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Drag fun a go-go at gay bar Village, Osaka.Just five minutes or so a walk from Osaka or Umeda Stations lies Doyama, arguably the biggest gay center in western Japan. While Doyama is not exclusively gay ? some of the multi-floor, beehive-like buildings have both straight and gay small bars ? suffice to say that it is gay enough that you can?t miss it. There?s something for everyone?s tastes here, be it a laid back bar, karaoke, a bustling lounge, or a full on club. And then there?s Village.

Athletic fun a-gogo at gay bar "Village," Doyamacho, Osaka, Japan.Village is, by Japanese standards, a cavernous space, clearly capable of handling at least a hundred revelers. One part of the place has tables and places for easy conversation, but the real action is at the bar. With two lengths of bar joined at a right angle, it?s a big, bustling center of conversation. However, the real big and bustling sight to see lies behind the bar, up on stage. It is here where, on Saturday nights, a raucous, no holds barred, cross dressing celebration of life gets underway.
Pinks and purples a-gogo at Village, Doyamacho, Osaka.If you?ve been to ?lady boy? bars in Thailand, reset your expectations, because Village is nothing like that. For starters, there?s no sudden crotch flashes or the like, which is sure to put certain, perhaps less gay, visitors at ease. Instead, it?s part comedy, part dance, and a lot of camp. It?s just plain fun, if not 100% clean fun. Let?s call i...