Part 1 of my ballroom primer piece! A history of ballroom in Japan. Features the photos many friends and colleagues I've been privileged to meet in the scene, thanks also to the excellent photographers including (but not limited to) Rino Ninja, J. Elle Harris, Shen Wei Hung, and Christopher Sy.

Interview with Kosmic Sans, a beloved Tokyo drag queen, is now live on the Tulip Wolf Journal! @kosmicsans.bsky.social @tulip-wolf-journal.bsky.social

The first article in a new column I'm writing for Voyapon! A primer for people new to Shinjuku Ni-chōme and Tokyo's other gay neighborhoods, featuring quotations by Don Cortez and bartender Yuna Sun, tons of photos by Michael Judd. Excited to have the piece out! voyapon.com/ni-chome-shi...

New article up!!! Covering responsible dog ownership in Japan! Special thanks to my dog owner interviewees Spencer Walther, Ice Elloso, Reyna Marquez, and Atsushi Fukumori

HOMECOMING ✦ ISSUE 02 ✦ “In that sweaty, glowing night, I learned what it is to be Vietnamese and queer.” An essay about visiting Saigon as a queer Vietnamese-American to attend the Nguyễn Huệ Kiki Ball 3 noonemag.com/products/iss...

Had an in-depth interview with dual-voiced opera diva, Maria Seiren! From her working combining Japanese Noh theater with Western opera, pop, and disco, to her victory in Japan's Got Talent 2023, Seiren has been shaking up the music world and pulling more interest to traditional arts. #opera

@gcnmag.bsky.social was kind enough to run my article on Hong Konger trans man and activist Henry Tse, with supporting interviews by Bella Vongvisitsin and Way Lam. We discussed how the legal gender marker change and reformed ID policies will impact trans lives. #transrights #hongkong

Let's go!!!!! www.gofundme.com/f/rianas-tra...

Pawned summers & Billy Idol. Grooves pressed to vinyl & coconut rum. Tiger eyes & boys who smell like bonfires. A knowing smirk wrapped around a cigarette. beestung #23 is here! www.beestungmag.com

On Saturday, I had the honor of receiving the title Princess of Mizrahi’s Japan chapter. Koppi has always believed in me, inviting me to join in November 2022. I don’t always feel deserving to be in a great ballroom house like Mizrahi, but being embraced by the house has meant the world to me.

“The money shot” 🏔️

Hakone Open Air Museum 🤓

Said farewell to Krista and her family in Nagoya! We spent the last few days hanging out in Tokyo and visiting Mt. Fuji’s scenic locales, Ghibli Park, and a Nagoya Pride drag show. It was wonderful to introduce old, dear friends to the folks who make up my circle in Japan, drag & ballroom 🥹

🏳️‍⚧️ "Aya Kamikawa is the first out transgender politician in Japan, she is making history - right now." For @transhistoryweek.com and @wearequeeraf.com, @katjoplin.bsky.social writes one of seven history articles released this week.

For people wanting to support author Li Kotomi, her friends and followers have also set up this website with up-to-date information on her court battles, as well as information on how to donate! supportlikotomi.studio.site/donation

Very honored to have had the chance to interview Akutagawa Prize-winning author Li Kotomi. One of the world’s rising voices in queer literature. She is fighting back against a TERF backlash, together with her supporters and community, showing to the world the forms LGBTQ resilience can take.

5/ 🗓 May 8th: @katjoplin.bsky.social & @isabel.li www.wearequeeraf.com/transhistory...

My personal essay on grief, cosmetic enhancement, and the Tokyo drag scene is live. Volume 1 of Tulip Wolf Journal; thank you for the publication! #tokyo #dragqueen #personalessay www.tulipwolfjournal.com/post/broken-...

Interview and article with Drag Race season 12 queen Rock M. Sakura came out! Since Rock and her colleague Cash Monet were in Tokyo, we discussed the strong overlap between Japanese pop culture and the queer ex-pat community. #dragrace #tokyo #japan #dragqueen www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...

I remember when this book trailer (and then the book itself) came out in my freshman year of uni. The impact it had on me and my desire to be a writer, I can't even begin to say.

A reminder that fiction — books, film, games, what have you — is always political. The willful absence of “politics” in any work is itself a political choice and a political act. Who gets to tell (and sell) stories is political. It might be an undercurrent — covert, not overt. But it’s there.

**UPDATE ON THE URGENT MUTUAL AID REQUEST**

Casket of Horrors 第18回 Feb 15, 2025 OPEN 19:00 / START 20:00 Peatix Pre-sale: ￥3500 (w/ 1 drink) Door: ￥4500 (w/o drink) HAUS // NATTMARA, Julia Your Make Up is TERRIBLE, Stefani St. Sl*t, Angel Heart, Moche le Cendrillon GUEST // Kosmic Sans, Kaguya, Lethal Pixie, Japam MUSIC // DJ Ohshi

Alex said, "Do you know the Bjork 'Hunter' music video?" And I said, "I got you bro." Video by Alejandro Sierra (IG genkiserb) #dragqueen #costume #alien #photoshoot #inspiredbyhungry #tokyodrag

Video by Alejandro Sierra (IG genkiserb) Headdress by Stefani Versace Mizrahi #dragqueen #costume #alien #photoshoot #inspiredbyhungry #tokyodrag

Photoshoot I did with the great Alejandro Sierra (IG genkiserb)! Headdress by my sister Stefani Versace Mizrahi. #dragqueen #costume #alien #photoshoot #inspiredbyhungry #tokyodrag