EPISODE · Feb 6, 2026 · 1H 21M
Why being transgender was never an issue in Japan
from Unpacking Japan · host Produced by ZenStudio
Meet Luna, a model living in Tokyo who performs as a drag queen under the name Andromeda. She sits down to talk with us about being queer and transgender in Japan, and why older people keep asking her why being trans is considered an issue--0:00 Intro0:45 Meet Andromeda6:18 Moving to Japan & working at fashion company11:17 Life in the Japanese fashion industry12:54 Interest in kimono17:33 Podcast and LGBTQ activism22:38 Issues with LGBTQ labels27:50 Finding community in Japan35:19 Performing drag in Tokyo40:46 Start with queer magazine & activism52:08 Response by Japanese audience56:09 Why it's important to talk about love1:00:39 How much work does a magazine take?1:03:39 How perspective on LGBTQ has changed in Japan1:06:56 What's next for Luna?1:08:46 Coming out in public1:11:01 Why being trans was never an issue in Japan1:15:18 Where do we stand today?--Follow Luna:https://www.instagram.com/luna.andromeda.jphttps://www.instagram.com/moto.iwakanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@luna.andromeda.jpFollow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
What this episode covers
Meet Luna, a model living in Tokyo who performs as a drag queen under the name Andromeda. She sits down to talk with us about being queer and transgender in Japan, and why older people keep asking her why being trans is considered an issue--0:00 Intro0:45 Meet Andromeda6:18 Moving to Japan & working at fashion company11:17 Life in the Japanese fashion industry12:54 Interest in kimono17:33 Podcast and LGBTQ activism22:38 Issues with LGBTQ labels27:50 Finding community in Japan35:19 Performing drag in Tokyo40:46 Start with queer magazine & activism52:08 Response by Japanese audience56:09 Why it's important to talk about love1:00:39 How much work does a magazine take?1:03:39 How perspective on LGBTQ has changed in Japan1:06:56 What's next for Luna?1:08:46 Coming out in public1:11:01 Why being trans was never an issue in Japan1:15:18 Where do we stand today?--Follow Luna:https://www.instagram.com/luna.andromeda.jphttps://www.instagram.com/moto.iwakanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@luna.andromeda.jpFollow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
NOW PLAYING
Why being transgender was never an issue in Japan
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.
Similar Podcasts
No similar podcasts found.