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We sent one of our Japanese reporters, “Rei-chan,” to the “RAAR’s Night” crossplaying event in Shinjuku. Here’s his story.

“RAAR’s Night” isn’t exactly an eye-catching title for one of the biggest crossplaying events in Tokyo, featuring dozens of men in effeminate cosplay attire, but you’d be missing out if you gave the event a pass on name alone.

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Our very own Go Hattori (heretofore “Rei-chan”), fresh off his crossdressing makeover at RAAR Salon in Shinjuku and craving some Halloween action, decided to attend the event while still in his feminine garb on the weekend of October 22. Rei-chan reported that, while feeling confident in her feminine appeal before attending the event, she was stricken by the sheer volume of beautifully dressed dudes at RAAR’s Night and quickly lost her conviction in her otherwise stunning attire.

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In fact, RAAR’s Night proved to be one of the greatest gatherings of immaculately dressed crossplayers in all of Japan. Viewing Rei-chan’s photos of the event, it’s clear a lot of attendees put a huge amount of love and care into their costumes, and it definitely shows. If the ideal for a crossplayer is to look as much like a real woman (or man, in other cases) as possible, most of the RAAR’s Night contestants crossed that line and then some.

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Yeah, we said “contestants,” because, of course, the night culminated in a runway contest that it seems our ill-fated Rei-chan had no possible chance of winning, despite a quick pregame tequila shot on the streets of Shinjuku to psych herself up for the proceedings.

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Sure, we feel bad for Rei-chan, who visibly resembles a late 30-something guy despite RAAR Salon’s best efforts, but she says she had a great time anyway at RAAR’s Night.

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The annual RAAR’s Night also features singing, dancing, general mingling and all manner of Halloween fun, so if you’re interested in checking it out next year, you can find details here.

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Also, if you want to check out Japan’s crossplay culture any time of year, you can head over to Girl’s Club in Shinjuku, which we’ve covered before and is open to first-timers all year round.

Images: RocketNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]