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Pride Month has gained rapid momentum in Japan in recent years, with companies and tour operators eager to express their support for the LGBTQ+ community. The Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau (OCTB) also celebrates Pride, being Japan’s first tourism office to launch a Pride campaign. By working to create a more welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ travelers, Osaka aims to be Asia’s number one LGBTQ+-friendly city. This year for Pride, we have listed some of the events and campaigns during the month of June at tourism facilities and attractions across Osaka prefecture.

 

W Osaka

Coinciding with Pride Month, luxury lifestyle hotel W Osaka is collaborating with the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection to offer the Pride Afternoon Tea set. This afternoon tea is based on W Hotel's passion point "Stance" with sweets using the six colors of the rainbow flag, which symbolizes the dignity of the LGBTQ+ community and the flag made as a symbol of social movements. The set is expressed through desserts inspired by the vinyl sleeve designed by Keith Haring. Enjoy the tea set in the impressive "LIVING ROOM" on the rainbow-colored sofa. Don't miss the Arrival Tunnel, which changes to rainbow colors for one month only!
Official Website: https://livingroom.wosaka.com/en/

 

Aloft Osaka Dojima

 

Swissôtel Nankai Osaka

Live It Well and say cheers to individuality with Swissôtel Nankai Osaka’s Pride-themed specialty cocktails, available from 7 June until 30 June 2023. Available at Bar36, make the best moments this Pride Month and unwind overlooking panoramic city views at the topmost floor of the hotel - 147 metres above ground.

1. Obsessed with Pink (left)
Celebrate love in all its hues with Obsessed in Pink, the glittery, rose-and-cherry-blossom pink sensation that's a nod to the LGBTQ+ community's passionate spirit.

2. Born This Way (center)
Raise your glasses high with Born This Way, the red and blue cocktail with a unique twist, representing the LGBTQ+ community's vibrant hues of identity that blend together to create something beautiful and unique.

3. Bee a Queen (right)
Sip like the royalty you are with Bee a Queen, a honey-based Cosmopolitan with a golden garnish that pays homage to the LGBTQ+ community's hard-won right to shine bright.

Each cocktail is priced at ¥1,600 each, inclusive of taxes and service charge.

Official Website: https://swissotelnankaiosaka.com/

 

Hotel Royal Classic Osaka

To support the OCTB’s LGBTQ+ tourism initiatives Hotel Royal Classic Osaka, located in Osaka’s vibrant and bustling entertainment district of Namba, is showing the Visit Gay Osaka promo video on a large, outdoor hotel monitor throughout the month of June. The video, which features a gay couple enjoying tourist attractions throughout Osaka, will continuously play on a 4-meter-tall screen overlooking Midosuji Avenue, known as the Champs-Élysées of Japan.
Official Website: https://hotel-royalclassic.jp/en/

 

YOLO BASE

YOLO BASE is a support center for international residents living in Japan, providing opportunities to find employment and to connect with helpful resources. For the month of June, the entire venue will be decorated with rainbow themes to raise awareness of and to celebrate LGBTQ+ identities. In addition, Yolo Base hosted their International Cafeteria on June 2 under the theme of Pride. International Cafeteria is a regular event that aims to support the daily lives of foreign residents in Japan through food, exchange, and job connections.
Official Website: https://www.yolo-base.com/

 

 

Osaka International Convention Center (OICC)

The first-floor window at the entrance of the OICC has been entirely wrapped with a rainbow-colored sheet, immediately visible to everyone who enters the building. The OICC aims to contribute to raising understanding and recognition for LGBTQ+ issues in the local community.
Official Website: https://www.gco.co.jp/en

 

Japan Association of Private Accommodations

JAPA is an organization that helps regulate and promote the use of minpaku (accommodations within private residences) for travelers. For Pride Month, JAPA has introduced a special rainbow logo to display on their website and has called upon all registered accommodations to display rainbow flags in their entryways and on their website in order to convey their openness and welcome to LGBTQ+ travelers.
Official Website: https://minpaku.gich.net/

 

 

Ipponmatsu Shipping Co., Ltd.

River cruise operator Ipponmatsu Shipping has outfitted their Donbori River Cruise and Donbori River Jazz Boat cruise ships with rainbow flags to sport during the month of June.
Official Website: http://www.ipponmatsu.co.jp/

　

 

Duck Tours: Amphibious Sightseeing Cruises

Osaka’s amphibious cruise company Duck Tours has created a new Pride-themed corporate logo to use throughout the month of June on their websites and flyers.  Check out their official English brochure here.

 

Japan CitySUP Association

Stroll along Osaka's canals and riverways on Japan CitySUP Association's SUP (stand-up paddle) rafts - decorated with rainbow flags throughout the month of June - and view Osaka like never before.
Official Website: https://www.citysup.jp/