When I visited before, it had a calm, relaxed atmosphere and was a lovely place.
I’m sorry I can’t provide more information, but I truly hope your trip turns out to be wonderful.
3F sounds unique for me. Thanks for your advice with details.
勝手ながら日本語訳しました
関西方面でわかる方、他に何か案がある方いらっしゃれば、答えてあげて頂けたら幸いです
I am in Tokyo.
ありがとうございます! Thanks for giving your hands and got really impressed on it.