Creative Work Journalism

Kat Joplin

Journalist - Author - Drag Queen

Bio
Kat Joplin is from San Diego, California.
A Tokyo-based writer. Their journalism has appeared on publications such as GAY TIMES, Tokyo Weekender, and The Japan Times, and their fiction and nonfiction in Beestung Mag, Tulip Wolf Journal, and The Examined Life Journal. They were a contributing author for the 2024 book Planet Drag.

Get in touch

Creative Publications

Tulip Wolf Magazine

March 2025

Tulip Wolf Magazine

“Broken Hearts and Botox”

personal essay

Read Here

The Ghost Project

October 2024

The Ghost Project

“I Won’t Be Gone”

fiction

Read Here

The Examined Life Journal

October 2024

The Examined Life Journal

“Super-Duper Hospital Patient”

nonfiction humor

Read Here

Bloodletter Magazine

September 2024

Bloodletter Magazine

“Bakeneko”

fiction

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The Wise Owl

June 2024

The Wise Owl

“Sinéady”

personal essay

The Japan Times

October 2022

The Japan Times

“Booked, Cooked, and Shook”

nonfiction humor

Read Here

Connect Magazine

November 2017

Connect Magazine

Ballerina Ballerino: Pirouetting my way through gender dysphoria

Personal Essay

Read Here

iō Literary Journal

iō Literary Journal

Gravid

Flash Fiction (forthcoming)

Beestung Mag

Beestung Mag

“I Know the Robin’s Brain”

fiction (forthcoming)

Journalism Publications

QueerAF Trans+ History Week

May 2025

QueerAF Trans+ History Week

“The courage of Aya Kamikawa, Japan’s first out Transgender Politician”

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The Japan Times

May 2025

The Japan Times

Kotomi Li: 'I refuse to choose death'

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No One Magazine

April 2025

No One Magazine

“A Night at the Nguyễn Huệ Kiki Ball 3”

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The Japan Times

February 2025

The Japan Times

When anime meets drag: The manga-inspired world of Rock M. Sakura

Read Here

The Japan Times

December 2024

The Japan Times

Make the Yuletide gay: Tokyo’s LGBTQ+ Christmas events

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The Japan Times

November 2024

The Japan Times

Thinning up top? Hair loss in Japan is not the end.

Read Here

Quarto Publishing UK

October 2024

Quarto Publishing UK

Planet Drag

Book, contributing author for Japan chapter

Read Here

The Japan Times

August 2024

The Japan Times

Japan’s nasty summer has left you with a nastier sunburn. Now what?

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Japan Cheapo

August 2024

Japan Cheapo

“All-Gender Hot Spring Guide”

Read Here

The Japan Times

July 2024

The Japan Times

'The Boyfriend' host Durian Lollobrigida puts a face to queer joy

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Parasols are an age-old solution to today’s crippling heat

July 2024

Parasols are an age-old solution to today’s crippling heat

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The Japan Times

July 2024

The Japan Times

How to make it as an English-language author in Japan

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The Japan Times

June 2024

The Japan Times

Retro barbers, executive facials: Pamper dad with a Tokyo spa day

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The Japan Times

June 2024

The Japan Times

K-beauty or J-beauty? The two 'are not so different these days.'

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The Japan Times

April 2024

The Japan Times

“A night of pride for Filipino kings and queens”

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GAY TIMES

March 2024

GAY TIMES

“Tokyo’s queer club scene is sweaty, messy and surrounding you at all sides”

Read Here

The Japan Times

February 2024

The Japan Times

A wrinkles-and-all guide to cosmetic surgery in Japan

Read Here

The Japan Times

February 2024

The Japan Times

You're free to be yourself at the Tokyo Kiki Lounge

Read Here

Tokyo Weekender

December 2023

Tokyo Weekender

Debut Novelist Clara Kumagai Talks Identity and Diversity

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The Japan Times

December 2023

The Japan Times

Politics and pageantry for Japan's LGBTQ community in 2023

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The Japan Times

December 2023

The Japan Times

The opulence of Manila Luzon

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The Japan Times

October 2023

The Japan Times

A 'Drag Race' tour brings inspiration and profits

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The Japan Times

September 2023

The Japan Times

How to avoid medical purgatory when hospitalized in Japan

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GAY TIMES

August 2023

GAY TIMES

“How Japan is raising its own legendary ballroom scene”

Read Here

Tokyo Weekender

June 2023

Tokyo Weekender

Drag in Tokyo: There’s a Village Behind Every Drag Performer

Read Here

The Japan Times

June 2023

The Japan Times

Opulence: Glitter, glitter and a lot of gold

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GAY TIMES

June 2023

GAY TIMES

“Drag domination: Japan’s drag scene is bursting at the seams”

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Tokyo Weekender

May 2023

Tokyo Weekender

Endigo: The First Japan-Based Drag Queen in the Ru Paul Franchise

Read Here

The Japan Times

May 2023

The Japan Times

Opulence: The international drag show that owns everything

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The Japan Times

April 2023

The Japan Times

Anger, joy and feelings of pride: Tokyo's biggest LGBTQ event returns in full form

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The Japan Times

April 2023

The Japan Times

We're coming out: Tokyo Rainbow Pride is back, back, back, back, back again

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The Japan Times

March 2023

The Japan Times

Japan’s first 'Drag Race' contestant hits the stage

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The Japan Times

November 2022

The Japan Times

Tokyo marks Transgender Awareness Week with march

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Tokyo Weekender

November 2022

Tokyo Weekender

“LGBTQ Discrimination in Japan’s English Teaching Industry”

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The Japan Times

October 2022

The Japan Times

Yamathoners once again take to the streets of Tokyo for charity

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Tokyo Weekender

September 2022

Tokyo Weekender

Sari Kaede: Building a Better World for Transgender People

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Tokyo Weekender

September 2022

Tokyo Weekender

“Sari Kaede: Building a Better World for Transgender People”

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Tokyo Weekender

August 2022

Tokyo Weekender

Arienai Demo: Grassroots Protests for Trans Rights in Japan

Read Here

Tokyo Weekender

June 2022

Tokyo Weekender

TW Queer Japan: Towards Gender Freedom in Japanese Language

Read Here

Tokyo Weekender

April 2022

Tokyo Weekender

TW Queer Japan: The Canadian Lumberjack Turned Dominatrix

Read Here

Tokyo Weekender

January 2022

Tokyo Weekender

TW Queer Japan: AFAB Drag Queen Excellence

Read Here

Tokyo Weekender

November 2021

Tokyo Weekender

TW Queer Japan: Labianna is the Mother of Safer Sex

Read Here

GLOBIS Insights

October 2021

GLOBIS Insights

7 Actions to Improve LGBTQIA+ Allyship in the Workplace

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Tokyo Weekender

September 2021

Tokyo Weekender

“Axel & Yoshi Talk About the World of Gay Porn”

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Tokyo Weekender

August 2021

Tokyo Weekender

TW Queer Japan: Blending Borders with Makeup Artist Pepe Paladini

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Tokyo Weekender

June 2021

Tokyo Weekender

TW Queer Japan: An Interview with the Vogue Artists of Japan

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Tokyo Weekender

April 2021

Tokyo Weekender

TW Queer Japan: LGBTQ Icons in Japan Today

Read Here

Tokyo Weekender

April 2021

Tokyo Weekender

TW Queer Japan: A Quick History of Japan's LGBTQ Icons

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Japan Today

December 2020

Japan Today

Tokyo's Club Kids: The avant-garde of gender-bending fashion and drag

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GaijinPot

September 2020

GaijinPot

Drag Shows You Can Watch Online from Japan

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GaijinPot

June 2020

GaijinPot

The Drag Queens of Tokyo: How I Became a Nonbinary Drag Performer in Japan

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Connect Magazine

April 2020

Connect Magazine

Tokyo is Burning: Falling in Love with Japan's Drag Scene

Read Here