MICE News
News
2025.06.03
We're painting Osaka rainbow for Pride!
Osaka Celebrates Pride 2025!
Every year, the month of June is increasingly recognized internationally as Pride Month, originating from the Stonewall Riots in New York in June 1969.
While celebrating the diverse identities among the LGBTQ+ individuals, Pride Month sees parades and events around the world that also bring recognition to the need for equal rights and support for the LGBTQ+ community. Pride Month has recently gained momentum among Japanese companies and organizations as well.
The Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau (OCTB) proudly leads these efforts, being Japan’s first tourism office to launch a Pride campaign and has spearheaded initiatives in LGBTQ+ travel since 2018. This commitment was further cemented when Osaka hosted Asia's first-ever IGLTA (International LGBTQ+ Travel Association) Global Convention in 2024, the most globally diverse in IGLTA's 41-year history, drawing 575 attendees from 51 countries and regions. This year, the OCTB continues to celebrate Pride by supporting numerous Osaka organizations dedicated to recognizing and uplifting LGBTQ+ individuals, working together towards an even more inclusive Osaka.
What:
The OCTB strives to make Osaka a more welcoming destination for all travelers and recognizes the importance of Pride Month as an opportunity to raise understanding and recognition for the LGBTQ+ community. By working to create a more welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ travelers, the OCTB aims to make Osaka into Asia’s number one LGBTQ+-friendly city.
How:
This year for Pride, the OCTB has gathered information on Pride events and campaigns from organizations across Osaka. It is our goal to bring even more global attention to Osaka’s diversity and let the world know just how LGBTQ+-friendly Osaka is.
2025 Pride Campaign Participating Partners
(in alphabetical order)
Events and Special Offers
Aloft Osaka Dojima
Hilton Osaka
Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu
Nijiiro Diversity
Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko
Swissôtel Nankai Osaka
W Osaka
Recognition and Support
Amami Onsen Nanten-en
ATC Hall
Best Western Hotel Fino Osaka Shinsaibashi
Duck Tours Osaka
Grand Cube Osaka (Osaka International Convention Center)
Izumisano City
Japan Association of Private Accommodations
Ninja-Do
Onyou Co., Ltd.
THE OSAKA STATION HOTEL, Autograph Collection
Sumo Restaurant Ochiizumibeya
Events and Special Offers
The below partners have special events and items available only during Pride Month!
Aloft Osaka Dojima
This June, Aloft Osaka Dojima celebrates Pride Month with "THE GREY GOOSE SHINY BOMB," a special limited-edition cocktail. As part of their "Shine with Pride" initiative, this vibrant drink symbolizes the hotel's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the LGBTQ+ community, inviting guests to toast to authenticity and love.
Hilton Osaka
From June 9 to June 13, Hilton Osaka will offer rainbow-themed beverages and sweets. The lobby will display a rainbow flag to highlight its IGLTA-certification, and front desk staff will wear Hilton’s original rainbow pins. The hotel is also conducting internal seminars to enhance team members' awareness of LGBTQ+ topics and improve guest hospitality.
Osaka Excel Hotel Tokyu
Commemorating Pride Month, BAR & LOUNGE "MIDO" on the 16th floor will offer a limited-time rainbow-inspired cocktail named “Be Yourself” from June 1 to June 30, 2025. The hotel will also feature rainbow-colored decorations to promote understanding and support for the LGBTQ+ community. A portion of the proceeds from this cocktail will be donated to Nijiiro Diversity, operator of the Pride Center Osaka and a certified non-profit organization dedicated to advancing and supporting LGBTQ+ rights.
Nijiiro Diversity
Nijiiro Diversity will be hosting a two-part lecture series, the Nijiiro Changemaker Seminar, over two consecutive months at the Nakanoshima Library. The first session on June 26 will feature a talk from Maki Muraki, who has conducted diversity training at various companies for over ten years, about why workplaces that value diversity are essential. Nijiiro Diversity also runs Pride Center Osaka in the Temmabashi area. See the Pride Center website for a full list of events.
Sakai Plaza of Rikyu and Akiko
On June 22, this cultural and sightseeing center will host a fashion and talk show in collaboration with Kansai ALLYMO, exploring diversity and authentic living by blending the spirits of Sen no Rikyu and Akiko Yosano through both LGBTQ+ and ally models. From June 11 to June 22, the tea ceremony room will also offer special rainbow-colored, hydrangea-themed sweets, and rainbow flags will be prominently displayed at entrances and information counters.
Swissôtel Nankai Osaka
Celebrate Pride Month at NAMBAR10, the hotel’s retro bar on the 10th floor, with "Love Wins"—a limited-edition, Japanese-inspired cocktail featuring SAKURAO GIN and other unique ingredients. Swissôtel Nankai Osaka, Asia’s first IGLTA-accredited hotel, also champions inclusive weddings on its dedicated wedding floor, offering tailored experiences for LGBTQ+ couples with experienced wedding specialists, ensuring a safe and welcoming environment where every love is celebrated.
W Osaka
On June 18, 2025, luxury lifestyle hotel W Osaka will host a joint event with Aloft Osaka Dojima to provide a space for associates to reflect on Marriott’s core value of 'integrity,' while embracing the importance of staying true to oneself. This session will focus on turning awareness into action and living 'integrity' in action. Guest speaker Hiraku Morilla, Program Marketing Director of the Nakamura Keith Haring Museum, will contribute personal insights in this fourth LGBTQ+ initiative with W Osaka, followed by a Q&A. Throughout the month of June, one of W Osaka’s iconic features, Arrival Tunnel, will be illuminated in rainbow colors in celebration.
Recognition and Support
The below partners have openly declared support for the LGBTQ+ community!
Amami Onsen Nanten-en
Traditional Japanese inn and onsen Amami Onsen Nanten-en openly supports Pride Month and has placed a Pride flag at their front desk for all travelers to feel welcome.
ATC Hall
To support the OCTB’s LGBTQ+ tourism initiatives, ATC Hall, a major event center in the Osaka Bay Area, is continuously showing the "Visit Gay Osaka" promotional video on monitors inside the venue throughout June. The video features two different couples enjoying Osaka’s tourist attractions.
Take a look at our LGBTQ+ travel promo video here!
Best Western Hotel Fino Osaka Shinsaibashi
Best Western Hotel Fino Osaka Shinsaibashi is displaying dedicated flags and banners in their front lobby, at the counter, and on each guest room floor. The hotel has also committed to promoting understanding and empathy among guests and business partners, providing training for staff, and installing gender-neutral restrooms.
Duck Tours Osaka
Osaka’s amphibious cruise company Duck Tours is sporting their Pride-themed logo throughout the month of June. The logo is prominent on their printed tickets as well as information flyer, which has been updated specially for Pride Month.
Grand Cube Osaka (Osaka International Convention Center)
Located on Nakanoshima island, in the heart of Osaka, this conference facility has placed rainbow flags and LGBTQ+- promotional signage inside the building for any meeting and event attendee to feel welcome.
Izumisano City
As the air gateway to western Japan and home to Kansai International Airport, Izumisano City demonstrates its LGBTQ+-welcoming stance by displaying rainbow flags in its two major tourist information centers, ensuring all travelers feel welcome upon arrival in Osaka.
Japan Association of Private Accommodations
For Pride Month, JAPA, an organization regulating and promoting minpaku (private accommodations), is using their rainbow logo on their website and has called upon guesthouses all over Japan to display messages of welcoming for all travelers on their websites.
Ninja-Do
Ninja experience and entertainment hall Ninja-Do, showing the “Ninja Prince” show until October 2025, will put rainbow flags at the entrance of their restaurant throughout the month of June.
Onyou Co., Ltd.
A promotional center for traditional Japanese culture, Onyou openly supports Pride Month. They aim to make kimono accessible for modern styling with a gender-neutral approach, encouraging everyone to freely enjoy a kimono experience.
THE OSAKA STATION HOTEL, Autograph Collection
This hotel is dedicated to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment where every guest and staff member feels respected, valued, and free to be themselves. To visibly express this commitment and warmly welcome guests from around the world, rainbow-colored decorations are featured at "WATER STATION" in the lobby on the 29th floor.
Sumo Restaurant Ochiizumibeya
Located just a 3-min walk from Rinku Town Station in Izumisano, this restaurant offers ultimate sumo entertainment while feasting on Japanese cuisine. To show travelers that Izumisano is an LGBTQ+ friendly city, they have displayed rainbow flags inside the restaurant.
