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Pride 2024 - Osaka gets decked in rainbow!
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. Last year for Pride we showcased many businesses across Osaka who wanted to show how welcoming they are for all travelers, and this year even more have joined to give recognition to LGBTQ+ identities and help all travelers feel welcome in Osaka. If you are traveling through Osaka, don't forget to check out our event calendar with information on more events happening this month!
Events and Offers
Swissôtel Nankai Osaka
Counting down to the upcoming IGLTA (International LGBTQ+ Travel Association) 2024 Conference in Osaka, the convention’s host hotel and Asia’s first IGLTA-accredited hotel, Swissôtel Nankai Osaka, is gearing up with another Faerie Drag Queen Show in celebration of Pride Month. Held regularly at NAMBAR10 on the 10th floor of the hotel, the retro bar opens its doors to Osaka’s queens - SooFae SooFierce, Madzam Aika, Crème Freche, Vovoka Bićhe and Clitolia Joroe, with DJ Hashijouzudesune.
NAMBAR10 Bartender Peter Selden will also be featuring five different cocktails reflecting the vibrant and dynamic personality of each of the queens, with SooFierce Gin & Tonic, Madzam Aika Sunrise, Crème de la Crème, Bićhe of the Night and Clitolia Strawberry Basil Smash. Featured Pride Cocktails start from JPY800 while regular alcoholic beverages start from JPY500.
When: June 29, 2024 (Doors open at 8 pm, show starts at 8:30 pm)
Where: NAMBAR 10, inside Swissôtel Nankai Osaka
Admission: Free!
Official Website: https://swissotelnankaiosaka.com/offers/nambar10-faerie-drag-queen-show/
Hilton Osaka
To celebrate Pride Month, Hilton Osaka’s all-day dining restaurant Folk Kitchen is offering special Rainbow Mocktails. Enjoy an all-you-can-drink selection of six fruit-flavored drinks alongside the chef's signature wellness buffet.
Official Website: https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/osahitw-hilton-osaka/
W Osaka
Luxury lifestyle hotel W Osaka hosted a special Pride Talk Session on June 8 featuring guest speaker Hiraku, the director of the renowned Nakamura Keith Hering Collection. Hiraku was joined by officials from both Kyoto Rainbow Pride and Tsunagary Café, a local LGBTQ+ community center, to discuss intersectionality & inclusivity, acceptance & allyship, art, and more. And don't miss the Arrival Tunnel, which has been specially lit up in rainbow colors for the month of June!
Official Website: https://www.marriott.com/ja/hotels/osaow-w-osaka/overview/
Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko
The Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko is the premier location to experience the origins of Japan’s modern tea ceremony. On June 9, the Plaza hosted a diversity-themed farmer’s market with rainbow flags, merchandise, and workshops. The event also hosted a fashion show and talk show featuring both LGBTQ+ and ally models in collaboration with Kansai ALLYMO, a local fashion collective dedicated to promoting allyship for the LGBTQ+ community. Special just for Pride month, the Sakai Plaza also crafted a rainbow-colored Japanese sweet titled Kibou (“Hope”) to serve during standing tea ceremonies.
Official website: https://www.sakai-rishonomori.com/english/
Recognition and Support
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. Hotel Royal Classic Osaka has also stationed rainbow flags at restaurants and service desks around the hotel.
Official Website: https://hotel-royalclassic.jp/en/
voco Osaka Central
Experience a blissful hotel stay at voco Osaka Central, where sophisticated modern design and premium servicess come together to create a refined atmosphere. A special "Happy Pride Month" display has been set up in the lobby with an explanation of Pride Month in both English and Japanese, so that guests from all over the world can better understand and celebrate LGBTQ+ identities. Hotel staff were eager to learn more about the importance of Pride Month, helping ensure that they can give the utmost support to the LGBTQ+ community.
Official Website: https://www.ihg.com/voco/hotels/jp/ja/osaka/osakn/hoteldetail
Izumisano City
Home to Kansai International Airport, the city of Izumisano in southern Osaka is the air gateway to western Japan. The city has posted rainbow flags in their two major tourist information centers, helping ensure that travelers will feel even more welcome.
Official Website: https://welcometoizumisano.com/en/
Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu
Where functional beauty meets dignified tradition, Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu is located just near the vibrant Dotonbori area. To help all travelers feel welcome and seen, the hotel has posted a rainbow flag in their lobby.
Official Website: https://www.tokyuhotelsjapan.com/global/osaka-e/index.html
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 sporting Pride colors here.
Official Website: https://www.japan-ducktour.com/osaka/
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, not only JAPA is using their rainbow logo on their website, but they have done the same for their new Tebura-kun baggage delivery service, which allows travelers to have their luggage delivered from airports and major stations to hotels and guesthouses. JAPA has called upon guesthouses all over Japan to display messages of welcoming for all travelers on their websites,
Tebura-kun Website: https://www.teburakun.com/
