raiki yamamoto

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Raiki Yamamoto, sister inside, 2023

MUSE

portrait

by CHIKASHI SUZUKI

 

Raiki Yamamoto, a model and artist born in 2006, is the subject of a book by Takashi Homma (published by Dashwood Books, 2023). She incarnates the growing queer culture in Tokyo.

 

PURPLE — What is something unique to Japan?

RAIKI YAMAMOTO — There’s a natural acceptance — a tendency to go with the flow instead of resisting it. I only realized how unique this mindset was after I left Japan.

PURPLE — Is there still an underground scene in Tokyo?

RAIKI YAMAMOTO — Yes, but it’s no longer a larger, unified movement. It’s more fragmented, with different groups existing independently, sometimes acting as separate communities with little connection to one another.

PURPLE — Why does queer culture in Japan appear small or hidden?

RAIKI YAMAMOTO — Japanese cultural products often feature unique fetishes and…