Making a visit to Japan: Gay men's perspectives

This blog entry was created in response to the posting (just below) on a gay message board. I often get inspired to write a long article once I've taken on the task of responding to someone's request for information (Photo: In Wolverine's latest X-men movie, there are many scenes of a hot springs bath in Japan.)

13 Jan 2015, 06:44   I am planning a trip to Japan for 8 days. Thinking about  getting the  unlimited rail ticket to see more than just Tokyo. Has anyone  done it  before, or do you have some suggestions?
     
 
 13 Jan 2015, 15:13  The Japan Rail pass is an excellent value.  There are so many places worth seeing. At this time of year  (winter), the hot springs are great value.
 There are lots to choose from, but if you like an outdoor bath surrounded by  snow,  head north from Tokyo to the Tohoku area. I once went to a hot  spring  with a geyser just a couple of meters from the outdoor bath and  snow all  around. I think it was in Miyagi prefecture, but I can't  remember the  name of it right now.  If you hate the cold, head to Kyushu: Nagasaki and Kagoshima and Kunisaki peninsula. For culture and history, check out Kyoto and Nara, only a fairly short train ride apart, and not so far from Osaka and Kobe.

 
 A lot of the Japanese hot springs are in hotels, so  they're for the  hotel guests, but they often have day visitor rates for people not staying at the hotel who just want to use the hot springs.  Of course, there are some baths run by local  city or town  administrations. These don't usually have much of a rest  area, just a  space for changing.

 But there's a big variety in style and cost, so  look around. Ask a  information offices (at railway stations etc). Last  time I was in Japan back in autumn, there were a lot of flyers offering  inexpensive packages at  hot spring hotels. It's worth checking each  place out a bit before  committing yourself.

   I just tried searching for "japan hot spring guide" on amazon.com, and it looks as though they have some useful options.
     
23 Jan 2015, 10:01
    If you visit Nikko (Toshogun Shrine, Chuzenji Lake and falls), or  Hakone, a lake near the foot of Mt. Fuji,  both of which are just a  couple of hours by train from Tokyo, you can still have time to squeeze  in a quick visit to a hot springs.   Some of the onsen resorts  nationwide  have outdoor hot spring baths, called 'rotenburo,' which  gives you the thrill of being naked outside, relaxing in the hot water,  and getting to see nude Japanese men (most often draping the ubiquitous  long hand towel in front).

Actually, a few public baths still  operate in major cities (and smaller towns) where you can can get nearly  the same experience for under $5.  Take your own towel, and toiletries.  

 
Japanese love bathing in groups so much  that many hotels in urban areas have 'ofuro' which they call 'onsen'  (hot mineral springs) - although the water is usually piped in or the  minerals are added on

site.

   You can get the feel of what a traditional hot springs bath is like  without having to go so far afield. In a few cases, there are 'onsen' in  urban areas, and also at ski resorts or recreation areas where you  might be going to visit anyway.


Actually, a few public baths still  operate in major cities (and smaller towns) where you can can get nearly  the same experience for under $5.  Take your own towel, and toiletries.  

Finally, if you're interested in having or seeing gay sex. You  might consider visiting one of the all-male saunas in either Tokyo or  Osaka (there may be some in smaller cities as well). In Tokyo, 24-Kaikan  is the most famous, and the one is Shinjuku 3 (san)-chome is clean and  active. It's also a hotel so you could even stay the night  - although  there are shared bunk bed rooms which your $24 locker (12 hour stay)  will allow you to rest. There is a large Japanese style bath in most all  the sauna, but also showers stalls with glory holes.  The largest one  in Osaka is called Hokuokan, and could be said to be bigger than Tokyo's 24 Kaikan gay bathhouse.

  I have written about the baths, saunas, onsen (hot springs), and  collected what others have said here　before (because it disappears) on  one of my blogs. You can find links to those two gay saunas mentioned,  and more detailed information by going to blog:
 http://sunbuns.blogspot.com  

To find that entry and others about Japan in my blog, type 'key words'  in the top left-hand search box, such as, Tokyo, Japan, sauna, onsen,  etc   .
There are actually several different entries.  One explains about the gay scene in Tokyo.

The  photo here isn't mine, but represents how Japanese men, especially young and  frisky ones, like to play around in the onsen spa resorts. You can  often find groups of friends, college students, or company employees in  the onsen; they make the trip to build up group cohesion and camaraderie  - which can be a highly homoerotic situation (at least from a gay's man  perspective).

Enjoy your visit...

Kelly

 

A night of splendid sexual and erotic stimulation: Atlanta Flex and Swinging Richard's

I just got back home from an extended vacation/business/family visit. I was able to visit several cool places and some gay saunas & bath houses, too. 

Most recently was Flex Atlanta. Abe (above) reports that the one is Phoenix was too dark for his tastes; however, Flex Atlanta was quite different. Actually, it was one of the more exciting ones I've been to in a while - although it was just a Tuesday night in Atlanta. 

I was impressed most by the size and layout of the place. For me, being able to sunbathe nude and erect, or to have sex outdoors is a big turn on. 

Flex Atlanta is a little known enclave that can boast an outdoors lawn with chaise lounges just next to a busy expressway (I-75) and almost in the shadow for the Olympic Torch Monument and several skyscrapers. I did wonder a bit if the people in the high rises could (or would) actually be looking down on Flex's sexual garden. The staff was helpful and friendly; there was free Internet access (although I don't think free wifi), and both a gym and pool (although the water condition was excellent it was nice to swim in later March, and sunbathe naked in the afternoon. The place didn't get hopping but it had free parking and also in-out privileges, twice in the 8-hour that your entrance fee pays for. There's an Arby's at the corner so you can get food before entering or take a break to go for take out. 

The cost was quite good too compared to other baths. ($15 or $20 rooms, $10 lockers but 50% off on Tuesdays) although there is an additional day membership (or longer

more economical ones, too). There is a large glory hole section, a lounge and exercise gym, but not much secluded open space to watch the 3-4 porn videos constantly playing except in the hallways. The showers, steam and dry saunas are adequate but a bit old and most people wore sandals because I suspect that athlete's foot fungus abounds. There are many places to sit either except inside the saunas or outside, although there is a small semi-secluded smoking area near the entrance. 
It's really worth a try if you are in the Atlanta area. I am wondering now if they will rent out the facility or at least parts of it for a private gatherings, like an club orgy or maybe a CMNM sexual role-play event - just a thought. 

However, what makes it a must-return sexual rendezvous for me was the fact that I could stay the night and also use one of my two out privileges (leaving the place without giving up the room) and visit Swinging Richard's all-male strip bar about 15 minutes away by car. Tuesdays is also reduced entry to Swinging Richard's and you'll more then enjoy the hot beefy hunks, chocolate skinned thugs, manly dudes and cute twinks who dance until very late (3 am?) and eager offer to give you public lap dances at your table, semi-private and also very private lap dances. 

 

I have to say that I really appreciate the dance naked Tucker. He wasn't all that young but he seemed so totally genuine and liked what he was doing unlike several of the male dancers. Tucker has an unbelievable smile and charm about him that have kept up his popularity even while his body is showing the signs of advancing

gradually to his middle years. More importantly, he has a good personality and seems to know how to please men without being condescending or pretentious. I wasn't drunk at all so I'm NOT raving about Tucker from the effects of a drunk stupor. There were also quite a few men of color: Black, Hispanic and maybe even Middle Eastern (or Greek). Tucker is blond, VGL, and white, but I don't hold that against him (smile). The two young 18+ twinks were really hot, but once I had tasted Tucker's manly desires (no I didn't go for the private lap dance ($140 minimum for 15 minutes), I simply could not even look at the other boys, except, of course, when they were on stage in various stages of undress until full nudity (some of the dancers did not go for the Full Monty). I hope Tucker hears about this and reads my review. Contact me if you do. I'd love to take a raincheck on a separate date with you, Tucker. 


Read more reviews elsewhere about Swinging Richard's. I thoroughly enjoyed being rubbed and fondled by a naked hunky man in the VIP lounge. Yes, it's all about cash.. but I admit that it was incredibly fun spending it in this way. I was certainly heated up by the time I returned for a late-night fuck-a-thon back again at Flex. Not surprisingly, there was plenty of sexually unsatisfied men who had hung around until 8am so that I had plenty of reason to get up and get more action from 6am-8am the day I left Atlanta fully satisfied with many blowjobs (given and gotten) and plenty of ass too (yes, both ways). The guy who brought me off early Wed morning wanted to get fucked through a glory hole. I'm glad he did because I had done the same thing with a stocky Mexican dude in the outdoor garden 8 hours earlier. 

I can't wait to plan another sex trip to Atlanta again. Want join me this summer, July and August 2015?

Wild times at the baths: 24 Kaikan Tokyo's Shinjuku

I'll not go into too much detail (at least,  I say that as I begin this entry), but over the last few weeks, I've been going about a half-dozen times to one of the local gay baths (i.e. male saunas).

It's called 24-Kaikan, a chain operation with at least 3 locations in Tokyo. Normally, I go to the one very near Tokyo's gay district in Shinjuku 2-chome.  It's  located in a 7-story building just around the corner and one block from the main gay ghetto intersection that's the famous Advocates Cafe, a street-side open bar. Inside 24-Kaikan (about $24 for a locker for 12 hours), there are 7 floors, 2F is the entrance and the floors for undressing and lockers, the third floor is a completely Wet Floor that includes a large Japanese style 'onsen' (hot springs) bath and showers, steam room, wet and dry saunas, and 4 more floors of group room where cruising and sex play go on 24/7, including about twenty private and double hotel-style rooms (which cost extra, of course).

The top three floors have hotels rooms from about $50 to $100 or so per night. Atop the seventh floor is a flat sundeck, partially hidden from the surrounding buildings along with a row of a partly enclosed shower room with 3 open showers side by side and a separate toilet.  Although complete nudity is forbidden on the roof because of possible neighbor's complaints, there can still be plenty to see

when guys lounge on the rooftop nearly naked. Invariably, if it's sunny and warm, there were be a small group of men who like showing off and seeing others who love showing. So I love to go to 24-Kaikan anytime of year, but especially when the weather is warm up to sunbathe and shower outdoors.

  Last Saturday was really a very erotic experience since there was a new guy on the premises. I am pretty sure he was a US Marine, probably on leave but possibly stationed in Tokyo (they are used at the US Embassy) or at the Marine base near Mt. Fuji. He as young, hunky, and tattooed. The auburn-headed jarhead had a nice dick - not huge by any means, and he had the boyish good looks of a young man rapidly becoming a stud.

  What was amazing about him that he was so open to sex and affection with most anyone. When I first saw him, he was on top of a bunkbed in the Bunk Room, where about 10 bunkbeds are lined up side by side, end first to the wall. He was engaged in sucking and kissing with several other Japanese guys. When he saw me standing at the end of the bed, he crawled over

and reached down to feel by erection, and tried to get me to get up into the bed. I declined because it seemed it was already sufficiently 'entertained'.

However, about 30 minutes later - after I had sunned myself on the top floor sun roof for a bit, I came back down to the 5th floor Group Room and found a couple fucking at the first floor mat near the door. I could only see the guy's ass of the one who was on top. Man, did it look delicious and so I leaned up behind his butt and took a good lick. The owner of that fine ass turned around to look and we recognized each other from earlier.  This time I could see his entire naked body and partly shaved head (no sides  - just having

left the top of his short straight auburn hair).  He seemed to enjoy by tongue on his ass and balls.. although the smooth young Japanese guy he was fucking didn't seem to appreciate having the 'older' white guy (me) horning in on his trophy dick.

Eventually, the young Japanese guy got off and get up, leaving Marine-boy open for this daddy's pleasure. We went at for I don't know how long, He'd apparently already cum - who knows how many times - so we didn't go for orgasm, and eventually he fell asleep with me sucking his armpits and stroking his now wilted cock. An hour or less later in the Play Room (with a sling and other

equipment) located in a small alcove on the same floor in the Shower Room , I was again plugging a guy's ass with my still hard dick along with another set of similar fuckers along side us. Guess who makes an appearance:  Jarhead Red, the Marine.  Yep, he smiled at me as I lunged back and forward into a middle-age Japanese businessman's ass, and then he did something I could only have imagined. He got up into the swing and although he didn't open his ass, I could only imagine that that act of submission was going to come.  This was just too much for my sorely (and sore) prolonged erection to withstand so I let loose inside the condom stretched over my engorged member that was buried deep in the ass.

Unfortunately, that signaled the end of my Saturday night reverie. When I left, I feel a foot grab my leg from behind. It was the Marine. I can only hope (and pray) that he'll be there again someday soon so that I'll have the chance to plow his gorgeous bubble butt or vice-versa.  Semper Fi.

Gettin' my rocks offs: plugging holes

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.