I just discovered this article in the Japanese press. It’s the strangest reason for MtF surgery that I’ve yet heard. The book is by a reputable publisher, but the article about it is from one of the tabloid weeklies and about as respectable as the Weekly World News:

Heard about the guy who had a sex-change

after his girlfriend said she's a lesbian?

The Mainichi Daily News (Tokyo)

August 22, 2006

Japan is smitten, Cyzo (September, 2006 issue) says, by the story of a man who underwent the samurai chop, so to speak, just because his girlfriend started to swing in the opposite direction.

"Harukarin Blog," the hot bestseller, tells the supposedly true story of Harukarin Nakagawa, a 23-year-old who claims to have undergone a sex change operation that made him a woman because his girlfriend of several years decided she was a lesbian and would prefer he was female.

"Harukarin Blog" is comprised mainly of excerpts taken from Nakagawa's blog entries detailing her transformation from man to woman and has sold steadily since it hit bookstore shelves in May.

"Our love was truly a matter of life or death. I truly believe I can overcome any fate to be with the woman I love so much," Cyzo quotes Harukarin saying in the preface to her story.

But, though "Harukarin Blog" has attracted a fairly large fan base, it's also been slammed by Japan's online community, which says the story is too good to be true.

"The whole story of a guy's girlfriend of five years telling him she's a lesbian and asking him to become a woman is just ridiculous," one online critic says.

Nakagawa claims in the blog that breasts started to bud soon after starting the female hormone injections, a point that fueled another "Harukarin Blog" naysayer's opposition. "It's medically impossible to develop a bust as fast as the writer claims," the skeptic said.

"Densha Otoko (Train Man)," another blog turned into a bestselling book, movie and TV series, was a huge talking point a couple of years ago. But, like "Harukarin Blog," also came under claims that it was made up even though its publishers said its tale of a geek winning the heart of a pretty woman by following the advice of a supportive online community was a true story.

Outcry has forced the publishers of "Harukarin Blog," Ameba Books, to change its original title of "Seitenkan Dokyumentari Blog (Sex Change Documentary Blog," as well as prompting the addition of a disclaimer saying that it is a "novelization of the blog with additions, revisions and creations added."

Ameba Books, however, insists that "Harukarin Blog" is above board.

"Personally, I'm still of the belief that this is a work of non-fiction," Ameba's Kenichi Yamakawa tells Cyzo. "I've heard Harukarin having phone conversations with our editors on numerous occasions. However, because there's no way we can confirm what's been written in the blog actually happened, the company made the decision to refer to the book as a 'creative work.' "

But Yamakawa adds that all arguments about the book's accuracy are irrelevant, just as similar doubts about the veracity of "Densha Otoko" did little to stunt its phenomenal success.

"I don't really think it matters diddly squat whether the book's factual or it's creative," Yamakawa tells Cyzo. "What's most important is that it's a high quality piece of modern literature." (By Ryann Connell)

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/culture/waiwai/a ... 3000c.html

Dear Jesus,

Thanks for posting this article, but it posses a few questions that were not mentioned.

Not knowing much about the culture of Japan I'm going to have to rely on your vast knowledge. Do they practice or follow the same standards of care, being those of Dr. Harry Benjamin, as they do here in the United States?

For if they do, it seems almost impossible for this individual to have this type of surgery based on the reasons stated.

Secondly, the fact that his girl friend came out as being a lesbian seems like a very poor reason for such a life alerting procedure.

It makes we wonder if this person will really be happy with his now drastically physically altered anonymity considering he is a man.

To me, it somehow seems to make mockery of the efforts we true transsexual go through to become the people we really are inside.

Just my thoughts, whatever they're worth.

I heard of a story in the U.S. (though it may be an urban legend) about a couple that were in their 40's or 50's and the wife decided she was a lesbian and so the husband decided to have a sex change so they could still be together. He went through the reassignment surgery but the wife not long afterwards suddenly decided she wasn't a lesbian after all...

EricaAnn (imported) wrote: Fri Apr 25, 2008 4:10 pm Thanks for posting this article, but it posses a few questions that were not mentioned.

Japan is definitely a different world. While the (very few) centers offering full SRS do adhere to the Benjamin Standards – at least as far as I can tell – very few individuals seem to go that route.

Transvestites and transsexuals have a very different role to play in Japanese society. While most do end up in the sex trade, there are some who are popular entertainers (some promininent on TV), as well as one MtF politician who serves in the national Diet and others serving as local level politicians. There is even one noted company president who is MtF and very public about it.

From what I can tell (and I need to get back to Japan to do some interviews to confirm it), the majority of Japanese MtFs are satisfied to simply become “not-male.” An orchiectomy is sufficient for them to feel comfortable in their bodies and to present publicly as female.

Somewhere in my files, I have a journalistic account of one young person who managed to find a surgeon to perform an orchiectomy when she was still 16, with no counseling or psychiatric work-up. She did not need her parents’ consent and did not even inform them in advance, though she was well below the legal age of consent. The surgeon was able to get reimbursement for the castration from the National Health Insurance. At 18, she was looking forward to a penectomy and felt that would be sufficient for her transition.

I remember watching part of the “Fourth Annual Transvestite and Transsexual Team Contest” on national television while I was teaching in Japan. One of the commentators (biological female, I think) remarked that one of the participants in a relay race was running much faster this year “since she lost those weights between her legs.” I can’t imagine that at prime time on American TV.

joanne-f (imported) wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2008 7:23 am I heard of a story in the U.S. (though it may be an urban legend) about a couple that were in their 40's or 50's and the wife decided she was a lesbian and so the husband decided to have a sex change so they could still be together. He went through the reassignment surgery but the wife not long afterwards suddenly decided she wasn't a lesbian after all...

I'm sure its some sign of serious illness that I laughed when I read this. I wonder what the husbands reaction was? Whoops!? Can we have a do over? Or just an AW SHIT!!!

Perhaps the problem was that the wife really was a lesbian and was being honest but just not interested in the husband?

Perhaps the husband really is a trans gendered person and was happy to have and excuse transisition.

Lindaleah

lindaleah (imported) wrote: Sun Apr 27, 2008 2:37 am Perhaps the husband really is a trans gendered person and was happy to have and excuse transisition.

Lindaleah

Men into Lesbian Porn is not unusual... Its possible he thought of it as a more fetish/sexual thing? And the wife probably thought "ok, your still a GUY inside just one with female parts..." *unlike a TS person btw....

JesusA (imported) wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:28 am From what I can tell (and I need to get back to Japan to do some interviews to confirm it), the majority of Japanese MtFs are satisfied to simply become “not-male.” An orchiectomy is sufficient for them to feel comfortable in their bodies and to present publicly as female.

Somewhere in my files, I have a journalistic account of one young person who managed to find a surgeon to perform an orchiectomy when she was still 16, with no counseling or psychiatric work-up. She did not need her parents’ consent and did not even inform them in advance, though she was well below the legal age of consent. The surgeon was able to get reimbursement for the castration from the National Health Insurance. At 18, she was looking forward to a penectomy and felt that would be sufficient for her transition.

Sorry for digging up an old thread but this really caught my eye. Ok, I'm not Japanese, but I do hail from Asia. I'm a MtF transsexual who's been living full time for almost 4 years now, and I feel perfectly comfortable in my own body, as a result I don't feel SRS is a must for me. I do desire penectomy, but my reasons for wanting one is because I've always wanted one, and is not linked to my transsexualism. I feel secure in my own feminity with or without a penis.

If I can be trans and be comfortable with my own body then I'm sure there are others too. I know a fellow TS-gal who lives in the states and altho she's had an orchi she doesnt plan on having SRS, and doesnt mind keeping her penis because she also feels, like me, that having a penis doesn't make us "not girls". So yes I think its entirely possible that lots of people, whether in Japan or not, make do with some surgery or even none for their transition.

I like the culture of Japan - and I think it's an honorable thing he did - and I hope they are together forever.....if not then he/she may have issues with that......

One should do SRS because they are a female, not for someone else.

But it's still pretty cool that he did it for her...

Tclosetgirl (imported) wrote: Mon May 26, 2008 8:55 am I like the culture of Japan - and I think it's an honorable thing he did - and I hope they are together forever.....if not then he/she may have issues with that......

One should do SRS because they are a female, not for someone else.

But it's still pretty cool that he did it for her...

It is cool!