Japan trans woman, 64, enjoys slow-paced life with lover, 86, wears princess dresses on dates
Sex reassignment surgery recipient who faces problems using women’s facilities because of her size says she wants to slim down, wear miniskirts
A 64-year-old trans woman in eastern Japan is embracing a quiet, slow-burn romance with a boyfriend 22 years her senior, often showing up to dates in princess dresses.
Kuboyama, a retired information technology (IT) engineer from Kawasaki City who also goes by the name Catherine, was once known for her handsome looks and high-paying job before the sex reassignment surgery, TV Tokyo reported.
She says she was drawn to women’s clothes and make-up from childhood and felt little interest in conventional romance as an adult, dating only one woman.
Kuboyama said that decades ago, men who said they wanted to live as women were ridiculed, so she often faced suspicious and judgmental stares.
She was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in her 40s and underwent sex reassignment surgery seven years ago.
After the surgery, Kuboyama leaned into a bold Western-inspired aesthetic and a princess lifestyle.
When she was slimmer, she would wear pale-coloured contact lenses, style a blonde wig, do dramatic make-up and head to a studio for glamorous photo shoots.