A Talk with Kodo Nishimura & Kan

Kodo Nishimura, international make-up artist, Buddhist monk and LGBTQIA+ activist, rose to stardom after appearing in the Queer Eye: We’re in Japan! special that aired to massive viewership on Netflix. His wide smile, however, hid a painful past. Born into a family of priests and growing up an outsider in a society that celebrates uniformity, Kodo’s time in New York at the Parsons School of Design and his work as a leading make-up artist finally brought him to embrace his own uniqueness.

Recently named a TIME Magazine Next Generation Leader, Kodo has shared his journey to self-acceptance and love globally, speaking at the United Nations Population Fund Headquarters in NYC, Microsoft, Facebook, L’Oreal Paris, P&G, and numerous universities. Now he is bringing his inspiring journey to self-love and self-definition to Pantechnicon.

While there has been a proliferation of positive LGBTQIA+ representations in western media in recent years, eastern media has been slow to follow suit. In this intimate chat and reunion with Queer Eye: We're in Japan! hero Kan (@kanyonce), Kodo and Kan will share how they are working to convince the older generations and LGBTQIA+ youth in Japan, as well as people around the world, to accept that it’s okay to be YOU–whomever you are!

This event is part of a series at Pantechnicon with Kodo Nishimura visiting from Tokyo to celebrate the launch of his book This Monk Wears Heels.

Tickets: £25, including a copy of the book. £1 from every ticket sold will be donated to Pride in London.

About Kodo Nishimura

Celebrity make-up artist and ordained Buddhist monk, Kodo Nishimura rose to fame following his appearance in Netflix series Queer Eye: We're in Japan. Recently named a TIME Magazine Next Generation Leader, Kodo has shared his journey to self-acceptance and love globally, speaking at the United Nations Population Fund Headquarters in NYC, Microsoft, Facebook, L’Oreal Paris, P&G, and numerous universities.

About Kan

Kan appeared on Netflix Queer Eye: We’re in Japan! Ep. 2 as a hero in 2019. He studied gender and sexuality at graduate school in the UK. He considers himself a queer person and an activist for people in his community, and he actively talks on social media, organizes speeches, and gives lectures about sexuality and being your true self at companies and schools. He moved to the UK in July 2021, got married, and currently lives in London with his husband, Tom.