Event: Kansai Rainbow Pride, Osaka
Date: Saturday, November 5, 2011
Time: 12:30pm
Place: NAKANOSHIMA PARK
The square located just east of the rose garden at the east side of Nakanoshima Park, Osaka
Copy and paste this address into your phone.
大阪府大阪市北区中之島１丁目
If you have an iPhone, you'd definitely be doing yourself a HUGE pre-planning favor if you dropped some pins into these venues, and save them in your map bookmarks.
If you get lost, or wanna meet up, or just want my number so you can call and ask if my refrigerator's running,
it's 080-3939-5046
c6ee6f2fd72hp69@softbank.ne.jp
And here's the link to a map of the meeting place.
A link of the information from the source.
And here's the Parade Route, but in Japanese.
PRE-PARTY: Friday 10/4 Dinner and Hitting the Gaytown
Here's a link to a list of Girl Bars in Doyamacho, Osaka's gay district, located by Umeda Station.
Here's a link to a list of Gay Bars (mostly men, but some mixed) in Doyamacho.
#12 The FRENZY bar was recommended as a great place to go for a lively atmosphere, men/women/gay/straight/everyone friendly, and has free karaoke and wifi. It's also the only gay bar owned by a foreigner in all of Japan. Apparently, Lady Gaga karaoke'd to herself there in 2009.
View Larger Map
FRIDAY 11/4 LOOK ME is a girl's party happening the Friday before the Pride event at Club Explosion.
Here's a link to Explosion, Osaka's gay nightclub/bar. In the past, there have been pride mixed men and women after-parties at this venue.
The Day of the Parade:
From 2pm to 7pm, there will be a mixer party at COVENT GARDEN. Here is the map and information about the venue. For 1000 yen, you can enter and have all you can drink soft drinks, karaoke, and rainbow cake. The venue also sells food and stiffer drinks. Here's the address 大阪府 大阪市西区北堀江2-5-10 松枝ビル１階, add it to your phone if you're interested.
From 8PM, there will be a party at FRENZY. Here's the info:
The FRENZY bar was recommended as a great place to go for a lively atmosphere, men/women/gay/straight/everyone friendly, and has free karaoke and wifi. It's also the only gay bar owned by a foreigner in all of Japan. Apparently, Lady Gaga karaoke'd to herself there in 2009.
View Larger Map
ACCOMMODATION:
Hotel Kansai has singles and double under 5000 yen a night. All of the information is in English, so you won't have any trouble booking the room. And if you do, just call them and reserve as soon as possible.
And here's the map to the hotel from Umeda Station.
TRANSPORTATION:
This link to Willer Bus Company allows you to book buses in English. It's also pretty cheap.
The average cost of a night bus from Tokyo to Osaka, which usually arrives after sunrise, is about 5000 yen. The average Shinkansen Bullet train cost is 13,000 yen. Both fees are for 1 way. If you go to a ticket window around a station, you may be able to get discounts.
AN ADDED NOTE FOR JETS:
The second year I attended this event, the JET Stonewall organizers gathered us together and made an announcement. They told us that in our JET contracts, it says that we are forbidden to participate in any political events. The organizers said that this was a political event, and those organizers chose to forego marching in the parade, and encouraged the others to do so as well.
I wasn't shocked by their announcement, as it probably is true, and something of which to be aware. Perhaps the warning to not give any statements to the press or interviews with NHK would have been more appropriate. However, to not participate at all sounded ludicrous to me, especially since there's a section of the parade which doesn't allow photography in order to protect people's privacy, where we could have easily keep hidden. (Though even that seems terrible to me.)
About half of the Stonewallers followed their serious-toned announcement, and met us at the end of the parade. It surprised me that so many people would travel all the way out to Osaka for a pride event, just to sit it out. Also, why would the organizers organize, just to not participate? It was a really weird moment for me in my Stonewall life.
Anyway, I just wanted to inform you of what has happened in the past, and something you might want to be aware of. Also, I guess you also got a dose of my opinion about it as well. Ya, i think it's ridiculous. It's pride, for Fug's sake! Be Pride-y!
OTHER THINGS TO DO IN OSAKA
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Autumn Leaves Viewing (kouyou or Momiji-gari) will be happening around the beginning to mid-November in the Kansai region. One of the nicest places to view it is about a 25 minute (290 yen) ride away from Umeda Station at a place called Minoh Park.
Mino Park is a short walk from the north of Hankyu Mino Station. From UMEDA in central Osaka, take the Hankyu Takarazuka Line from Hankyu Umeda Station to Ishibashi Sation (15 minutes) and transfer to the Hankyu Mino Line to Mino Station (5 minutes).
Another closer place to enjoy some nature and autumn leaves is Osaka Castle Park.
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