|
|
Debu
by Chip Daniels
Shinjuku Ni-chome can seem quite tame to the first-time visitor, but let me assure you there is something for everyone. Sure you've noticed all the neon signs but have you ever really wondered what happens in all of those bars with names like, "Dick," "Cloud 9," and "Ten?" Better still, have you ever just taken a chance and gone inside of one of those places?
Oh, it can be very exciting indeed but be careful, you could be in for quite a surprise. There is the chance that you could step right into a live S&M sex show or an expensive host club or even a transvestite club where your hairy legs just don't quite cut it. You name it! There is a place in Ni-chome for almost every conceivable fetish or desire, including clubs for old men, fat men, macho men, foreigners, butch/femmes, sportsmen, J-pop boys, and the list goes on.
To explore matters first hand, I recruited two of my friends to join me in a little adventure to search out a few of the bars serving fat men and the men who love them. Our first stop was to one of the many gay bookshops in Ni-chome to pick up a copy of the monthly magazine for large men, Samson. For only ¥1,143, this weighty volume contains real photos of fat men having sex, comics of fat men having sex, stories of fat men having sex, and over 100 pages of advertisements for videos, bars, sex clubs and saunas. To our surprise, a large scale of Debu (fat) bars & saunas are in Ueno and Asakusa, but there are still a hefty number in nearby Ni-chome.
Our first pick of the evening was Hiromi (3350-5140), a snack for young to middle-aged debu men. Weighing in at a mere 68 kg, I was a bit shy about being the first person to enter but pushed forward anyhow. As the door opened, there was a welcoming irasshaimase, but once they saw my bag of bones, these jolly boys were not too impressed. The place was small and no-one spoke English.
A little brazen but still determined, we set out in search of Snack Moto (3350-0686). It took some time wandering through the basement corridors of the Miyaba building but we eventually found Snack Moto and from the sound of things, a huge party seemed to be going on. The motto of Snack Moto proudly asserts that to go there you will certainly find more than what you are looking for. (I guess 250 kgs would be a bit more than I'd expect.) We chose to move on.
Throughout the remainder of the evening we pursued our adventure through opening doors, peering inside and running away. We spied on a few fat boys cruising the streets and even tailed a few others. And through it all, we felt like idiots. We had expected to find only two or three places, but in reality we stumbled onto a well-developed underground culture for men who love fat men. In Ni-chome alone there are a dozen or so establishments and still dozens more in and around the city.
If you want to explore Shinjuku's scene, try the following:
Snack Samson
2-12-15 Shinjuku
Yamahara Heights, #603
Tel. 3354-5227
No Karaoke, but a nice place to relax and have a good chat. Closed on Mondays.
Joy Luck Club
2-14-15 Shinjuku
Nine Futami 1F
Tel. 569-8839
Young to middle-age crowd. Never closed.
Husky
2-15-9 Shinjuku
Tel. 3350-7933
Bar for men who are fat, macho or bears.
Kuma no Ashiato
2-10-3 Shinjuku
Seven Futami, 2F
Tel. 5269-2578
Papa bears, baby bears, fat men, and macho men. Check out their English homepage: http://ueno.cool.ne.jp/okapooh
Snuggle Bear
2-10-2 Ehana Building, 4F
Tel. 3341-0680
Bear-type friendly bar.
Bear Club Japan http://www.st.rim.or.jp/~lonestar/bcj/
Bear Club Japan is a nonprofit gay social organization in Japan. They have over 320 members from all parts of Japan, Asia, Australia, Argentina, EU and the US.
What's Your Type?
We've all been asked this question and our usual reply, whether we're sure or not, may be 'A', 'B' or 'O'. The ensuing discussion of how your blood type correlates with your personality can be rather entertaining the first three or four dozen times. But to ask someone's type within the borders of Shinjuku ni-chome conjures up a whole different image. Ever heard of Gai-sen? Fuke-sen? Debu-sen?
Use the Japanese word senmon as a suffix to what you specialize in and determine your type. For example:
Gai-sen = Gaijin + senmon = Men who love foreigners
Fuke-sen = Fukeru + senmon = Men who love old men
Debu-sen = Debu + senmon = Men who love fat men
Just like "rice-queen" or "potato-queen" in the west, queer Japan has it's own labels and like Pizza-la, the combinations can be quiet unique. Debu-gai-sen???
tj