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is the
red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...
which exists between the sandbank of the and the in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is named after a popular, but very short-lived, entertainment quarter of
Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
, which existed in the late 18th century. The name "Nakasu" can be translated as "the island in the middle", as Nakasu is an island between two rivers.


Overview

Nakasu is the largest red-light district in the western Japan area after Osaka. The number of restaurants and stores, including adult-entertainment establishments, is approximately 3,500; over 60,000 people reportedly visit Nakasu every night. Nakasu is also home to a number of fashionable restaurants. Notable features in Nakasu includes the view of neon signs from the , and stalls along the Naka River. Once, fans of the local baseball team,
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...
, dove from the Fukuhaku Deai Bridge into the river after the team won the championship. The nearest subway station from Nakasu is the
Nakasu-Kawabata Station is a subway station on the Hakozaki Line and Kūkō Line located in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka in Japan. The station's symbole mark is Chinese characters "" and "" look like Happi's motif. Lines * ** ** Platforms File:View_in_Nakasu-Ka ...
of the Fukuoka City Subway.


History

In 1600,
Kuroda Nagamasa was a ''daimyō'' during the late Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods. He was the son of Kuroda Kanbei, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's chief strategist and adviser. Biography His childhood name was Shojumaru (松寿丸). In 1577, when Nagamasa was ...
, a of the Fukuoka- Han, created Nakasu to connect between current Chūō-ku and
Hakata-ku is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the location o ...
by building two bridges over the rivers at the sandbank: Higashi Nakajima Bridge and Nishi Nakajima Bridge (currently Shōwa Street). Present day of Nakasu has 18 bridges in total: 7 of them are built at the side of the Chūō-ku, and 11 at the side of the Hakata-ku. Nakasu previously featured Tamaya, a department store of long standing, and movie theatres, although the center of commerce has moved to the Tenjin and Daimyō districts in Chūō-ku. After the establishment of a shopping complex, the
Canal City Hakata is a large shopping and entertainment complex in Fukuoka, Japan. Called the "city within the city," it boasts numerous attractions including shops; cafes; restaurants; a theater; game center; cinemas; two hotels; and a canal, which runs through ...
at neighbouring Sumiyoshi district in 1996, the areas of Tenjin, Nakasu, and Hakata Station, all of which are located in the middle of the place between the Tenjin district and Canal City Hakata, were unified. The redevelopment of unification with adjacent Kawabata district is also in progress. On March 29, 2002, the Nakasu Special Investigators, a squad of the Fukuoka Prefectural Police, was formed to prevent crime. A huge commercial complex, the "gate's" was opened in 2006, at the site the Tamaya was located.


In popular culture

*The 2012 video game ''
Yakuza 5 is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3. The game is the fifth main entry in the ''Yakuza'' series. The game was released in December 2012 in Japan, and localized for North ...
'' features a fictional district called Nagasugai, based on Nakasu. This is where main series protagonist
Kazuma Kiryu is a fictional character and the protagonist of Sega's action-adventure beat'em'up Japanese role-playing game series ''Yakuza''. He is popularly known as due to the tattoo of a dragon on his back and him originally being a fearsome member of t ...
comes to start a new life as a taxi driver under the alias of Taichi Suzuki.


Sources


See also

*
Nakasu (Edo) The Nakasu (中州, lit. "sandbank in the middle") was a short-lived, but vibrant and popular entertainment district in Edo, Japan. It was built upon an artificial landfill in the Sumida River, at a place called ''Mitsumata'' (三又, "Three Forks ...


External links


Nakasu

Nakasu Tourism Association, Town of Nakasu Joint Association Homepage
{{Prostitution in Japan Geography of Fukuoka Red-light districts in Japan Tourist attractions in Fukuoka Yakuza