-
on the discrepancy between “asexual” in English & Japanese and confusion regarding demisexuality.
if you’re unfamiliar with ace terminology in Japanese, it may come as some surprise to you to know that Aセクシャル / アセクシャル, the Japanese word that is phonetically equivalent to and derived from the English word “asexual”, does not mean what “asexual” means in English. while it is used at times as an umbrella term to refer to all aces, it’s often used both by aces and non-aces alike to refer specifically to what English speakers now commonly refer to as “aromantic asexuals”– or rather, people who experience neither sexual nor romantic attraction. Japanese speakers use a different word entirely to refer to people who do not experience sexual attraction but who do experience romantic attraction: ノンセクシャル, a word that is phonetically equivalent to and derived from the English word “nonsexual”… despite the fact that word means something entirely different in English. as this linguistic and cultural discrepancy is something that affects me personally not…
-
Q&A: “I have a question regarding the Japanese use of the terms asexual and nonsexual…”
anonymous post: I have a question regarding the Japanese use of the terms asexual and nonsexual. Is asexual generally used by all aces on the aromantic spectrum or do arospec aces who sometimes feel romantic attraction (such as grey aromantics) typically prefer to use nonsexual? I’d like to get more involved with the ace community when I (hopefully) move to Japan, but I feel like the Japanese terminology doesn’t even let me describe myself… (re: this post) bearing in mind that everything i’m about to say is based entirely on my own limited experience and observation… i can count the number of times i’ve met or heard of a Japanese person actively identifying in some way as gray or demi on one hand. generally speaking, awareness of nuanced ace & aro spectrum identities / orientations is hardly a thing among Japanese aces. the only time i hear any explicit mention of…
-
『[4ｺﾏ]☆ＡセクシュアルとAce(エース)☆』
once again i randomly came across another one of Chii’s 4-koma comic strips about asexuality on Twitter and my reaction to seeing it has me feeling guilty and torn. ;( for those who don’t speak Japanese, the comic introduces the term “ace” (slang for “asexual”) to Japanese readers and then explains how it’s connected to aces in playing cards. it also introduces readers to the concept / association that’s been floating around English-speaking ace communities of each suite being associated with specific orientations / identities. in the comic, it’s explained as: ace of hearts: romantic asexuals (known as “nonsexuals” in Japan) ace of spades: aromantic asexuals (known as “asexuals” in Japan) ace of diamonds: demisexuals and demiromantic asexuals ace of clubs: gray asexuals and grayromantic asexuals before i start ranting going on and on about ‘nothing’, i want to point out that i’m happy that “ace” is being introduced here in Japanese. no conflicting feelings there.…
-
『[4ｺﾏ]☆ノンセクシュアル☆』
…so this has been going around on Japanese Twitter. about to pass out, but wanted to put a link to this here with a little blurb reasonably-contained-imho rant for my own future reference because this is personally relevant to me.
-
Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2016: Asexual & Trans / Non-binary Awesomeness!
this year was the third consecutive year that myself and aces in the group that i somehow inadvertently and haphazardly manage walked in the Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade and it was the best year yet! among the many awesome things that happened includes running into two of my Japanese ace Twitter friends who also walked in the parade this year and who were apparently so inspired by our signs last year that they made signs just like them! also, thanks again to Nijiiro Komachi’s awesomeness, it was so much easier to show one’s ace (and non-binary, etc) pride! which in turn not only helped raise awareness about asexuality (and gender diversity), it helped increase visibility and made it easier for aces and non-binary people to find each other! during the parade, i was even able to spot a few onlookers who had ace flags. after the parade, the most awesome…
-
DIY ace flag, anyone?
…annnd it’s finished! it’s not perfect, but whatever. it’ll do. tomorrow is the start of Tokyo Rainbow Pride and thanks to this flag, there’ll be even more ace visibility in the parade this year. 🙂 the flag was made using the fabric that i found at Yokohama Pride last year and i still have enough leftover to make two more flags if i wanted to. the long-since-retired ‘born this way’ flag that i got at Las Vegas Pride years ago was only used to check proportions. next year’s mission: find or make a non-binary flag because apparently flag manufactures do not know or care that the non-binary flag is not the same as the genderqueer flag and i want a non-binary flag goddamnit.
-
Q&A: “In your experience, does the culture in Japan label asexuals as “otaku”, “shut-ins”, or with mental illness?”
anonymous said: In your experience, does the culture in Japan label asexuals as “otaku”, “shut-ins”, or with mental illness? Or is there not as much discrimination as there is in the asian-american community? i can’t compare Japanese culture to those of Asian American communities because i’m not Asian American myself, so i can’t comment on what happens within Asian American communities. having said that, in my experience, asexuality is even less heard of in Japan than it is in America. since society for the most part doesn’t even know asexuality is a thing, i myself am not really out outside of LGBTQIA spaces and the majority of the Japanese aces that i know aren’t out outside of LGBTQIA spaces either, i have no experience with and haven’t heard of asexuals in Japan being labeled as such. yes, there certainly is stigma towards “otaku”/オタク (which doesn’t mean the exact same thing…
-
withU: a new Japanese LGBTQIA+ social networking site
withUは「全国のLGBTが一つになれる場所」というコンセプトで運営されています。普段の生活では会うことのできなかった人達と出会い、あなたのコミュニティの輪を広げましょう。サイト内の機能はすべて無料で使うことができます。 withUの中ではあなたがLGBTであることを隠す必要はありません。サイトを通じて本当の自分を理解し合える仲間を見つけてください。 withUの参加者はみんながあなたの理解者です。 just want to signal boost a new Japanese LGBTQIA+ social networking site called “withU” for those of you who speak Japanese and/or live in Japan. so far, the site seems very interesting and promising, having gained over 1,000 members since it became public last month. it’s like what would happen if mixi.jp and OKCupid teamed up and made a Japanese site? lol so far, the site seems to be inclusive of not just the L and the G, but also bisexual, pansexual, asexual, transgender and non-binary (Xジェンダー) people. you’re able to select all of these identifiers in your profile and when searching for people. there are even two asexual groups already! 😀 that said, the site does have some kinks to work out… the site seems to load slowly. also, in your profile you are required to make a selection from a dropdown menu titled 「セクシュアリティ」 (’sexuality’) which…
-
Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2015 (4/26/15)
my ace friends and i had a great time again this year at TRP! photo notes: the black & white photo is from the “OUT IN JAPAN” photo exhibition by Leslie Kee inside Harajuku GAP, which was also running a #rainbowgap photo booth campaign. the writing on the trans flag says 「色んな性の在り方を認め合おう！」/ “Let’s acknowledge the existence of various sexes/genders!” (in Japanese the same word is used to refer to both sex & gender) the meerkat, its human and its friend on the human’s shoulder deserve to be included for showing up to both last year’s and this year’s TRP in style. and yes, meerkats, among numerous other wild animals, are imported and sold as pets in Japan. i hope you are as outraged about that as i am, even if this meerkat is cute. ;(
-
Re: Tokyo Ace Meetup
thanks to everyone who came to the Tokyo Ace Meetup! it was our 3rd(?) and most successful meetup yet, i think, and it was really great to meet you all (including those not photo’d above). 🙂 we’re now discussing walking in the Tokyo Pride parade (Sun, April 26th) again this year, so stay tuned for that! if you have an account on AVEN, join in on the discussion! i look forward to meeting you all (and more) again in the future. 🙂 *attempting to post this from a speeding train because i’m going to pass out as soon as i get home*
