Customers here, especially regulars, don't order single drinks, but buy a whole bottle and have it kept for them at the bar.
There is a lot of them: For every shot bar, it's safe to say there are at least eight gay bars. The second category is Japanese-style gay bars. For non-Japanese speakers, you can find general information on these linked pages at TimeOut and Japan Visitor, while Travel Gay Asia offers more tips about Osaka’s bars here, and Sapporo’s scene here. So, what to do? Allow us to offer some help! GClick and the LGBT Town Guide blog are good Japanese sources for finding gay and lesbian venues. The non-descriptiveness of the neon signs hanging outside the venues’ buildings certainly helps protect the anonymity and privacy of the clientele, but the uniformity of the lively colors and catchy fonts doesn't make it any easier to distinguish a LGBT bar from a regular sunakku baa (snack bar, a Japanese-style bar catering to non-LGBT customers).
On the other hand, some bars aren't on any guide, and often the only way to get to know about them is by word of mouth. Many are listed on printed guides and websites, or advertised in LGBT magazines-although these sources are mostly in Japanese, and printed material doesn't circulate outside “gay towns.” Finding gay bars (and LGBT venues in general) can be challenging, but not impossible.
