Tobita Shinchi
Tobita Shinchi | |
---|---|
Native name Japanese: | |
Type | Brothel area |
Location | Nishinari-ku, Osaka |
Coordinates | 34°38′39.57″N 135°30′19.60″E / 34.6443250°N 135.5054444°E |
Built | 1912 |
Tobita Shinchi (
Overview
[edit]The area consists of three main streets: Youth Street (
Tobita brothels, similar to how brothels in Amsterdam have women in the windows, tend to have a young woman kneeling by the genkan (entryway) or in the living room (which is fully open to the street) of the brothel to attract customers—an unusual practice for brothels in Japan.[3] Often the women are dressed in schoolgirl or nurse costumes.[4] Most of the prostitutes are Japanese, although there are some zainichi (Koreans).[1]
An elderly woman called the 'Yarite Babaa’[3] or 'Mama-san',[2] often the owner of the residence, sits in the genkan and greets male passers-by[3] with phrases like douzo, onii-san (どうぞ、お
The nearest metro and mainline stations are Dōbutsuen-mae Station.[7]
One of the oldest buildings in the area, the Taiyoshi Hyaku, was given 'cultural property' status in 2000.[4] It was originally built as a 21-room brothel in 1918 and was converted to a restaurant in 1970. The themed rooms of the brothel have been retained.[8]
History
[edit]On 16 January 1912, the red-light district of Shinchi Otobe in the Namba district of Osaka, containing 2,000 prostitutes and 100 brothels, burnt down.[8] The brothels were moved to the current Tobita Shinchi location after a cemetery was cleared from the grounds.[8] The area is on the south side of the then newly built Shinsekai entertainment area, which was thought to be advantageous.[1] However, there were many protests from anti-prostitution campaigners to the setting up of the new brothel district.[8] Tobita Shinchi was one of the last licensed Yūkaku areas to be created.[8]
The area escaped the bombing of Osaka during WW2, and continued to thrive until the Prostitution Prevention Law came into effect on 1 April 1958. However the area only closed for one night, the brothels re-opening as "restaurants" the next day.[1]
Tobita Restaurant Association
[edit]To circumvent the anti-prostitution laws, the brothels operate as restaurants. Tea and snacks are served to the client in a private room. Subsequent sexual contact between the "waitress" and the client is viewed as a "private affair" between them under Osaka's liberal interpretation of the law.[1]
The brothels organised themselves into a trade association, the Tobita Restaurant Association (Tobita Ryouri Kumiai),[3] although some genuine restaurants in the area are members. Osaka mayor Tōru Hashimoto was a legal adviser of the Association.[9][10]
It was reported in May of 2019 that all restaurants (159 shops) in the Tobita Restaurant Association were going to be closed on June 28 and 29, 2019, for the 2019 G20 Osaka summit.[11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Schonherr, Johannes. "Tobita Shinchi". Pink Visitor. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ a b Miyazaki, Jamie (19 August 2010). "A Red-Light District Off the Beaten Path". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Definitive Guide to Tobita Shinchi Osaka". Osaka Bros. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ a b "Tobita Shinchi". www.japan-experience.com. Japan Experience. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Osaka travel guide area by area: Shinsekai, Tobita Shinchi - youinJapan.net". youinjapan.net. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Foreign tourists reshape Tobita Shinchi brothel quarter". newsonjapan.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Osaka, Japan – Red Light District (Tobita Shinchi)". The Whore Monger. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Moriguchi, Kenzo (26 March 1999). "Nostalgia buffs covet 1918 brothel-turned-eatery". The Japan Times Online. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "
橋下 徹 氏 大阪 の旧 遊郭 街 ・飛田 新地 組合 の顧問 弁護士 だった│NEWSポストセブン" [Toru Hashigashita Mr. Toru Hashashita was an adviser lawyer from Osaka's Old Pref]. www.news-postseven.com (in Japanese). 22 November 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2018. - ^ "
大阪 旧 遊郭 街 顧問 弁護士 の経歴 もやり玉 に外国 人 記者 らが橋下 市長 釈明 を追及 " [Osaka former amusement park corporate lawyer's career also jailbroke foreign journalists pursue the explanation of the mayor of the bridge]. J-CASTニュース (in Japanese). 27 May 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2018. - ^ "
大阪 の歓楽街 「飛田 新地 」で全店 休業 " [All shops closed in Osaka's entertainment district "Toida Shinchi"].産経 ニュース (in Japanese). 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
External links
[edit]- I went to Tobita Shinchi - Gigazine (Japanese, with many pictures), May 21, 2012
- Japanese hidden prostitution district: red light district in Tobita-Shinchi Osaka video on YouTube
- Brief history and guide video on YouTube