“How easy is it to be gay in Japan?”
A large percentage of the foreign translators of Japanese to English are gay (as well as those in the management of English education).
For a while in Japan, I wasn’t understanding this basic fact of life here and it caused a lot of problems in my managing of subcontractors. However, over time I learned that the “Zero-to-Hero” phenomenon that allows dorky American guys to get remarkable smart and attractive women in Japan seems to work for gay people too. For many young gaijin, coming out in Japan is a true blessing–no family, friends, and neighbors to deal with at all. Foreigners are supposed to strange…being gay is almost expected by Japanese.
The “How easy is it to be gay in Japan?”
When I’m back here in the States, people are always asking me this unanswerable question: “So…what’s it like to be gay in Japan?” I never really know what to say. I can describe my gay life there just fine, obviously. But I’m a foreigner, of course, so I don’t have anything like the experience my Japanese friends do. Sometimes, the way people put the question is, “How easy is it to be gay in Japan?” That’s even harder to answer…..
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