Kat Joplin is a Vietnamese American writer, journalist, and educator based in Tokyo, Japan. Their work explores queer sexuality and gender, as well as themes of foreignness and belonging. They have written articles for platforms such as Gay Times, Tokyo Weekender, and The Japan Times; have published creative pieces with The Wise Owl, Bloodletter Magazine, and The Examined Life Journal; and are contributing author to the upcoming book Planet Drag.

As a drag queen, they can be found performing throughout Japan under the stage name Le Horla.

Beth Reiber is the long-time author of Frommer’s Japan, beginning with its first edition in the 1980s and continuing through more than ten subsequent editions. Her articles on travel in Japan have also appeared on the BBC, CNN, USA Today 10Best, and Tripadvisor, among many other magazines and platforms.

Dr. Seiji Susaki is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography at Rissho University, whose research subjects include the geography of LGBT people in gay districts and the continuance of gay districts, especially Shinjuku Ni-chōme.

Evan E. Lambert is a journalist, travel writer, essayist, and short fiction writer with bylines at Thought Catalog, Business Insider, Mic, People, Queerty, BuzzFeed, Going, The Discoverer, and many more. You can check out his other work at https://evanlambert.journoportfolio.com/.