When Netflix announced earlier this year that the stars of ¡°Queer Eye¡± would be crossing the Pacific for a special season of their feel-good reality TV show, the excitement was hard to contain. After four seasons of watching the show¡¯s stars (the Fab Five) lift people (¡°heroes¡°) out of their respective ruts with life makeovers in the U.S., I was eager to see the quintet work its magic in Japan while exploring the streets of Tokyo. But my enthusiasm came with some reservations.
Recent Netflix shows such as ¡°Tidying Up with Marie Kondo¡± and ¡°Terrace House¡± have done wonders to bring Japanese sensibilities to international audiences, but I worried that the ¡°Queer Eye¡± stars, who proudly espouse Western ideas of self-expression, self-love and open communication, would clash with Japanese social norms. Now, having binged ¡°Queer Eye: We¡¯re in Japan!¡± I realize I needn¡¯t have worried.
The show sees model Kiko Mizuhara tag along with the stars as their Tokyo guide. Though her scenes of providing context are brief, her explanations help shine a light on the expectations and pressures of Japanese society. Take the first episode, ¡°Japanese Holiday.¡± The subject is Yoko Sakuma, a 57-year-old hospice nurse who has dedicated her entire life and home to taking care of others. Thanks to Mizuhara, the audience is taught the term ¡±onna o suteru,¡± which means to give up on being a woman. By learning that her situation is so prevalent there¡¯s a term for it, the Fab Five are able to help her while not pushing back against cultural norms.
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