The Ultimate Gay Travel Guide
The Gay Passport is your complete Gay Travel Guide. Looking to Drink, Play or Sleep we have reviews to help. Award-winning & Updated 2023.
Tokyo is one of Asia’s gay capitals and there are awesome gay venues spread throughout the city, but the uncontested gay area in town is Shinjuku Ni-chome. This gay village east of Shinjuku Station has over 300 bars, clubs, and cruise bars, and is an unmissable stop for gay visitors to Japan.
Most hotels in Tokyo could be described a gay-friendly. Culturally Japan has no religious hostility towards homosexuality, and same-sex sexual activity has been legal for over 130 years. But while Japan may be culturally accepting legally same-sex marriage, equality laws are still lacking in the country. Tokyo city has made some positive steps in legalizing same-sex partnerships, providing some limited marriage benefits.
The hotels recommended on this list are located in Shinjuku, central Tokyo. Home to Tokyo’s entertainment district and also the city’s largest concentration of LGBT venues.
Many gay travelers who want to party choose to stay near Shinjuku Ni-Chome, the center of Tokyo’s gay scene. Shinjuku is well connected to the rest of Tokyo with three metro stations and Shinjuku station, the world’s busiest railway station.
All of the gay-friendly hotels in this list are within walking distance of Ni-Chome, although the higher-end ones tend to be a bit further away. Look out for hotels in Kabukicho, Tokyo’s infamous red-light district, which is just a short 10-minute walk from Ni-chome.
If you are staying at one of the hotels within the Shinjuku wider gayborhood, you should be able to reach the main gay nightlife within a 15-25 minute walk.
This modern hotel features stylish minimalist design throughout. The rooms are very simple and understated, with neutral color schemes, futon beds, and large windows. The cafe-bar is a fun communal space and comes complete with a huge collection of comics to enjoy. The gay bars and clubs are about 5 minutes away, and the beautiful Gyoen National Garden is also nearby.
The rooms in this hotel are compact, even for Tokyo standards, but comfy beds with an interactive room control panel, clever layouts, and under-bed storage more than make up for it. The TV is equipped with cast technology, so it’s easy to watch your own streaming services in the room. The breakfast buffet is expansive and tasty and even includes fluffy fresh-baked naan bread. The hotel is in the heart of Kabuki-cho, a short walk from Golden Gai and about 10 minutes from the gay nightlife.
This gay-friendly budget hotel offers clean, comfortable, rooms with good basic amenities. The decor is simple but modern, and the rooms are overall very well-maintained. There is a tasty free breakfast served every morning, and a small but pleasant on-site onsen which is also complimentary. The staff are lovely, helpful, and speak very good English. The Ni-chome gay nightlife is just a 15-minute walk away, and the bars of Kabuki-cho are even closer.
This hotel is right in the middle of the Ni-chome gay area, with venues like EAGLE, AiSOTOPE, Kinsmen, DOCK, and Campy all within a minute’s walk. Single, double, and twin rooms are available, with the Deluxe Single category being very spacious compared to similar offerings. The rooms come with all the basic toiletries, plus a mini-fridge for your personal use. The complimentary breakfast is simple, consisting of baked goods, juice, tea, and coffee, but is a welcome addition nonetheless.
This hotel benefits from a great location directly opposite Higashi-Shinjuku station (Fukutoshin and Oedo lines) and 10 minutes from the gay nightlife. Rooms are no-frills and compact, but clean and well-maintained. There is a cafe downstairs and a Lawson convenience store on the first floor. The hotel also has a laundry room with coin-operated machines and vending machines.
This recently-opened hotel is a stylish budget option, about 10 minutes from the Ni-chome gay nightlife and 5 minutes from Golden Gai. It features contemporary industrial-style decor and original artwork, giving it a boutique feel. The rooms are spacious and well-designed, with twins, doubles, and triples available. The trendy cafe-bar serves craft coffee during the day and craft beer in the evenings, with Japanese bites available throughout the day.
Hotel Listel is located a few minutes from the Shinjuku Ni-chome gay nightlife, on a quiet side-street that allows for peaceful rest at night. It offers no-frills accommodation with very good value. The rooms are compact and very clean, and the staff are friendly and helpful. There is an on-site all-day restaurant.
This hotel is popular with gay visitors to Tokyo, mostly due to its unbeatable location in the heart of the Ni-chome gay village. It is also just a minute from Shinjuku San-chome station (Fukutoshin, Marunouchi, and Shinjuku lines), making it really easy to get around Tokyo’s expanse. Rooms are simply decorated in an all-white color scheme, and many of them have microwaves and washer-dryers. Some of the rooms also have kitchenettes. A tasty Japanese and Western breakfast is served in the mornings, and there are vending machines in the lobby.
This is a very simple and straightforward hotel, very recently opened. The rooms are compact but comfortable, and every one comes equipped with a mini-fridge, kettle, and microwave, making it very easy to eat cheaply on convenience store meals. Bathrooms have deep bathtubs and generously-sized toiletries. The gay nightlife is about 15 minutes away, and the red light activities of Kabuki-cho surround the hotel.
This is a simple and pleasant budget option, located a short 5-minute walk from the Ni-chome party area. Rooms feature a nice minimalist style and can sleep up to 5 people. The 5-person tatami-style room is a great choice for groups interested in a traditional Japanese stay. The bathrooms all come with Shiseido-branded toiletries and jet-powered tubs. Interestingly, you can book a room for just a few hours during the day.
The Gay Passport is your complete Gay Travel Guide. Looking to Drink, Play or Sleep we have reviews to help. Award-winning & Updated 2023.