Gogo boys and drag shows may be synonymous with the LGBTQ+ scene in the minds of most, but that’s not all there is to the queer experience. Beyond the glitz and glamour, there’s still much work to be done to fight discrimination and inequality, particularly against transgender people.
Transgender Awareness Week takes place from November 13 to November 19, culminating in Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20. It’s a time not only to acknowledge and celebrate trans people, but also to raise awareness around issues affecting transgender, gender non-conforming and non-binary individuals around the world.
This year marks the fifth Tokyo Trans March, taking place Saturday November 22 at 1pm at Tsunohazu Bridge near Shinjuku Central Park. For more insight on the event, we spoke with Tomato Hatakeno, co-founder of Tokyo Trans March and representative for the organisation Transgender Japan.
Read on to hear her thoughts on fighting for trans rights, her hopes for the future and her message to the trans community.
What inspired you to begin Tokyo Trans March?
Around 2018, when Ochanomizu University announced that it would admit trans women as students, anti-trans sentiment that had long stayed under the surface suddenly erupted on social media.
In 2021, amid that growing hostility, [co-founder] Tomoya Asanuma strongly insisted that this was exactly why we needed a march, which became the starting point of what is now the Tokyo Trans March. At our very first march, we managed to gather about 500 people despite the last-minute planning.
Still, public attention was minimal – it really felt like we were at the stage of simply saying, ‘We exist. Please see us.’
How has the movement grown since then?
By 2022, our organisation Transgender Japan had begun full-scale activities. We held ‘Transgender Kokkai’, an event inside the National Diet building, and our second march was expanded into a festival-style event.
These drew significant coverage from newspapers and television, and I felt that our message finally became visible on a national level. At the same time, anti-trans backlash intensified – another painful reminder that the more we speak up for our rights, the stronger the backlash becomes.
Since 2024, the march has grown much more open and expansive by shifting to a joint organising committee with other groups. This year will only be our fifth march, but I finally feel that the foundations of a real community are starting to take shape.
What do you hope to achieve with this year’s march?
What I want to achieve most with this year’s march is the visibility of our joy – our smiles. It might sound unusual because the march is held around Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day of mourning, but that’s precisely why showing our joy matters.
This year has been incredibly tough for trans people globally. In times like these, seeing our community – people who are living through this storm every single day – gather and smile together at the march means so much. Making those smiles visible is what I hope to achieve this year.
That’s why the theme this year is simply ‘We Are Here’. It’s a declaration: We exist. We will not be erased. We are alive, together, right now.
What in your opinion are the unique challenges for transgender people in Japan compared to foreign countries?
It’s a bit difficult to make simple comparisons with ‘foreign countries’, but when you look at Japan in an international context, a few characteristics stand out.
First, public awareness of human rights is still quite low, and Japan remains far behind in terms of gender equality. Secondly, and just as importantly, democracy hasn’t truly taken root in everyday life.
Many people don’t have the sense that if we raise our voices together, we can change society. This makes it harder for queer communities to feel empowered to shape their own future. Although Pride parades are held all across Japan, participation remains relatively small.
Even Tokyo’s parades, including corporate groups, draw around 15,000 people. In contrast, Taiwan’s parade attracts around 100,000 participants – most of them community members themselves. The difference shows how limited community engagement still is in Japan.
I believe this stems from a long-standing lack of education on gender equality, human rights and democracy. Without those foundations, it becomes very difficult to build grassroots movements where people feel they can collectively push for change.
After the march is over, how do you recommend people keep fighting?
To keep pushing for transgender rights in Japan and beyond after the Trans March, I think it’s crucial not to narrow what ‘transgender’ is supposed to look like.
We need to make sure gender-nonconforming people aren’t pushed out, to stay inclusive of the gradient that connects us with drag queens and the broader gay and lesbian communities and to remember that we’re part of the wider queer world.
Holding on to that sense of connection is what gives our movement strength – here and globally.
What are your hopes for the future of this march?
We hold the march around Transgender Day of Remembrance to honour the many community members whose lives were lost to violence or discrimination. Remembering them – and continuing to raise our voices so that tragedies like these become fewer and fewer – is another essential mission of the march.
I hope the Tokyo Trans March continues to be a place where all diverse people can gather once a year and say, ‘It’s good to see you again.’
What message do you have for trans people living in Japan, particularly young trans people?
First, take good care of yourself. And remember this: you are never alone. If you speak up just a little, there will always be someone ready to reach out and stand with you. There’s no single ‘right way’ to transition, and it’s completely okay to have doubts. It’s your future, so taking your time and thinking things through is important.
Also, try joining different spaces and communities – you’ll meet people close to your age who can be role models, and friends who are walking a path similar to yours.
Above all, please don’t forget: you are not alone.
More from Time Out Tokyo
This group feeds the homeless in Tokyo – here's how you can help
The first issue of Time Out Japan is out now: Culinary school
It's official: Jimbocho is the world's coolest neighbourhood in 2025
Evangelion celebrates its 30th anniversary in style with his massive Tokyo exhibition
JR East's Suica penguin mascot to retire in 2026
Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.