I am big in Japan, that is.  As is illustrated from the photo of me on a street in Kyoto.  I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time in Japan with my boyfriend Jeffrey Angles, who is doing research there at a university in Kyoto. 

So, while I am big in Japan, HIV is relatively small by global standards.  With a population of roughly half of the United States, there have only been about 15,000 reported cases, according to the World Health Organization.  Compare that to the U.S. which has exceeded a million cases!  Japan’s HIV situation differs from that in the U.S. in several ways.  They too began reporting cases in the mid-80s but Japan did not experience the rapid increase of cases that we did between 1985 and 1996 (in 1996 practical treatment options became available).  They also did not experience the slowdown of new infections that occurred just after that time.  Japan’s HIV rates have been on a slow and steady rise.  No big surges or dips, and while that number is relatively low, people have continued to take more notice after 2004 when the number topped 10,000.

Now, grass roots agencies similar to CARES have emerged.  They conduct community education events, build public awareness, and support HIV-positive individuals.  The first image here is the poster for the World AIDS day events happening in Kyoto.  I saw these posters displayed at train stations around town–a great place to advertise since most city dwellers use the mass transit.

Japan offers “voluntary testing without counseling” at this time.  A public-health option is available to all citizens and long-term foreign residents.  As a result, all residents have access to a health plan, meaning that testing is very inexpensive, if not completely free.  Federal agencies do little in the way of direct education there.  In fact there is a public concern regarding the need for sexual education in the school system in general. 

Japan’s two major religious traditions, Shinto and Buddhism, have less guilt and shame regarding sex than in the West, but procreation is important to the perpetuation of the family name, thus placing pressure on gay and lesbian people who feel the need to bow to family demands to make children.  If you look at my photos here, you will see a Shinto shrine.  Different Shinto shrines are dedicated to various purposes, but this one is specifically designed to promote healthy sexual relationships.  People who are seeking blessings for a good sexual relationship with their partner might visit a shrine like this.

Theatrical cross-dressing has been a part of Japan’s traditional culture for hundreds of years, and this still thrives in certain circles today.  However, same-sex relationships are less publically visible than in the United States, although television is slowly starting to change that.  I did learn that samurai culture was filled with same-sex relationships, with experienced little public stigma.  Recently a series of television programs have been featuring same-sex couples, and TV personalities ask questions them questions about their lives.  What stigma does exist in the culture stems from individual bias and not necessarily a moralistic, institutionalized dogma.  I personally found that my boyfriend and I were readily accepted as a couple in situations when we acknowledged it. 

Public affection is rare in Japan.  Even close family members are more likely to show their affection in other means than offer hugs.  So, aside from an individual’s appearance, there is little to confront the general public around the issue of same sex partners.  Japanese cities are also very style conscious, so flamboyant dress, hair, and make-up are common particularly among the youth.  You can see how friendly one set of couples were in the photograph with Jeffrey and me.  We met these people, who had traveled from Tokyo, at the hot springs at Mt. Aso.  You might also notice that the traditional clothing of such places is not quite suited for my frame!

While in Japan, I was able to meet a famous feminist poet there named Hiromi Ito. (See the crazy picture, in which we are laughing hysterically!)  Hiromi was part of a wave of feminist writers who began to talk about sexuality, relationships, body image and childbirth, in frank, personal language in the 1970s.  The feminist movement in Japan was important, as women were historically subservient to a degree that exceeded western standards.  And while cultural tradition still influences much of life in Japan, the movement towards modernity came fast and forceful .

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