Is Shinjukus gay town threatened with extinction?
“Are gays vanishing from Shinjuku 2-chome!?” exclaims the headline in Spa (Apr 21). Straight people unfamiliar with Tokyo night life might even be surprised to learn that Asia’s “largest gay town”—an area with an estimated 300 to 400 businesses—even exists, let alone is in decline. “Up until five to six years ago, about 80% of our patrons were gay,” says Yu, the 34-year-old male “mama” of bar “K,” a gay hangout that’s been in operation for 13 years. “Now it’s around 60%. In the past, a lot of bars refused to admit straight females, but those types of ‘hard’ shops have become fewer. The shops can’t depend on business solely from gays any more.” According to Yu, the absence of younger people from the area has been particularly conspicuous. For some reason they no longer gravitate to this “sanctuary,” as they once did. “I go to 2-chome, but only for special events or parties,” a 26-year-old Tokyo-based designer tells the magazine. “I’ve almost never hung out at a gay bar.” The patrons, he
