Help us counter LGBTQ+ discrimination in Japan

We would like to give you a report about our event, Pride Cruise Osaka 2024, held on May 25, 2024!

Pride Cruise Osaka 2024 used “Nijiiro sagashini, hona ikoka (Let’s go find rainbows)” as a slogan and held this event to celebrate the two year anniversary of Pride Center Osaka, which is the only permanent LGBTQ center in Osaka, and also to show its presence to the neighbourhood. This year’s Pride Cruise Osaka was the third time this event has been held, following last year and the previous year’s events.  

This event was supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Japan, in cooperation with Osaka Aqua Bus LTD. and Ipponmatsu Shipping Co Ltd. The event was also supported by Osaka prefecture, Osaka city, and the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau.

The day of the event was sunny and a perfect day for a cruise! The event began under a blue sky with the sun shining brightly.

At the event venue, in addition to distributing flyers on LGBTQ issues, an original photo frame in collaboration with the popular comic “Heartstopper,” a PR booth for the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025, and a PR booth for the Embassy of the Netherlands in Japan were all set up.

The main program started at 14.00 at the Kawanoeki Hachiken-ya venue. First, we introduced the progress and future vision of Pride Center Osaka, and then we listened to comments from guest speakers. This year, we were honored to have a special guest, author/translator Li Qinfeng, who gave us a speech!

We received short speeches from other LGBTQ organizations, including QWRC (Queer & Women’s Resource Center) who manage the open space and consultation service at the Pride Center.

We broadcast message videos from the companies supporting the Pride Center Osaka and also heard short speeches from the companies in attendance.

Then it was time to set sail on the cruise ships!

We sailed three cruise ships this year. With many kinds of rainbow flags and message boards, the cruise ships departed from the Hachiken-ya riverbank. The ships headed in the direction of Osaka Castle, turned around at Osaka Castle Port, and sailed for approximately 50 min. Only sponsoring companies, related organizations, and those who won tickets in the pre-event raffle were accepted as passengers, but the other participants cheered from the riverbank with rainbow flags!      

While the cruise ships were sailing, the short film “Veils” was screened at the venue, Kawano-eki Hachiken-ya.

After the cruise ships returned to port, we held the last leg of events. We had a quiz competition hosted by student interns. The 8 quiz questions were about Pride Center Osaka, LGBTQ issues, the event venue, the history of Hachiken-ya riverbank, and topics related to the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Many people attended the event and it was a great success! Everyone guessed the correct answers one after another, and a rock-paper-scissors battle ensued for the gorgeous prizes.

We also highly appreciate the support of companies, embassies, and consulates in providing wonderful prizes.

Lastly, Maki Muraki, the Director of Nijiiro Diversity, gave concluding remarks. Special guest, Li Qinfeng also shared impressions of today’s event and a powerful message. We finished the event with a rallying cry of “Nijiiro sagashini, hona ikoka!” by all of the participants and staff at the venue. The recording of this was broadcast on “Eenchau Radio” and released on June 2nd, so please check it out too! 

https://pridecenter.jp/info-station/

Here are some comments made by the participants.

“Lee’s speech was very moving.”

“The ship’s pride parade was fresh and fun!”

We had 320 participants in total and 120 passengers on the cruise ships at Pride Cruise Osaka 2024. Thank you very much for your participation and outstanding support for this event.

We would like to host an even larger event next year, so we would be grateful if you could keep supporting and cooperating with us!