Coming Out in Japan
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Traditionally the Japanese have shunned those not fitting the majority heterosexual mould. Those with a homosexual orientation have always endured an uncomfortable existence in a culture which condones blatant public scorn and ridicule being directed towards them and which doesn't question the pernicious stereotyping of gays. In Japan these traditions have survived into the twenty-first century and remain a deeply rooted part of the national psyche. It was in such a hostile environment that two men, in defiance of the prevailing social norms, saw fit to take a stand and declare that they were different from the mainstream, different from all the imagery they had ever been exposed to, and not orientated to fit the rigid, positively sanctioned mould presented to them by society. This book gives a human focus to the nascent struggle for social acceptance and dignity being waged by homosexuals in Japan. It describes the authors' coming out to society and their subsequent appeals, on both a personal and public level, for the acceptance of homosexuality by the wider society. It is a highly personal account of the authors' experiences - their fears, despair, self-loathing and rejection, aspirations, traumas and triumphs.
About Editors and Authors
YANASE Ryoya
YANASE Ryoya was born in 1962. After dropping out of junior college, he tried his hand at various occupations including as a carpenter. In the book Two Men Living Together (1993), he and his partner ITO Satoru publicly declared their homosexuality. He established the NPO “Sukotan Project” in 1994 to support the lives of members of the LGBT community in Japan.
ITO Satoru
ITO Satoru is Instructor of Art and Design at Tohoku University and Chiba Prefecture Human Rights Awareness Raising Center. He is founder of and counselor at the NPO “Sukotan Project” which supports the lives of members of the LGBT community. ITO publicly declared that he was homosexual back in the 1990s, in the very early phase of the recognition of the LGBT community in Japan.
Table of contents
Dedication
This book is dedicated to the memory of Matthew Shepard.
Translator's Preface Francis Conlan
Acknowledgments Francis Conlan
Introduction Francis Conlan
Translator's Notes Francis Conlan
Foreword to Part One Brian Greig
Part One：My Gay Pride Declaration
Preamble to Part One
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Dedication
This book is dedicated to the memory of Matthew Shepard.
Translator's Preface Francis Conlan
Acknowledgments Francis Conlan
Introduction Francis Conlan
Translator's Notes Francis Conlan
Foreword to Part One Brian Greig
Part One：My Gay Pride Declaration
Preamble to Part One
Chapter One：Jottings Notebook
The path I walked until I was able to admit that I like what I like
1 The courage to admit that I like what I like
2 The anguish involved in not being able to admit that you like what you like
3 The joy of being able to admit that I like what I like
Chapter Two：Self-Analysis Notebook
The path leading to my acknowledgment and acceptance of myself as the person I am.
1 The know-how involved in becoming an ideal partner
2 The sexual pilgrimage I made before meeting my partner
3 The agonies homosexuals experience as members of a social minority
4 Towards movements which aim to eliminate discrimination against homosexuals
Chapter Three：Explanation Notebook
From us, members of a social minority to you, members of the social majority.
1 The homosexual lifestyle
2 From me, the homosexual to you, the heterosexual
3 Towards becoming a pioneering homosexual couple
4 A word from my partner
Postscript to Part One
Foreword to Part Two John Hyde
Part Two：Our Partnership
Preamble
Chapter Four：Our Love Notebook
The Genesis of Our Love.
1 Our fateful meeting. Ryuta Yanase
2 Finding the courage to announce to my family that I have a lover. Ryuta Yanase
3 Moving towards setting up house with my partner. Ryuta Yanase
Chapter Five：Life Notebook
Building a Life for Ourselves.
1 The bewilderment which accompanied our living together. The curtain is lifted on a story time. Satoru Ito
2 The loneliness of living in a room that represents a fortress of isolation in someone else's house. Ryuta Yanase
3 Days of unholy clashes. Ryuta Yanase
4 Indications of a relationship with open communication. Satoru Ito
Chapter Six：Homosexual Notebook
The Happiness We Seek.
1 The fight to overcome my feeling of self-rejection. Ryuta Yanase
2 Feeling comfortable with Gay Pride. Satoru Ito
Postscript to Part Two
About the authors
Notes