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JOSOU: JAPANESE DRAG, GROUPS FOR MEN DRESSING AS CUTE GIRLS 女装. CROSS-DRESSING, FANTASY COSPLAY, TOKYO SUBCULTURES.


Japanese drag queens,  cross dressing, josou fantasy cosplay, Tokyo drag subcultures, hibari-tei, maid cafe men dressing like women, 女装 josoo.

Now here’s something that gets my two thumbs up. Many Japan universities now have josoo-circles (女装) or clubs where men dress up like girls!

YUKIRO: Its “oshare-status” to look good in woman clothing now in Japan. Its the new Boom <3<3. TV can’t even deny it anymore! Japanese are so gay !!!
CARMINA: They look great!
YUKIRO: I have a friend on Mixi who showed me these videos and told me about it. He also said that foreigners won’t understand this but the Japanese people are so tolerant due to the manga/anime culture.
CARMINA: YES, and a lot of people won’t understand that it’s not sexual or deviant.
YUKIRO: Yeah! It has nothing to to with that. As you can see in the video, one of them has a girlfriend who does his make-up and so on.

Japanese drag queens,  cross dressing, josou fantasy cosplay, Tokyo drag subcultures, hibari-tei, maid cafe men dressing like women, 女装 josoo.

The Japanese TV report we’re referring to is on YouTube; here are Part 1 and Part 2. There are more photos of men dressed in Sweet Lolita and other female fashions in my Theme Restaurants book (I photograph the drag maid cafe where Yukiro works, Hibari-tei).

Japanese drag queens, cross dressing, josou fantasy cosplay, Tokyo drag subcultures, hibari-tei, maid cafe men dressing like women, 女装 josoo.

Back to work now… goodness, I’m up to my ears! I will reveal the amazing news tomorrow or the day after… it’s insane, trust me!

Song of the Day #202: Frank Mills – Music Box Dancer (reminds me of my early years.)

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49 Comments

  1. Sarah
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 10:52 am | Permalink

    I <3 josoo-circles!!

  2. Jenni
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 12:15 pm | Permalink

    love love love it!! <3

  3. Sarah
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 5:52 pm | Permalink

    I <3 josoo-circles!!

  4. Alexandra
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 1:00 pm | Permalink

    <3

  5. vicious kurai
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 1:00 pm | Permalink

    This is great! I wish every school had clubs like these for men ^^ Hell, there should be clubs like this every where! -not just schools.

  6. Cheyenna
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 1:53 pm | Permalink

    Thats so amazing Carmina!! But its a shame America will never understand what the boys in Japan are doing. So if it ever does get popular, the people in America are going to lose alot of respect for Japan :[ which I dont think is right. My grandfather already makes fun of the Visual Kei style -__- all he needs to find out now is that boys are dressing like girls because they want to be cute haha!!

    In my opinion, Lolita is a Kawaii style and why should it only be for girls <33
    Thanks for posting this. Im gonna go find out more about this online. :3

  7. Jenni
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 7:15 pm | Permalink

    love love love it!! <3

  8. lacarmina
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 2:15 pm | Permalink

    Yeah! I'm always asked about “weird, fetish Japan” and I think that totally misses the mark. It's about visual self-expression and there's nothing dirty about it. :)

  9. Alexandra
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 8:00 pm | Permalink

    <3

  10. vicious kurai
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 8:00 pm | Permalink

    This is great! I wish every school had clubs like these for men ^^ Hell, there should be clubs like this every where! -not just schools.

  11. Cheyenna
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 8:53 pm | Permalink

    Thats so amazing Carmina!! But its a shame America will never understand what the boys in Japan are doing. So if it ever does get popular, the people in America are going to lose alot of respect for Japan :[ which I dont think is right. My grandfather already makes fun of the Visual Kei style -__- all he needs to find out now is that boys are dressing like girls because they want to be cute haha!!

    In my opinion, Lolita is a Kawaii style and why should it only be for girls <33
    Thanks for posting this. Im gonna go find out more about this online. :3

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 18, 2009 at 9:15 pm | Permalink

      Yeah! I’m always asked about “weird, fetish Japan” and I think that totally misses the mark. It’s about visual self-expression and there’s nothing dirty about it. :)

  12. Spinestealer
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 7:53 pm | Permalink

    so when do we get to see the women dressing as men clubs? ;D

  13. Spinestealer
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 2:53 am | Permalink

    so when do we get to see the women dressing as men clubs? ;D

  14. Kimber
    Posted September 18, 2009 at 10:25 pm | Permalink

    Awesome post! sometimes men just want to be cute too <3 if only josoo-circles were seen in a positive light here in America. theres nothing wrong with men dressing in women's clothing. i just wished a lot of people believed that too.
    btw, i really like your friend's hair color (in the top 1st two pix) with the different purples and blues. its so pretty! *_*

  15. Kimber
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 5:25 am | Permalink

    Awesome post! sometimes men just want to be cute too <3 if only josoo-circles were seen in a positive light here in America. theres nothing wrong with men dressing in women's clothing. i just wished a lot of people believed that too.
    btw, i really like your friend's hair color (in the top 1st two pix) with the different purples and blues. its so pretty! *_*

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm | Permalink

      It’s so hard to maintain a color like that… but looks cool when it’s faded too. Very pretty!

  16. Emma
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 3:06 am | Permalink

    I think Yukiro is soooooo awesome! ^_^ Cool to see him in so many posts!
    When I went to Japan, I saw a middle aged man in Gothic Aristocrat. The PERFECT outfit, the perfect dress, hat with a veil and everything, extremely graceful. I was sort of shocked at first, but after thinking it through, I realised how amazing it was and how beautiful he was! It's all about self-expression, not “just” to be cute I think. A Victorian mourning dress is hardly considered “cute”, but it's still very visual, very expressive and very very beautiful!
    I never heard about these circles before, that's really awesome – thanks for sharing!

  17. Emma
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 10:06 am | Permalink

    I think Yukiro is soooooo awesome! ^_^ Cool to see him in so many posts!
    When I went to Japan, I saw a middle aged man in Gothic Aristocrat. The PERFECT outfit, the perfect dress, hat with a veil and everything, extremely graceful. I was sort of shocked at first, but after thinking it through, I realised how amazing it was and how beautiful he was! It’s all about self-expression, not “just” to be cute I think. A Victorian mourning dress is hardly considered “cute”, but it’s still very visual, very expressive and very very beautiful!
    I never heard about these circles before, that’s really awesome – thanks for sharing!

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 19, 2009 at 9:03 pm | Permalink

      Japan is visual ga-ga. I think a lot of people miss the mark because they try to find secondary meaning in crossdressing or wearing Goth/crucifixes or whatnot… but as you say, it’s really about visual self-expression.

  18. Louise
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 1:45 pm | Permalink

    So is just “fashion”? not fetish in anyway? what a pity
    Here, except for goths and glammies, if a man dress in woman's clothes is something sexual, whether he is gay or straight.

  19. Naoto Cosplayer
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 1:45 pm | Permalink

    how cool!

  20. Sarah
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 1:45 pm | Permalink

    Not for the first time< I find myself wishing I went to school in Japan.

  21. lacarmina
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 1:59 pm | Permalink

    There are fetish circles and parties too… but they're not necessarily linked. ;)
    Something for everyone in Tokyo!

  22. lacarmina
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 2:00 pm | Permalink

    I like being an outside observer/participant… I don't know if I'd want to grow up in Japanese society for a variety of not so fun reasons…

  23. lacarmina
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 2:00 pm | Permalink

    We'd be the club leaders! ;)

  24. lacarmina
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 2:01 pm | Permalink

    It's so hard to maintain a color like that… but looks cool when it's faded too. Very pretty!

  25. lacarmina
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 2:03 pm | Permalink

    Japan is visual ga-ga. I think a lot of people miss the mark because they try to find secondary meaning in crossdressing or wearing Goth/crucifixes or whatnot… but as you say, it's really about visual self-expression.

  26. Louise
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 8:45 pm | Permalink

    So is just “fashion”? not fetish in anyway? what a pity
    Here, except for goths and glammies, if a man dress in woman’s clothes is something sexual, whether he is gay or straight.

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 19, 2009 at 8:59 pm | Permalink

      There are fetish circles and parties too… but they’re not necessarily linked. ;)
      Something for everyone in Tokyo!

  27. Naoto Cosplayer
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 8:45 pm | Permalink

    how cool!

  28. Sarah
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 8:45 pm | Permalink

    Not for the first time< I find myself wishing I went to school in Japan.

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 19, 2009 at 9:00 pm | Permalink

      I like being an outside observer/participant… I don’t know if I’d want to grow up in Japanese society for a variety of not so fun reasons…

  29. Thomas
    Posted September 19, 2009 at 6:44 pm | Permalink

    HOW DID I ALMOST MISS THIS POST!?!?!!

    Bloody Hell! I always have to explain that its nothing sexual, and constantly get mistaken when I go Lolita as it being some sort of sissy fetish X_x and it drives me insane! (but not insane enough to stop, of course lol).

    I am certainly a little jealous that theres no clubs here, but that also adds a weirdness factor to it. Wearing woman's clothes people always assume I'd love their friend so and so who also is a man who wears woman's clothes, or that I'd like a movie because there are men in drag in it.. Sure it would be great if there were other guys I got a long with who DID do that, but it could also turn into a potential cat-man fight. At least even if I didn't go to such a club, if they existed and were tolerated here, perhaps my lone-man in woman's clothes would be more tolerated.

  30. Thomas
    Posted September 20, 2009 at 1:44 am | Permalink

    HOW DID I ALMOST MISS THIS POST!?!?!!

    Bloody Hell! I always have to explain that its nothing sexual, and constantly get mistaken when I go Lolita as it being some sort of sissy fetish X_x and it drives me insane! (but not insane enough to stop, of course lol).

    I am certainly a little jealous that theres no clubs here, but that also adds a weirdness factor to it. Wearing woman’s clothes people always assume I’d love their friend so and so who also is a man who wears woman’s clothes, or that I’d like a movie because there are men in drag in it.. Sure it would be great if there were other guys I got a long with who DID do that, but it could also turn into a potential cat-man fight. At least even if I didn’t go to such a club, if they existed and were tolerated here, perhaps my lone-man in woman’s clothes would be more tolerated.

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 20, 2009 at 9:46 pm | Permalink

      Never stop!!! :D

      I think America will always be more resistant, but hopefully if people become more aware of what’s going on in Tokyo, this will start to change…

  31. yukiro
    Posted September 20, 2009 at 10:04 am | Permalink

    thanks for mentioning it ^_^v
    I think everyone should watch the TV news links ;)
    //Yukiro

  32. Anonymous
    Posted September 20, 2009 at 5:04 pm | Permalink

    thanks for mentioning it ^_^v
    I think everyone should watch the TV news links ;)
    //Yukiro

    • lacarmina
      Posted September 20, 2009 at 9:45 pm | Permalink

      Thanks for sending the photos and video links!! I agree, more people should be aware.

  33. lacarmina
    Posted September 20, 2009 at 2:45 pm | Permalink

    Thanks for sending the photos and video links!! I agree, more people should be aware.

  34. lacarmina
    Posted September 20, 2009 at 2:46 pm | Permalink

    Never stop!!! :D

    I think America will always be more resistant, but hopefully if people become more aware of what's going on in Tokyo, this will start to change…

  35. LiTtLe_MiSs_PsYcHo
    Posted September 21, 2009 at 4:33 am | Permalink

    there so gorgous!

  36. LiTtLe_MiSs_PsYcHo
    Posted September 21, 2009 at 11:33 am | Permalink

    there so gorgous!

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    Posted September 24, 2009 at 5:18 pm | Permalink

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  38. Raa Kri
    Posted September 25, 2009 at 12:18 am | Permalink

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  39. lolita dress
    Posted September 29, 2009 at 7:39 am | Permalink

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  40. lolita dress
    Posted September 29, 2009 at 2:39 pm | Permalink

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  41. lolita dress
    Posted September 29, 2009 at 2:39 pm | Permalink

    very cool ,I must get one

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