The New Half

Being 'different' in Japan generally means not being accepted by society. There are very clear ideals for one's life path in this country and anyone who doesn't conform naturally becomes an outcast to some degree. As foreigners, we accept that we are not Japanese, most foreign friends I know feel very welcome here, and we are granted permission to be different. For the Japanese, doing what is 'normal' carries very strong expectations and for that reason, every time I see someone a little 'different' here, I seem to have strong admiration for them. This was certainly true just a couple of weeks ago, when as part of a traditional (at least in some parts of the world) "Hen's Night", I was witness to a drag queen performance.

Given that a Hen's Night is practically an unknown concept here in Japan, there is the need to get a bit inventive. While Tokyo offers a great nightlife, with a Hen's Night you're always looking for something a little different. For this recent night, it came in the form of a drag queen show. None of us really knew what to expect, but that was half the fun, and certainly meant we weren't at all let down by the performance.

After many other Hen antics earlier that day we all boarded taxis heading to Kabukicho in Shinjuku. Quite possibly this is the place with the most dangerous reputation in Tokyo, and thus for many of us it was our first visit to this part of the city. We had safety in numbers and caught the taxi to right outside the venue and I think we were all too excited (and admittedly a little tipsy) to be concerned about potential dangers. Besides we had but a walk of about 10 stairs from the taxi to the door so there wasn't much opportunity to witness much of the reputation of the area. Once inside we were led to a large dark room and asked to sit at a table facing a stage. There was whiskey on offer, with a large bottle placed on the table but we had just enough time to order more preferred drinks before the stage came to life with lights, music and men-women of varying degrees.

The show itself was a string of song and dance numbers in extravagant costumes. Clean entertainment that made us laugh, and occasionally involved audience members in some way. There was a level of professionalism, but not so much so that you couldn't tell how much fun these people were having, and there was definitely a sense of humour in all that they performed. All in all we were treated to a series of great music and ambitious dance moves. There was lots of clapping and whistling and the 'girls' on stage were in their element.

I'm not entirely sure what officially defines a Nyuu Haafu (New Half) in Japan, but from what I could tell we had all forms of men-women in the show, and it was certainly the people and their personalities that made the performance the entertaining event that it was. The enjoyment each of them had on stage was infectious, so people couldn't help but have a great time. Many of them would have a quick chat on the microphone in between songs/dances and it was this time that they really seemed to shine, almost glowing in their openness of being different. Even for those of us that couldn't understand Japanese, it was obvious.

Knowing what Japan is like, and knowing the struggle these 'different' Japanese would have faced and continue to face, you couldn't help but feel liberated by their obvious determination to live the lifestyle they wanted. It felt like there was an admiration throughout the audience and I'm sure a level of respect that was a surprise to many of the people there. Being the last to leave, we ended up having a drink with a couple of the performers who came out to chat to us in broken English. Up close their appearance efforts were a little more obvious, but the senses of humour they showed on the stage were even more apparent in conversation and ultimately we all had a great laugh.

It is sometimes nice to be reminded of the side of Japan that is disallowed to be shown most of the time, even if it does come in the form of a pretty crazy drag queen show. Coming from a country where there is a lot more acceptance of all different kinds of people I can only hope that Japan gets a little more relaxed with itself and see the benefits of diversity and individualism. For now, it's interesting to sit by and watch it slowly change.