For a few hours on Aug. 31, Odaiba served as Tokyo¡¯s LGBTQ mecca.
That¡¯s when the 2023 Werq the World tour ¡ª a massive affair occupying Tokyo Garden Theater, a venue with a capacity of nearly 7,000 people ¡ª rolled into town. The official post-show vehicle for the drag queens of television¡¯s ¡°RuPaul¡¯s Drag Race,¡± it was the first Werq the World to come to Japan since the COVID-19 pandemic ¡ª and excitement was all around.
Attendees had arrived well ahead of the start time, and it isn¡¯t hard to spot them in their brightly colored outfits and extravagant makeup. The line to get in is a veritable who¡¯s who of Ni-chome regulars ¡ª Ni-chome being Tokyo¡¯s traditional gay village in Shinjuku Ward. Bartenders from the neighborhood have been recruited to serve drinks to the talent backstage, and out-of-towners make small talk with local drag performers out front.
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