Trial run on group dancing for next year's Awa Dance Festival; keeping intervals between dancers

Last year's group dance vs. yesterday's group dance

    Tokushima city cancelled this year's Awa Dance Festival, so they conducted a test run for next year's event. Dancers kept their distance as they performed for the practice run of the highlight of the event, which is the group dance.

    The festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 so they are preparing for next year's event. They are conducting a trial run for two days to check the newly implemented measures to prevent infections for visitors and dancers.

    Performers danced all at once for the highly-anticipated group dance on Sunday. There were about 350 people who participated and performed as they kept their 2-meter distance from each other.



    When Zomeki, the traditional accompaniment group, began playing their instruments such as the shamisen and shakuhachi, the dancers performed impressively with good coordination.

    Governor Iizumi and acting executive committee chairman, Mayor Naito of Tokushima city, joined in the dance and the venue was filled up with enthusiasm.

    A spectator said, "I wasn't able to watch the dance this summer, but being able to watch it today was so exciting. I hope to see it next year once the preventive measures are in place."

    The director of the promotion association for the Awa Dance Festival, Minoru Yamada said, "We were able to make do with the present situation and performed to our fullest and we were able to dance and have fun with the audience too!"

    Mayor Naito said, "I'm so glad we did it. Everyone was having fun and we had a sense of unity while at the venue. I want to continue our preparations for next year's event."

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20201123/k10012726541000.html?utm_int=news-culture_contents_list-items_007

What does LGBT and SOGI stand for? Understanding different genders and sexualities through booklets

The leaflet made by the Yamagata Gender Equality Center (a.k.a. Fala).
Nov. 2, 2020, Yamagata City.
Photo taken by Nanami Hidaka.

　What does LGBT and SOGI mean? 

    The Yamagata Gender Equality Center (Fala) created a pamphlet for the first time to spread awareness about gender and sexual minorities for those living in Yamagata city. People can grab a copy at the municipal office and Fala. The person in charge claimed, "It would be great if everyone knew and understood that there is a diversity of people out there." 【Nanami Hidaka】

　LGBT is an acronym that stands for Lesbians (women attracted to women), Gay (men attracted to men), Bisexual (people attracted to 2 or more genders), and Transgender (people who don't identify with their assigned gender at birth). SOGI stands for Sexual Orientation, which means one's attraction to a certain or multiple genders, and Gender Identity, which is how someone perceives themselves.

　Fala started their initiative to promote understanding of sexual and gender minorities since 2016. In 2019, they had help from city officials and teaching staff who are well connected with the citizens and younger students to spread awareness. They created an LGBT support handbook for them and held workshops with associate professors from the university.

　They made a leaflet in order to expand people's understanding of the topic. The pamphlet is an A4-trifold, which is easy to pick up, and decorated with illustrations on glossy paper.

　It also gives advice on being careful about different things such as hurting people when one casually remarks, "You're too soft to be a man!" in an ordinary conversation, or when one might out an individual to someone else without their permission. Fala plans to hold a workshop for citizens next year. The person in charge said, "We want people who are on the receiving end of people coming out to understand more, such as not outing the person to someone else. We want to continue publishing these leaflets."

Source: https://mainichi.jp/articles/20201106/k00/00m/040/031000c

Refraining from parties and dispatching the "DJ police" on Halloween; Almost no costume-wearers to be seen in Shibuya

October 31 marks the day of Halloween.

This year, the authorities advised everyone to refrain from visiting the bustling streets of Shibuya especially during Halloween. There were not a lot of costume-wearers to be seen on the streets.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department dispatched the riot police to err on the side of caution.

Around this time of the year, the streets in Tokyo like the ones in Shibuya and Roppongi are crowded with young people and foreigners wearing costumes. However, in order to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks, the Shibuya ward advised everyone to refrain from going out to celebrate Halloween.

When October 31 finally came around, almost no one was wearing any costumes around the busy shopping streets of Shibuya even after 8 p.m., which is usually the peak time for crowds.

Even so, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department still dispatched the riot police for caution and to prevent any other incidents from happening in large crowds.

The "DJ Police," as called by the PR team of the riot squad, have been seen warning pedestrians to not stop in the middle of the intersection around the Shibuya Scramble Crossing.

Last Halloween, nine people were arrested for the obstruction of a public servant doing their duties. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is continuing to watch the busy districts and monitor the situation.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20201031/k10012690241000.html?utm_int=news-culture_contents_list-items_008

Now showing: "I Am Here," a documentary portraying the reality of Japanese transgender people

The movie documentary, "I Am Here -- 私たちはともに生きている" (lit. We Are All In This Together) will be showing until October 27. It is a documentary featuring 17 transgender people in their 20s to 70s who talk about their pasts, worries, and hopes. This documentary brings to the forefront the problems that transgender people are facing. The movie is directed by Tomoya Asanuma, a transgender man and an activist. Talk shows with different invited guests are also being held day after day.

    Tomoya Asanuma was assigned female at birth and had gender dysphoria since he was in elementary school. The people around him eyed him strangely. They called him boyish and queer. He was also bullied. He was diagnosed with gender identity disorder at the age of 18, and at 23, he got his gender reassignment surgery and his name changed in the family registry. When he started to work as a nurse, he had a bad experience of being outed. It was about 2 years ago when he started working there. His colleague from the same department was supposed to be the only one who knew that he was transgender, but the information leaked out even to the patients. People made distasteful jokes like "What's in your pants?" and "You do look like a woman, now that I'm looking at you." He felt humiliated and uncomfortable and that eventually led to depression. He immediately resigned.

    "Compared to the past, I think that the present Japanese society has become more tolerant and easier for us to live in. But, not everyone can easily say with pride that they are living happy lives, because discrimination and prejudice still continue today, and to pretend that they don't exist is also a problem. Showing and spreading awareness on the current conditions of transgender people in Japan to everyone in the world is part of the reason that I made this movie." he said.　

    He interviewed transgender individuals from a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Some of them are office workers, some work in the nightlife business, while others are researchers.

　Japan enforced the Gender Identity Disorder Law in 2004 where an individual needs to meet five requirements in order to change their name on the family registry. Some of these requirements such as being over 20 years old, having no underage children, and having undergone gender reassignment surgery, are quite strict. He referenced the difficult challenges from the law that needed to be improved.

    "There are a lot of people who have changed their name on the family registry and have become happier for it. But, I believe the law on changing one's name puts too much burden on our physical and mental health. For example, gender reassignment surgery takes a toll on one's body. The aftercare is tough too. For me, I had my reproductive organs removed so now I cannot have children and have developed a menopausal disorder. After changing my name, I still needed the money to continue getting hormone therapy. Many young people are working on changing their names, but the life after the name change is much longer," he explained.

    Asanuma regretted undergoing the surgery and he really hoped that the next generation of transgender people will not have to go through the same thing. Actors from the movie also had the same sentiment. "I want to be able to help people who are in the same situation as me.”

    "I want to send an encouraging message through this movie. To all the trans people out there, we are here working hard for you, so be proud of who you are and live as you choose. At the same time, for our cis allies, I want you to keep supporting us by informing yourselves with the problems we are facing and the challenges that the Japanese legal system has placed upon us. Lastly, we should all work together to make a change," they said.

    The following people make an appearance in this movie. Masae Torai, the inspiration behind the role played by Aya Ueto in "Kinpachi-Sensei," Ran Yamamoto who is a gid.jp representative, Fumino Sugiyama from the Rainbow Parade Association, Junko Mitsuhashi who is a researcher and writer of "Cross-dressing and Japan," Tomato Hatano who is an activist and writer, Lily Miyata who is involved in dista Osaka Community Center that deals with HIV prevention awareness, and many more who have contributed to elevating the social position of transgender people in Japan.

    Fumino Sugiyama will appear on the talk show on Oct. 22. Junko Mitsuhashi and Tomato Hatano will appear on the talk show on Oct. 24. More information can be found here.

Movie: 『I Am Here ─私たちはともに生きている─』(lit. We Are All In This Together)
Showtime: Oct. 27 7 - 8 p.m.　
Venue: CINEMA Chupki TABATA

Director: Tomoya Asanuma

Last year, he published a book entitled『虹色ジャ～ニ→　女と男と時々ハーフ』(lit. Rainbow Journey → Times I was Half Man and Half Woman) (Bungeisha). TRANS VOICE IN JAPAN, TRanS and other representatives are working together to plan a Trans March on November 21 of this year.

Reference:
"I hope you know how hard it is to live" a documentary on the present lives of transgender people. (AERA)
https://dot.asahi.com/aera/2020101900012.html

「Ｉ　Ａｍ　Ｈｅｒｅ」We Are All In This Together documentary showing since Oct. 17 (Kanagawa Newspaper)
https://www.kanaloco.jp/news/culture/bunka/article-267687.html

Source: https://www.outjapan.co.jp/lgbtcolumn_news/news/2020/10/26.html