The parade was held in the world-famous Shibuya ward, which was the first to allow same-sex couples to get marriage certificates
As Japan makes slow moves to improve the lives of its LGBTI citizens, the country still has a long way to go.
Some prefectures permit same-sex couples marriage certificates and one temple has even allowed same-sex couples to be buried together.
But trans people still have to jump through extreme hoops to have their gender updated on official documentation. And the Japanese government just missed a once-in-a-decade opportunity to include LGBTI educational content in school curriculum.
With Japan making some moves on LGBTI issues, it was fitting the theme of this year’s Tokyo Rainbow Pride Festival and Parade was ‘Change’.
‘I believed that nothing would change. But, little by little, things are starting to change,’ promotional material for the event said.
‘Let’s achieve a future where everybody is respected as an individual, despite differences in their sexuality.’
The festival ran in Yoyogi Park in Tokyo’s world-famous Shibuya district, with the parade weaving through the iconic streets.
In 2015, Shibuya became the first Japanese ward to allow same-sex marriages. Its current mayor Ken Hasebe expressed his support for the Tokyo Rainbow Pride Festival and Parade.
‘Under the slogan: ‘The city, Shibuya-ku, to change the difference in power’ Shibuya-ku raised the idea of diversity and inclusion, where it is possible for everyone involved in the city to enjoy their life, and we aim to make such a city a reality,’ Hasebe wrote in message on the event’s website.
Here are the best photos and videos from the Tokyo Rainbow Pride and Parade.
Bird’s eye view
Fierce queens
People power
Under the rainbow feathers
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTz6YHYF4JK/
Yoyogi Park entertainment
Make love not walls
Diversity is strength
