G-Men
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G-Men cover
The cover of the March 2004 issue
G-Men (ジーメン) is a monthly Japanese magazine for gay men.
Gay magazines in Japan, along with much gay culture, are segregated by "type"; most are aimed at an audience with specific interests. G-Men usually has approximately 300-500 pages, including several pages of glossy colour and some black and white photographs and drawings of hairy, sometimes bearded, muscular men in their 20s and 30s (these photographs are censored in accordance with Japan's rules; while they feature explicit depictions of sex, genitals -- and most pubic hair -- are obscured). The photographs sometimes feature traditional themes, such as fundoshi, traditional Japanese loincloths. Despite the inclusion of pornographic pictures and stories, however, G-Men is not considered a pornographic magazine.
G-Men has fewer general articles than other magazines such as Barazoku and more short fiction and serialized stories. Each month there are community listings, several different stories -- often pornographic -- and several in comic form as well, and advertisements from gay-related and gay-friendly businesses such as spas, clubs and hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants, host bars (hustler bars), brothels, and so forth.
Readers can also place personal ads free of charge, and each month there are several pages of these, most from men in search of romantic attachments, friends or sex partners. Such ads have long been a popular way for gay men to meet each other in Japan, though text messaging and the internet are probably more popular now.
The magazine is printed in Japanese only, and currently sells for ¥1400.
External link
- G-Men homepage ( 日本語 and English)